Does Ruby on Rails Work With Clerk?
Ruby on Rails and Clerk integrate seamlessly for authentication, with Clerk handling user management while Rails focuses on business logic.
Quick Facts
How Ruby on Rails Works With Clerk
Clerk works beautifully with Rails by providing JWT-based authentication that fits naturally into Rails' middleware pipeline. You install the `clerk-sdk-ruby` gem, configure your Clerk API keys as environment variables, and use Clerk's pre-built UI components in your views via a simple script tag. Rails receives authenticated requests with Clerk JWTs in headers, validates them via Clerk's SDK, and you access user data through `ClerkRails::CurrentUser`. The developer experience is excellent: no password management, no session complexity, and Clerk's dashboard handles all user operations. Architecture-wise, Clerk acts as your identity provider while Rails remains your application server—they're completely decoupled, so you can scale either independently.
Best Use Cases
Quick Setup
bundle add clerk-sdk-ruby# config/initializers/clerk.rb
Clerk.configure do |config|
config.api_key = ENV['CLERK_SECRET_KEY']
end
# app/controllers/application_controller.rb
class ApplicationController < ActionController::Base
include ClerkRails::Authentication
before_action :authenticate_user!
def current_user
@current_user ||= User.find_or_create_by(clerk_id: clerk_user.id) do |user|
user.email = clerk_user.email_addresses.first.email_address
end
end
end
# app/views/layouts/application.html.erb
<script async crossorigin="anonymous"
src="https://cdn.clerk.com/clerk.js"
data-clerk-publishable-key="<%= ENV['CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY'] %>">
</script>Known Issues & Gotchas
JWT token validation happens on every request; caching strategies become important for high-traffic apps
Fix: Implement token caching in Redis or use Clerk's in-memory caching for short-lived tokens
Clerk's pre-built components use iframes which can cause CORS issues if not properly configured
Fix: Ensure your Rails app's domain is whitelisted in Clerk dashboard under allowed origins
User metadata from Clerk doesn't automatically sync to Rails models; you need manual sync logic
Fix: Create webhooks in Clerk that POST user events to your Rails app, then sync to local User model
Alternatives
- •Auth0 + Rails: More enterprise-focused, heavier setup but broader compliance certifications
- •Devise gem + traditional password auth: Full control but requires managing security yourself
- •Firebase Auth + Rails API: Good for mobile-first apps, requires more custom frontend work
Resources
Related Compatibility Guides
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