clerk-performance-tuning by jeremylongshore

---
name: clerk-performance-tuning
description: |
  Optimize Clerk authentication performance.
  Use when improving auth response times, reducing latency,
  or optimizing Clerk SDK usage.
  Trigger with phrases like "clerk performance", "clerk optimization",
  "clerk slow", "clerk latency", "optimize clerk".
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Grep
version: 1.0.0
license: MIT
author: Jeremy Longshore <[email protected]>
---

# Clerk Performance Tuning

## Overview
Optimize Clerk authentication for best performance and user experience.

## Prerequisites
- Clerk integration working
- Performance monitoring in place
- Understanding of application architecture

## Instructions

### Step 1: Optimize Middleware
```typescript
// middleware.ts - Optimized configuration
import { clerkMiddleware, createRouteMatcher } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

// Pre-compile route matchers (done once at startup)
const isPublicRoute = createRouteMatcher([
  '/',
  '/sign-in(.*)',
  '/sign-up(.*)',
  '/api/public(.*)',
  '/api/webhooks(.*)'
])

// Exclude static files from middleware processing
export const config = {
  matcher: [
    // Skip all static files and images
    '/((?!_next|[^?]*\\.(?:html?|css|js(?!on)|jpe?g|webp|png|gif|svg|ttf|woff2?|ico|csv|docx?|xlsx?|zip|webmanifest)).*)',
    // Always run for API routes
    '/(api|trpc)(.*)'
  ]
}

export default clerkMiddleware(async (auth, request) => {
  // Quick return for public routes
  if (isPublicRoute(request)) {
    return
  }

  // Protect other routes
  await auth.protect()
})
```

### Step 2: Implement User Data Caching
```typescript
// lib/cached-user.ts
import { unstable_cache } from 'next/cache'
import { clerkClient, currentUser } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

// Cache user data with Next.js cache
export const getCachedUser = unstable_cache(
  async (userId: string) => {
    const client = await clerkClient()
    return client.users.getUser(userId)
  },
  ['user-data'],
  {
    revalidate: 60, // 1 minute cache
    tags: ['users']
  }
)

// In-memory cache for very frequent lookups
const userCache = new Map<string, { data: any; expiry: number }>()

export async function getUserFast(userId: string) {
  const cached = userCache.get(userId)
  const now = Date.now()

  if (cached && cached.expiry > now) {
    return cached.data
  }

  const user = await getCachedUser(userId)
  userCache.set(userId, {
    data: user,
    expiry: now + 30000 // 30 seconds
  })

  return user
}

// Invalidate cache on user update
export function invalidateUserCache(userId: string) {
  userCache.delete(userId)
}
```

### Step 3: Optimize Token Handling
```typescript
// lib/optimized-auth.ts
'use client'
import { useAuth } from '@clerk/nextjs'
import { useRef } from 'react'

// Cache tokens to avoid repeated async calls
export function useOptimizedAuth() {
  const { getToken, userId, isLoaded } = useAuth()
  const tokenCache = useRef<{
    token: string | null
    expiry: number
  } | null>(null)

  const getCachedToken = async () => {
    const now = Date.now()

    // Return cached token if still valid (with 5 min buffer)
    if (tokenCache.current &&
        tokenCache.current.token &&
        tokenCache.current.expiry > now + 300000) {
      return tokenCache.current.token
    }

    // Get fresh token
    const token = await getToken()

    if (token) {
      // Parse expiry from JWT
      const payload = JSON.parse(atob(token.split('.')[1]))
      tokenCache.current = {
        token,
        expiry: payload.exp * 1000
      }
    }

    return token
  }

  return { getCachedToken, userId, isLoaded }
}

// Optimized fetch with token
export function useAuthFetch() {
  const { getCachedToken } = useOptimizedAuth()

  return async (url: string, options: RequestInit = {}) => {
    const token = await getCachedToken()

    return fetch(url, {
      ...options,
      headers: {
        ...options.headers,
        Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
      }
    })
  }
}
```

### Step 4: Lazy Load Auth Components
```typescript
// components/lazy-auth.tsx
'use client'
import dynamic from 'next/dynamic'
import { Suspense } from 'react'

// Lazy load heavy auth components
const UserButton = dynamic(
  () => import('@clerk/nextjs').then(mod => mod.UserButton),
  {
    loading: () => <div className="w-8 h-8 bg-gray-200 rounded-full animate-pulse" />,
    ssr: false
  }
)

const SignInButton = dynamic(
  () => import('@clerk/nextjs').then(mod => mod.SignInButton),
  {
    loading: () => <button className="btn" disabled>Sign In</button>,
    ssr: false
  }
)

export function LazyUserButton() {
  return (
    <Suspense fallback={<div className="w-8 h-8 bg-gray-200 rounded-full" />}>
      <UserButton afterSignOutUrl="/" />
    </Suspense>
  )
}
```

### Step 5: Optimize Server Components
```typescript
// app/dashboard/page.tsx
import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'
import { Suspense } from 'react'

// Use streaming for auth-dependent content
export default async function DashboardPage() {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Dashboard</h1>

      {/* Stream user-specific content */}
      <Suspense fallback={<UserDataSkeleton />}>
        <UserData />
      </Suspense>

      {/* Non-auth content renders immediately */}
      <StaticContent />
    </div>
  )
}

async function UserData() {
  const { userId } = await auth()

  // Parallel data fetching
  const [user, stats, notifications] = await Promise.all([
    getUser(userId!),
    getUserStats(userId!),
    getNotifications(userId!)
  ])

  return (
    <div>
      <UserProfile user={user} />
      <UserStats stats={stats} />
      <Notifications items={notifications} />
    </div>
  )
}
```

### Step 6: Edge Runtime Optimization
```typescript
// app/api/fast-auth/route.ts
import { auth } from '@clerk/nextjs/server'

// Use Edge runtime for faster cold starts
export const runtime = 'edge'

export async function GET() {
  const { userId } = await auth()

  if (!userId) {
    return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 })
  }

  // Edge-compatible response
  return Response.json({ userId })
}
```

## Performance Metrics

| Operation | Target | Optimization |
|-----------|--------|--------------|
| Middleware check | < 10ms | Route matcher pre-compilation |
| Token validation | < 50ms | JWT caching |
| User fetch | < 100ms | Multi-level caching |
| Page load (auth) | < 200ms | Streaming + lazy load |

## Monitoring

```typescript
// lib/performance-monitor.ts
export function measureAuthPerformance<T>(
  name: string,
  operation: () => Promise<T>
): Promise<T> {
  const start = performance.now()

  return operation().finally(() => {
    const duration = performance.now() - start
    console.log(`[Clerk Perf] ${name}: ${duration.toFixed(2)}ms`)

    // Send to monitoring (DataDog, etc.)
    if (duration > 100) {
      console.warn(`[Clerk Perf] Slow operation: ${name}`)
    }
  })
}

// Usage
const user = await measureAuthPerformance('getUser', () =>
  clerkClient.users.getUser(userId)
)
```

## Output
- Optimized middleware configuration
- Multi-level caching strategy
- Token management optimization
- Lazy loading for auth components

## Error Handling
| Issue | Cause | Solution |
|-------|-------|----------|
| Slow page loads | Blocking auth calls | Use Suspense boundaries |
| High latency | No caching | Implement token/user cache |
| Bundle size | All components loaded | Lazy load auth components |
| Cold starts | Node runtime | Use Edge runtime |

## Resources
- [Next.js Performance](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/building-your-application/optimizing)
- [Clerk Performance Tips](https://clerk.com/docs/quickstarts/nextjs)
- [Edge Runtime](https://nextjs.org/docs/app/api-reference/edge)

## Next Steps
Proceed to `clerk-cost-tuning` for cost optimization strategies.