Your First Complete Login System in React Native with Expo and Clerk

Let's build a real, production-ready login system together. We'll create custom screens, handle email verification, manage passwords, and protect our app's routes. No scary jargon, just step-by-step guidance.

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Introduction

So, you're building a mobile app. Awesome! One of the first things you'll probably need is a way for users to sign up and log in. This is called authentication, and while it sounds simple, building it from scratch securely can be a real headache. There are so many things to worry about: password hashing, session tokens, security risks... it's a lot.

But don't worry! In this guide, we're going to build a complete, secure, and user-friendly authentication system for your React Native app. We'll use two amazing tools, Expo and Clerk, to make our lives way easier.

By the time we're done, you'll have a fully working app where users can:

• Sign up and sign in with custom-designed screens
• Verify their email address to activate their account
• Reset their password if they forget it
• Change their password from within the app
• Access special screens only available to logged-in users

Ready? Let's dive in!

What is Clerk? (Your Security Team in a Box)

Clerk is a service that handles all the complicated user management and login stuff for you. Think of it as your expert security team, ready to go. Instead of spending weeks writing complex code, Clerk gives you simple tools to plug into your app.

What Makes Clerk So Cool?

• All The Features: It has everything from simple email/password login to social logins (Google, Apple), multi-factor authentication (MFA), and more.
• You Control the Look: Unlike some services that force you into ugly, pre-made login boxes, Clerk lets you build your own UI. Your app, your style.
• Top-Notch Security: The Clerk team lives and breathes security. They handle all the scary stuff like data encryption and compliance, so you don't have to lose sleep over it.
• Amazing for Developers: Their documentation is clear, it works great with modern tools like TypeScript, and it just makes sense.

So, Why Not Build It Myself?

Honestly, you could, but it's a ton of work and it's very easy to make a mistake that could compromise your users' data. Using Clerk saves you months of effort and helps you avoid common security pitfalls. It lets you focus on building the features that make your app unique.

What is Expo? (The Easiest Way to Build a Mobile App)

Expo is a platform and a set of tools built on top of React Native that makes building mobile apps incredibly fast and fun. It takes away many of the typical headaches associated with mobile development.

Why Do Developers Love Expo?

• Super Fast Start: You can create and run a new app on your phone in just a few minutes.
• No Native Code Headaches: For most apps, you won't need to open Xcode or Android Studio. You can just write JavaScript/TypeScript and Expo handles the rest.
• The Expo Go App: This is a magical app for your phone. It lets you test your project instantly just by scanning a QR code.
• Awesome Built-in Tools: Need to use the camera, GPS, or notifications? Expo provides simple JavaScript APIs for all of that.

Why is Expo Perfect for Us?

Expo lowers the barrier to entry. It lets us focus on building our app's features and user interface without getting bogged down in complicated native configurations.

Why Clerk + Expo? (The Perfect Partnership)

When you combine Clerk and Expo, you get a development experience that feels like a superpower. You can build a beautiful, secure, and feature-rich mobile app in a fraction of the time it would normally take.

• Speed: Go from a new project to a fully authenticated app in hours, not weeks.
• Security: Clerk handles the security, Expo makes development smooth.
• Customization: You have full control over the user experience.

• Scalability: This setup works just as well for a weekend project as it does for an app with millions of users.

• Clerk Documentation: clerk.com/docs

• Expo Documentation: docs.expo.dev

Let's Get Building: Project Setup

Alright, enough talk! Let's get our hands dirty and set up our project.

1. Create Your Expo App

Open your terminal and run this command. It will create a new, blank Expo project for us using TypeScript (which helps us catch errors early!).

npx create-expo-app my-clerk-app --template blank-typescript
cd my-clerk-app

2. Install the Magic Ingredients

Next, we need to install Clerk and a couple of other packages it depends on.

# This is the main Clerk library for Expo
npm install @clerk/clerk-expo

# These are helper libraries Clerk needs to work its magic
npx expo install expo-local-authentication expo-auth-session

3. Set Up Your Secret Key

Clerk needs a "Publishable Key" to connect your app to your Clerk account.

First, create a new file in the root of your project called .env.

Then, add this line to it. You'll get your key from the Clerk Dashboard after signing up for a free account.

# .env
EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_test_your_publishable_key_here

Super Important: This .env file is for your secret keys. Never commit it to a public GitHub repository!

4. A Quick Tweak to app.json

We just need to let Expo know we're using one of the new packages we installed. Open your app.json file and add the plugins section.

{
  "expo": {
    "plugins": [
      "expo-local-authentication"
    ]
  }
}

Integrating Clerk into Our App

Now for the most important part: wrapping our entire app with Clerk so it can manage our authentication state everywhere. We'll do this in the root layout file.

The Root Layout: The Brains of Our App

This file (app/_layout.tsx) is the main entry point for our app's navigation. It decides what the user sees based on whether they are logged in or not. It's a big file, so let's break down what it's doing.

// app/_layout.tsx
import React, { useEffect } from "react";
import { ClerkProvider, useAuth } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { Stack, useRouter, useSegments } from "expo-router";
import * as SecureStore from "expo-secure-store";
import * as SplashScreen from "expo-splash-screen";
import { ActivityIndicator, View, Text } from "react-native";

// This tells the splash screen to stay visible until we're ready
SplashScreen.preventAutoHideAsync();

/**
 * We need a secure place to store the user's session token.
 * `expo-secure-store` is perfect because it encrypts the data on the device.
 * This little object tells Clerk how to save and retrieve that token.
 */
const tokenCache = {
  async getToken(key: string) {
    try {
      return SecureStore.getItemAsync(key);
    } catch (err) {
      return null;
    }
  },
  async saveToken(key: string, value: string) {
    try {
      return SecureStore.setItemAsync(key, value);
    } catch (err) {
      return;
    }
  },
};

// Let's grab our Clerk Publishable Key from the .env file
const CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY = process.env.EXPO_PUBLIC_CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY;

if (!CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY) {
  throw new Error("Missing Clerk Publishable Key. Please add it to your .env file.");
}

// These are just some nice-to-haves from Expo Router
export { ErrorBoundary } from "expo-router";
export const unstable_settings = { initialRouteName: "(tabs)" };

/**
 * This is our main layout component. It's the "bouncer" for our app,
 * deciding who gets to go where based on their login status.
 */
const InitialLayout = () => {
  // These hooks are our main tools from Clerk and Expo Router
  const { isLoaded, isSignedIn } = useAuth(); // Clerk's hook to check auth status
  const segments = useSegments(); // Expo Router's hook to know where the user is
  const router = useRouter(); // Expo Router's hook to navigate the user

  // This effect hides the splash screen once Clerk has loaded
  useEffect(() => {
    if (isLoaded) {
      SplashScreen.hideAsync();
    }
  }, [isLoaded]);

  // This is the core logic that handles our routing!
  useEffect(() => {
    if (!isLoaded) return; // Wait until Clerk is ready

    const inTabsGroup = segments[0] === "(tabs)";

    if (isSignedIn && !inTabsGroup) {
      // If the user is signed in and not in the main app area,
      // send them to the home screen.
      router.replace("/(tabs)");
    } else if (!isSignedIn) {
      // If the user is not signed in, send them to the sign-in screen.
      router.replace("/sign-in");
    }
  }, [isLoaded, isSignedIn, segments, router]);

  // While Clerk is loading, we'll show a simple loading spinner
  if (!isLoaded) {
    return (
      <View style={{ flex: 1, justifyContent: "center", alignItems: "center" }}>
        <ActivityIndicator size="large" />
        <Text style={{ marginTop: 10 }}>Loading...</Text>
      </View>
    );
  }

  // Once loaded, we define our app's screens
  return (
    <Stack>
      <Stack.Screen name="(tabs)" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
      <Stack.Screen name="sign-in" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
      <Stack.Screen name="sign-up" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
      <Stack.Screen name="forgot-password" options={{ headerShown: false }} />
      <Stack.Screen
        name="change-password"
        options={{
          presentation: "modal",
          headerShown: true,
          title: "\"Change Password\","
          headerBackTitle: "Profile",
        }}
      />
    </Stack>
  );
};

/**
 * This is the root component of our app.
 * We wrap everything in the `ClerkProvider` so that all our components
 * can access the user's authentication state.
 */
export default function RootLayout() {
  return (
    <ClerkProvider
      publishableKey={CLERK_PUBLISHABLE_KEY!}
      tokenCache={tokenCache}
    >
      <InitialLayout />
    </ClerkProvider>
  );
}

What We Just Did:

• ClerkProvider: We wrapped our entire app in this. It’s like a context provider that holds all the user information and makes it available everywhere.
• Secure Token Storage: We told Clerk to use expo-secure-store, which is the safest place on a device to keep sensitive info like a login token.
• Smart Routing: The InitialLayout component acts as a traffic controller. It waits for Clerk to load, then checks if the user is signed in. If they are, it sends them to the main app ((tabs)). If not, it sends them to the sign-in screen. This protects our app's private screens.

Creating Our Custom Login Screens

Now for the fun part: building the screens the user will actually see!

The Sign-In Screen

Here, we'll create a simple form for users to enter their email and password.

// app/sign-in.tsx
import React, { useState } from "react";
import {
  View,
  TextInput,
  Button,
  Text,
  StyleSheet,
  Pressable,
} from "react-native";
import { useSignIn } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { Link, useRouter } from "expo-router";

export default function SignInScreen() {
  // Clerk's hook for handling the sign-in process
  const { signIn, setActive, isLoaded } = useSignIn();
  const router = useRouter();

  // State variables to hold the user's input and manage UI state
  const [emailAddress, setEmailAddress] = useState("");
  const [password, setPassword] = useState("");
  const [error, setError] = useState("");
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);

  // This function is called when the user presses the "Sign In" button
  const onSignInPress = async () => {
    if (!isLoaded) return; // Wait for Clerk to be ready

    setError("");
    setIsLoading(true);

    try {
      // Start the sign-in process with Clerk
      const signInAttempt = await signIn.create({
        identifier: emailAddress,
        password,
      });

      // If sign-in is complete, we set the session as active
      if (signInAttempt.status === "complete") {
        await setActive({ session: signInAttempt.createdSessionId });
        // And navigate the user to the main part of the app
        router.replace("/(tabs)");
      } else {
        // This can happen in multi-factor auth flows
        setError("Sign-in incomplete. Please try again.");
      }
    } catch (err: any) {
      // This is our error handling. We can show a friendly message.
      const errorMessage =
        err.errors?.[0]?.longMessage || "An error occurred. Please try again.";
      setError(errorMessage);
    } finally {
      setIsLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Sign In</Text>

      {error ? (
        <View style={styles.errorContainer}>
          <Text style={styles.errorText}>{error}</Text>
        </View>
      ) : null}

      <TextInput
        autoCapitalize="none"
        value={emailAddress}
        placeholder="Email..."
        onChangeText={setEmailAddress}
        style={styles.input}
        editable={!isLoading}
      />
      <TextInput
        value={password}
        placeholder="Password..."
        secureTextEntry
        onChangeText={setPassword}
        style={styles.input}
        editable={!isLoading}
      />
      <Button
        title={isLoading ? "Signing In..." : "Sign In"}
        onPress={onSignInPress}
        disabled={isLoading}
      />
      <Link href="/forgot-password" asChild>
        <Pressable style={styles.link} disabled={isLoading}>
          <Text style={styles.linkText}>Forgot Password?</Text>
        </Pressable>
      </Link>
      <Link href="/sign-up" asChild>
        <Pressable style={styles.link} disabled={isLoading}>
          <Text style={styles.linkText}>Don't have an account? Sign Up</Text>
        </Pressable>
      </Link>
    </View>
  );
}

// Add some basic styling to make it look nice
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    justifyContent: "center",
    padding: 20,
  },
  title: "{"
    fontSize: 28,
    fontWeight: "bold",
    textAlign: "center",
    marginBottom: 30,
    color: "#333",
  },
  input: {
    borderWidth: 1,
    borderColor: "#ccc",
    padding: 12,
    marginBottom: 15,
    borderRadius: 5,
    fontSize: 16,
  },
  errorContainer: {
    backgroundColor: "#ffebee",
    borderColor: "#f44336",
    borderWidth: 1,
    borderRadius: 5,
    padding: 12,
    marginBottom: 15,
  },
  errorText: {
    color: "#f44336",
    fontSize: 14,
    textAlign: "center",
  },
  link: {
    marginTop: 15,
    alignItems: "center",
  },
  linkText: {
    color: "#007AFF",
    fontSize: 16,
  },
});

The Sign-Up Screen with Email Verification

Signing up is a two-step process: first, the user creates an account. Second, they verify their email with a code we send them. This is a great security practice.

// app/sign-up.tsx
import React, { useState } from "react";
import {
  View,
  TextInput,
  Button,
  Text,
  StyleSheet,
  Pressable,
} from "react-native";
import { useSignUp } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { Link, useRouter } from "expo-router";

export default function SignUpScreen() {
  const { isLoaded, signUp, setActive } = useSignUp();
  const router = useRouter();

  // State for user inputs
  const [firstName, setFirstName] = useState("");
  const [lastName, setLastName] = useState("");
  const [emailAddress, setEmailAddress] = useState("");
  const [password, setPassword] = useState("");

  // State for the verification flow
  const [pendingVerification, setPendingVerification] = useState(false);
  const [code, setCode] = useState("");
  const [error, setError] = useState("");
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);

  // Step 1: Create the user account
  const onSignUpPress = async () => {
    if (!isLoaded) return;

    setError("");
    setIsLoading(true);

    try {
      // Create the user with Clerk
      await signUp.create({
        emailAddress,
        password,
        firstName,
        lastName,
      });

      // Send the verification email
      await signUp.prepareEmailAddressVerification({ strategy: "email_code" });

      // Move to the verification screen
      setPendingVerification(true);
    } catch (err: any) {
      const errorMessage =
        err.errors?.[0]?.longMessage || "An error occurred. Please try again.";
      setError(errorMessage);
    } finally {
      setIsLoading(false);
    }
  };

  // Step 2: Verify the email code
  const onPressVerify = async () => {
    if (!isLoaded) return;

    setError("");
    setIsLoading(true);

    try {
      // Attempt to verify the code the user entered
      const signUpAttempt = await signUp.attemptEmailAddressVerification({
        code,
      });

      if (signUpAttempt.status === "complete") {
        // If successful, set the session active and navigate
        await setActive({ session: signUpAttempt.createdSessionId });
        router.replace("/(tabs)");
      } else {
        setError("Verification incomplete. Please try again.");
      }
    } catch (err: any) {
      const errorMessage =
        err.errors?.[0]?.longMessage || "Invalid verification code.";
      setError(errorMessage);
    } finally {
      setIsLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      {!pendingVerification ? (
        // Show the sign-up form
        <>
          <Text style={styles.title}>Sign Up</Text>

          {error ? (
            <View style={styles.errorContainer}>
              <Text style={styles.errorText}>{error}</Text>
            </View>
          ) : null}

          <TextInput
            value={firstName}
            placeholder="First Name..."
            onChangeText={setFirstName}
            style={styles.input}
            editable={!isLoading}
          />
          <TextInput
            value={lastName}
            placeholder="Last Name..."
            onChangeText={setLastName}
            style={styles.input}
            editable={!isLoading}
          />
          <TextInput
            autoCapitalize="none"
            value={emailAddress}
            placeholder="Email..."
            onChangeText={setEmailAddress}
            style={styles.input}
            editable={!isLoading}
          />
          <TextInput
            value={password}
            placeholder="Password..."
            secureTextEntry
            onChangeText={setPassword}
            style={styles.input}
            editable={!isLoading}
          />
          <Button
            title={isLoading ? "Creating Account..." : "Sign Up"}
            onPress={onSignUpPress}
            disabled={isLoading}
          />
          <Link href="/sign-in" asChild>
            <Pressable style={styles.link} disabled={isLoading}>
              <Text style={styles.linkText}>Have an account? Sign In</Text>
            </Pressable>
          </Link>
        </>
      ) : (
        // Show the email verification form
        <>
          <Text style={styles.title}>Verify Your Email</Text>
          <Text style={styles.subtitle}>
            Enter the verification code sent to {emailAddress}
          </Text>

          {error ? (
            <View style={styles.errorContainer}>
              <Text style={styles.errorText}>{error}</Text>
            </View>
          ) : null}

          <TextInput
            value={code}
            placeholder="Verification Code..."
            onChangeText={setCode}
            style={styles.input}
            editable={!isLoading}
            keyboardType="number-pad"
          />
          <Button
            title={isLoading ? "Verifying..." : "Verify Email"}
            onPress={onPressVerify}
            disabled={isLoading}
          />
        </>
      )}
    </View>
  );
}

// Use similar styles as the sign-in screen...
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    container: { flex: 1, justifyContent: 'center', padding: 20 },
    title: "{ fontSize: 28, fontWeight: 'bold', textAlign: 'center', marginBottom: 20 },"
    subtitle: "{ textAlign: 'center', marginBottom: 20, fontSize: 16, color: '#666' },"
    input: { borderWidth: 1, borderColor: '#ccc', padding: 12, marginBottom: 15, borderRadius: 5, fontSize: 16 },
    errorContainer: { backgroundColor: '#ffebee', padding: 12, borderRadius: 5, marginBottom: 15 },
    errorText: { color: '#f44336', textAlign: 'center' },
    link: { marginTop: 15, alignItems: 'center' },
    linkText: { color: '#007AFF', fontSize: 16 }
});

Change Password Modal

This screen will allow a logged-in user to change their password. We'll present it as a modal (a screen that slides up from the bottom).

// app/change-password.tsx
import React, { useState } from "react";
import { View, TextInput, Button, Text, StyleSheet, ScrollView } from "react-native";
import { useUser } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { useRouter } from "expo-router";

export default function ChangePasswordScreen() {
  // The `useUser` hook gives us access to the currently logged-in user
  const { user } = useUser();
  const router = useRouter();

  const [currentPassword, setCurrentPassword] = useState("");
  const [newPassword, setNewPassword] = useState("");
  const [confirmPassword, setConfirmPassword] = useState("");
  const [error, setError] = useState("");
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);

  const onChangePasswordPress = async () => {
    if (!user) return;

    // Basic client-side validation
    if (newPassword !== confirmPassword) {
      setError("New passwords do not match.");
      return;
    }
    if (newPassword.length < 8) {
        setError("New password must be at least 8 characters long.");
        return;
    }

    setError("");
    setIsLoading(true);

    try {
      // Clerk's `user` object has a handy method for this!
      await user.updatePassword({
        currentPassword,
        newPassword,
      });

      // If successful, close the modal
      router.back();
    } catch (err: any) {
      const errorMessage =
        err.errors?.[0]?.longMessage || "An error occurred. Please try again.";
      setError(errorMessage);
    } finally {
      setIsLoading(false);
    }
  };

  return (
    <ScrollView contentContainerStyle={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Change Password</Text>

       {error ? (
        <View style={styles.errorContainer}>
          <Text style={styles.errorText}>{error}</Text>
        </View>
      ) : null}

      <TextInput
        value={currentPassword}
        placeholder="Current password..."
        secureTextEntry
        onChangeText={setCurrentPassword}
        style={styles.input}
      />
      <TextInput
        value={newPassword}
        placeholder="New password..."
        secureTextEntry
        onChangeText={setNewPassword}
        style={styles.input}
      />
      <TextInput
        value={confirmPassword}
        placeholder="Confirm new password..."
        secureTextEntry
        onChangeText={setConfirmPassword}
        style={styles.input}
      />

      <Button
        title={isLoading ? "Updating..." : "Update Password"}
        onPress={onChangePasswordPress}
        disabled={isLoading}
      />
    </ScrollView>
  );
}

// Use similar styles...
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    container: { flexGrow: 1, justifyContent: 'center', padding: 20 },
    title: "{ fontSize: 28, fontWeight: 'bold', textAlign: 'center', marginBottom: 20 },"
    input: { borderWidth: 1, borderColor: '#ccc', padding: 12, marginBottom: 15, borderRadius: 5, fontSize: 16 },
    errorContainer: { backgroundColor: '#ffebee', padding: 12, borderRadius: 5, marginBottom: 15 },
    errorText: { color: '#f44336', textAlign: 'center' },
});

Building the Protected Part of Our App

Now that users can log in, let's create the screens they see after logging in. Our _layout.tsx file already protects this area.

A Welcoming Home Screen

This will be the first thing a user sees after logging in.

// app/(tabs)/index.tsx
import React from "react";
import { StyleSheet, Text, View, Button } from "react-native";
import { useUser, useClerk } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";

export default function HomeScreen() {
  // `useUser` gives us all the details about the logged-in user
  const { user } = useUser();
  const { signOut } = useClerk();

  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Welcome Back!</Text>
      <Text style={styles.userInfo}>
        Hello, {user?.firstName || "User"}!
      </Text>
      <Text style={styles.userEmail}>
        Your email is: {user?.primaryEmailAddress?.emailAddress}
      </Text>
      <View style={styles.separator} />
      <Button title="Sign Out" onPress={() => signOut()} />
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: {
    flex: 1,
    alignItems: "center",
    justifyContent: "center",
    padding: 20,
  },
  title: "{"
    fontSize: 24,
    fontWeight: "bold",
    marginBottom: 20,
  },
  userInfo: {
    fontSize: 18,
    marginBottom: 10,
  },
  userEmail: {
    fontSize: 16,
    color: "#666",
  },
  separator: {
    marginVertical: 30,
    height: 1,
    width: "80%",
    backgroundColor: "#eee",
  },
});

A Detailed Profile Screen

Here, we can display more user information and provide a link to our "Change Password" modal.

// app/(tabs)/two.tsx (or you can rename it to profile.tsx)
import React from "react";
import { StyleSheet, Text, View, ScrollView, Pressable } from "react-native";
import { useUser, useClerk } from "@clerk/clerk-expo";
import { useRouter } from "expo-router";

export default function ProfileScreen() {
  const { user } = useUser();
  const { signOut } = useClerk();
  const router = useRouter();

  return (
    <ScrollView contentContainerStyle={styles.container}>
      <Text style={styles.title}>Your Profile</Text>

      <View style={styles.section}>
        <Text style={styles.sectionTitle}>Personal Information</Text>
        <Text>Full Name: {user?.fullName || "N/A"}</Text>
        <Text>Email: {user?.primaryEmailAddress?.emailAddress || "N/A"}</Text>
        <Text>Account Created: {user?.createdAt?.toLocaleDateString() || "N/A"}</Text>
      </View>

      <View style={styles.section}>
        <Text style={styles.sectionTitle}>Actions</Text>

        <Pressable
          style={styles.actionButton}
          onPress={() => router.push("/change-password")}
        >
          <Text style={styles.actionButtonText}>Change Password</Text>
        </Pressable>

        <Pressable
          style={[styles.actionButton, styles.signOutButton]}
          onPress={() => signOut()}
        >
          <Text style={styles.actionButtonText}>Sign Out</Text>
        </Pressable>
      </View>
    </ScrollView>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
    container: {
        flexGrow: 1,
        padding: 20,
        backgroundColor: '#f5f5f5'
    },
    title: "{"
        fontSize: 28,
        fontWeight: "bold",
        marginBottom: 30,
        textAlign: "center",
    },
    section: {
        backgroundColor: 'white',
        padding: 20,
        borderRadius: 10,
        marginBottom: 20,
    },
    sectionTitle: {
        fontSize: 18,
        fontWeight: '600',
        marginBottom: 10
    },
    actionButton: {
        backgroundColor: "#007AFF",
        paddingVertical: 12,
        borderRadius: 8,
        alignItems: "center",
        marginBottom: 15,
    },
    signOutButton: {
        backgroundColor: "#f44336",
    },
    actionButtonText: {
        color: "white",
        fontSize: 16,
        fontWeight: "600",
    },
});

Testing Your App

Now's the time to try everything out! Run your app with npx expo start and test all the scenarios:

1. Sign Up: Create a new account and verify your email.
2. Sign Out: Log out of the account.
3. Sign In: Log back in with the credentials you just created.
4. Wrong Password: Try logging in with the wrong password to see the error message.
5. Forgot Password: Use the forgot password flow.
6. Change Password: Go to the profile screen and change your password.

We Did It! What's Next?

Congratulations! You've just built a complete, secure, and professional authentication system in a React Native app. That's a huge accomplishment!

You now have a solid foundation to build the rest of your app on. Clerk and Expo handled all the heavy lifting, allowing us to focus on creating a great user experience with custom screens and smooth navigation.

Where to Go From Here?

This is just the beginning. You could easily add more features like:

• Social Logins: Let users sign in with Google, Apple, or GitHub.
• Biometrics: Add Face ID or Touch ID for super-quick logins.
• User Profiles: Allow users to update their first name, last name, or profile picture.

Key Takeaways

• Don't reinvent the wheel: Services like Clerk save you massive amounts of time and prevent security headaches.
• User experience is key: Always provide clear feedback, loading states, and helpful error messages.
• Expo is your friend: It makes React Native development faster and more enjoyable.

The complete source code for a project like this is often available on GitHub. You can use it as a reference as you continue to build out your own amazing application.

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Need More Help or Want to Learn More?

If you enjoyed this tutorial, that's awesome! I love helping developers build cool things. I share more in-depth tutorials and tips on React Native and mobile development on my YouTube channel.

My Services

If you or your team need a little extra help:

• Technical Guidance: I can help you with app architecture, performance, and making the right tech choices.
• Full App Development: I can help bring your app idea to life, from concept to App Store launch.
• Code Reviews: I can review your existing codebase to ensure it's secure, scalable, and follows best practices.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn or email [e-mail].

Happy coding! Now go and build something amazing with your new authentication powers!

aaronksaunders / expo-clerk-auth

Clerk Authentication Demo - Expo React Native App

A complete React Native application demonstrating headless Clerk authentication implementation with custom UI components, email verification, and comprehensive error handling.

🚀 Features

🔐 Authentication Features

• Custom Sign-In Screen - Email/password authentication with error handling
• Custom Sign-Up Screen - User registration with first/last name fields
• Email Verification - Complete verification flow with code input
• Forgot Password - Password reset via email with confirmation flow
• Change Password - Secure password update for authenticated users
• Secure Token Storage - Uses Expo SecureStore for token persistence
• Automatic Routing - Smart navigation based on authentication state
• Error Handling - User-friendly error messages for all authentication flows

📱 User Interface

• Home Screen - Personalized welcome with user information
• Profile Screen - Detailed user account information and status
• Loading States - Visual feedback during authentication processes
• Responsive Design - Clean, modern UI with proper styling
• Navigation - Tab-based navigation…

View on GitHub