DylanDev•2d ago

Deleting Users from Backend Function that are Synced with Clerk

I have a users table that is updated by Clerk sending webhooks with the users over to convex. Now I want to implement a feature where admins on my site can delete users. However, I am running into an error when I run npx convex dev as seen in the screenshot. This is my backend function that is triggering the error, more specifically, when I imported clerkClient.

import { clerkClient } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";

export const deleteUserAdministrativeAction = mutation({
  args: {
    userToDeleteUsername: v.string(),
  },
  async handler(ctx, args) {
    const userToDelete = await getUserByUsername(ctx, { username: args.userToDeleteUsername });
    const callUser = await getCurrentUser(ctx);
    
    if(userToDelete && callUser) {
      if(await hasRole(ctx, { clerkId: callUser.clerkId, role: "developer" })) {
        try {
          await clerkClient.users.deleteUser(userToDelete.clerkId);
        } catch (error) {
          console.log(error);
        }
      }
    }
  },
});

import { clerkClient } from "@clerk/nextjs/server";

export const deleteUserAdministrativeAction = mutation({
  args: {
    userToDeleteUsername: v.string(),
  },
  async handler(ctx, args) {
    const userToDelete = await getUserByUsername(ctx, { username: args.userToDeleteUsername });
    const callUser = await getCurrentUser(ctx);
    
    if(userToDelete && callUser) {
      if(await hasRole(ctx, { clerkId: callUser.clerkId, role: "developer" })) {
        try {
          await clerkClient.users.deleteUser(userToDelete.clerkId);
        } catch (error) {
          console.log(error);
        }
      }
    }
  },
});

The error is not a runtime error but rather a compilation error when npx convex dev is ran. I can't just delete the user entry in the users table cause that won't wipe it from clerk. How do I fix this issue?

Solution:

@Tom thank you tom! I ended up splitting the code into a mutation and an action. That way I could use the third party call inside of the backend!

Jump to solution

7 Replies

ballingt•2d ago

it looks like clerkMiddleware requires Node.js, but you're importing that file from a convex function somewhere or a file from the convex directory imports a file that imports a file that imports a file etc. that imports this clerkMiddleware Oh reading your code, this isn't so complicated. You're trying to use a library that requires Node.js from the file where you defined deleteUserAdministrativeAction

ballingt•2d ago

To do that you need to write this code in a "use node" file, so it will use Node.js instead of the COnvex JavaScript runtime. See https://docs.convex.dev/functions/actions#calling-third-party-apis-and-using-npm-packages

Actions | Convex Developer Hub

Actions can call third party services to do things such as processing a payment

ampp•2d ago

i use clerk/backend without 'useNode to do this - basically:

import { createClerkClient } from '@clerk/backend'
const clerkClientInstance = createClerkClient({
  secretKey: process.env.CLERK_SECRET_KEY,
})

export const deleteUser = internalAction({
  args: { userId: v.string() },
  handler: async (ctx, args) => {
    const result = await clerkClientInstance.users.deleteUser(args.userId)
    return true
  },
})

import { createClerkClient } from '@clerk/backend'
const clerkClientInstance = createClerkClient({
  secretKey: process.env.CLERK_SECRET_KEY,
})

export const deleteUser = internalAction({
  args: { userId: v.string() },
  handler: async (ctx, args) => {
    const result = await clerkClientInstance.users.deleteUser(args.userId)
    return true
  },
})

ballingt•2d ago

Ah yeah, apparently it's just import { clerkClient } from "@clerk/nextjs/server"; that needs Node.js, but '@clerk/backend' works in the normal convex js runtime

Solution

DylanDev•11h ago

@Tom thank you tom! I ended up splitting the code into a mutation and an action. That way I could use the third party call inside of the backend!

DylanDevOP•11h ago

Thank you for your help!

DylanDevOP•10h ago

Are you supposed to declare a clerkClientInstance inside of every action or should I declare that at the very top of the .ts file to be used everywhere