SSI: Self Sovereign Identity
Putting you in control of your identity​
Self-sovereign identity (SSI) is an approach to digital identity that gives individuals control over the information they use to prove who they are to websites, services, and applications across the web.
SSI brings together with . It lets devs focus on creating delightful user experiences, while returning ownership of data and identity to individuals.
The following is sometimes called the triangle of trust:
The Issuers are a trusted source of credentials, perhaps issuing passports of drivers licenses, or perhaps a trusted person. They can use services like the SSI Service or the SSI SDK to create new credentials and issue them to holders.
The holder provides their to the Issuer, who then decides whether or not to issue a credential to the holder. This is called Issuance.
The holders then keep their credentials for later use. The holder can present the credential (as a presentation, or as a JSON or JWT string) to a Verifier. The Verifier will check that the credential belongs to the holder (via their DID), and that they (the Verifier) trusts the Issuer (via their DID). If they do, they can trust the Holder that they have the qualifications presented to them.
The SSI SDK and SSI Service provide utilities for issuing credentials and managing them, and the SSI SDK and (many other) libraries can help you validate presented credentials.
Use Cases
Control Your Identity
Alice holds a digital wallet that securely manages her identity and credentials. She is able to selectively share her credentials with others, such as her driver’s license with the DMV, her passport with the airport, and her age with a bar, while maintaining control of the use of her data and avoiding exposing her PII.
Wallets
wallets act as agents for individuals or institutions by facilitating identity and data interactions.
Credential Issuers
Trusted organizations or individuals who issue credentails.
Credential Verifiers
Applications or individuals who verify credentials issued by credential issuers that they trust.
Components
Decentralized Identifiers
Decentralized Identifiers are a W3C international standard for identifiers created, owned, and controlled by individuals, without reliance on centralized entities
Verifiable Credentials
Verifiable Credentials are a W3C standard: Credentials are a part of our daily lives; This specification provides a mechanism to express these sorts of credentials on the Web in a way that is cryptographically secure, privacy respecting, and machine-verifiable.
Self-Sovereign Identity Service
An in-a-box service that handles the full Verifiable Credentials lifecycle, including issuance, verification, revocation, and more.
Self-Sovereign Identity Console
A user-friendly GUI Console for managing Verifiable Credentials lifecycle, from issuance to revocation.