VCs
Identity Protocol
Comunidade
Links
Detalhes
Licença Specification only; reference implementations widely available — SpruceID, walt.id, Veramo, Digital Bazaar libraries, Microsoft Entra Verified ID, Mattr, IDunion, etc.
Status de Dev 🟢 Ativo
Detalhe do Status de Dev Released / Mature (W3C Recommendation; v2.0 expected 2025; broad ecosystem adoption)
Proprietário W3C; Verifiable Credentials Working Group; editors include Manu Sporny, Orie Steele, Dave Longley, others
País International (W3C)
Ano de Início 2017
Stack Specification; implementations in most major languages — JavaScript/TypeScript (Veramo, Digital Bazaar, walt.id JS), Rust (SpruceID DIDKit), Java/Kotlin (walt.id, EUDI Wallet libraries), Python, Go
Financiamento W3C standards process; substantial industry investment in VC infrastructure (EU Digital Identity Wallet, US Department of Homeland Security CHAPI initiatives, etc.); commercial VC platforms (SpruceID, walt.id, Microsoft)
Última Investigação 1 de jul. de 2026
Identity Protocol Atributos
Origins Self-Sovereign Identity (SSI); credentialing on the web; emerged from W3C Credentials Community Group; designed to enable cryptographically verifiable claims without phone-home-to-issuer requirements
Database Issuer/holder/verifier maintain their own credential storage; VCs themselves are signed documents stored wherever the holder chooses (wallet apps, cloud wallets, paper/QR codes); no centralized credential database
Query Language N/A — VCs are signed documents; query patterns are application-specific
Data Formats JSON-LD (canonical VC format with Linked Data Proofs / Data Integrity signatures); JSON (compact format); JWT (JSON Web Token-formatted VCs); SD-JWT (Selective Disclosure JWT); CBOR-encoded VCs (mDoc, ISO mDL)
Mobile Support Yes — VCs are designed for mobile wallets; EUDI Wallet reference implementations for iOS and Android; many commercial mobile SSI wallets
Web Support Yes (CHAPI, OID4VC, browser-based wallet integrations)
Native Apps Yes (Microsoft Authenticator, Lissi, Trinsic, walt.id wallet, EUDI Wallet, many others)
Terms Open standard — W3C Recommendation
Funds N/A (specification itself); broader VC ecosystem has received billions in public and private funding
Based On W3C DIDs (issuer, subject, holder typically DID-identified); JSON-LD; W3C Data Integrity / Linked Data Proofs (cryptographic signing); JWT/SD-JWT (alternative signature formats); earlier SSI research; co-designed with W3C DIDs and DIDComm as part of the W3C SSI Suite
Permissions N/A — VCs are credentials (claims about subjects); permissions/authorization layered via ZCAPs or credential-based access control patterns
Authentication & Identity VCs assert claims about a subject (typically DID-identified); verification involves checking the issuer's signature against the issuer's DID Document; presentation by holder may also be DID-signed (Verifiable Presentation)
Storage Model Holder-controlled — VCs stored in wallets controlled by the credential subject/holder; no centralized credential repository required; wallets may be mobile, cloud, or hardware-based
Interoperability High — W3C VC Data Model is widely implemented; multiple signature suites (Ed25519Signature2020, DataIntegrityProof, JsonWebSignature2020) support different ecosystems; bridges between JSON-LD and JWT/SD-JWT representations; major SSI wallets support cross-issuer interoperability
Data Portability High — VCs are self-contained signed documents; holders can move VCs between wallets; subjects retain credentials across DID-method migrations
Governance & Decision Making W3C standards process (multi-stakeholder); W3C VC Working Group
Protocol Maturity / Standardization W3C Recommendation (Mature) — VC Data Model v1.0 (2019); v1.1 (2022); v2.0 expected 2025; co-designed with W3C DIDs and W3C SSI Suite; broad implementation across commercial and government SSI deployments
Identity Standards Self — W3C VCs IS an identity standard; composes with W3C DIDs, W3C Data Integrity, JSON-LD, OID4VC, DIDComm
DID Methods Supported Method-agnostic — VCs work with any DID method for issuer, subject, and holder identification; common methods in production include did:web, did:key, did:ion, did:ethr
Key Management Inherits from associated DID method; issuer keys managed by issuing organization; holder keys managed by wallet (mobile secure enclave, cloud HSM, hardware wallet, etc.)
Credential Types Arbitrary — VC Data Model supports any credential type defined via JSON-LD context; common types include EducationalOccupationalCredential, ProofOfEmploymentCredential, IdentityCredential, mDL (mobile driving license), eIDAS Personal Identification Data, and many domain-specific credentials
Verification Method Cryptographic signature verification — proof block contains signature, verificationMethod reference (to issuer DID Document key), proofPurpose (assertionMethod for issuance, authentication for presentation); verifier resolves issuer DID and checks signature
Privacy Features Selective disclosure (SD-JWT, BBS+ signatures for ZKP-based selective disclosure); minimal claims (issuers issue only necessary claims); pseudonymous DIDs for holders; predicate proofs (age over 18 without revealing date of birth)
Authentication Methods Verifiable Presentation (holder signs a VP wrapping one or more VCs to prove control); DIDComm presentation protocols; OID4VP (OpenID for Verifiable Presentations); CHAPI; WACI
Revocation Mechanism Multiple options — Status List 2021 (bitstring-based revocation lists referenced from VCs); CRL-style (less common); blockchain-based revocation registries (did:ethr); short-lived VCs (expiry-based revocation); revocation by re-issuance
Agent Types Supported Issuers, holders, verifiers, subjects (can be human, organization, device, or AI agent) — any DID-identifiable entity can participate in VC issuance, holding, or verification
Wallet/Client Types Mobile wallets (EUDI Wallet, Microsoft Authenticator, Lissi, Trinsic, walt.id wallet, Spruce); cloud wallets; browser-based credential handlers (CHAPI); enterprise verifier services
Recovery Mechanisms Wallet-specific (mnemonic backup, social recovery, custodial recovery); VCs themselves can be re-issued by issuers if lost; status of VCs survives wallet recovery
Compliance / Regulations eIDAS 2.0 (EU Digital Identity Wallet — VCs are foundational); ISO 18013-5 (mobile driving license); various national digital identity initiatives; GDPR-aligned (minimal disclosure, holder-controlled)
Credential Exchange Protocols OID4VC (OpenID for VC Issuance); OID4VP (OpenID for VP Presentation); DIDComm Issue Credential and Present Proof protocols; CHAPI (browser-based); WACI; VC-API (HTTP-based)
Trust Framework Multiple — Trust Over IP, EBSI (European Blockchain Services Infrastructure), GLEIF vLEI, various national SSI frameworks; trust roots in issuer reputation plus cryptographic verifiability of the issuance signature
Cost Model Specification is free; operational costs are deployment-specific (issuer infrastructure, wallet apps, verifier integrations)
Censorship Resistance Moderate to high — VCs are self-contained signed documents that can be presented without contacting the issuer; revocation mechanisms may depend on issuer availability or registry infrastructure; mitigated by long-lived VCs or decentralized status registries