Knowledge Base
How DIDs and Verifiable Credentials Are Used in ObjectID
ObjectID uses Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) and Verifiable Credentials (VCs) as the foundation of its trust, authenticity, and interoperability model. These technologies make it possible to identify entities, prove ownership, and verify authenticity—all without relying on centralized authorities.
This article explains how ObjectID implements DIDs and VCs to secure digital objects and link them to verified issuers.
What Is a DID in ObjectID?
In ObjectID, a DID uniquely identifies the entity that creates or owns a digital object. This can be:
- A company (e.g., manufacturer, brand owner)
- A person (e.g., artist, author)
- A system (e.g., IoT device or certification engine)
When an object is published on the platform, the issuer signs it using their DID’s private key. This cryptographic proof ensures the object’s origin is authentic and traceable.
DID Types Supported
ObjectID currently supports:
- did:iota – Native DID method for use within the IOTA ecosystem
Each DID is associated with a DID Document that contains:
- Public keys
- Service endpoints (optional)
- Verification methods
What Is a Verifiable Credential in ObjectID?
A Verifiable Credential in ObjectID is used to represent structured claims about digital objects. For example:
- “This product was manufactured by Company X”
- “This work is an original piece by Artist Y”
- “This document has been certified by Authority Z”
VCs are signed using the issuer’s DID, and they are:
- Tamper-proof
- Verifiable by third parties
- Publicly accessible, if desired
How They’re Used Together
Here’s a simplified flow of how ObjectID uses DIDs and VCs:
- Issuer Setup: An entity create a DID providing a seed to ObjectID.
- A DID Document is created and published on IOTA distributed ledger.
- A service endpoint is added to the DID Document, linking the DID to a user provided domain name.
- a did-configuration.json file inclusing the signed Verifiable Credential is provided to the user. This file must be accessible by the domain provided.
- Verification: Anyone can query the object and verify the VC:
- Is the signature valid?
- Is the issuer’s DID linked to a domain (via DLVC)?
- Is the object data unchanged?
Domain Verification (DLVC)
To reinforce trust, ObjectID supports Domain Linked Verifiable Credentials (DLVC). This means:
- A domain (e.g., brand.com) publishes a signed credential proving ownership of the DID
- Users and applications can verify that
did:web:brand.comis really controlled by the websitehttps://brand.com
Why This Matters
By using DIDs and VCs, ObjectID ensures that:
- Identities cannot be forged or impersonated
- Every digital object has a traceable, verifiable history
- Trust is based on open cryptographic standards—not centralized platforms
This makes ObjectID ideal for anti-counterfeiting, supply chain traceability, authenticity verification, and certification systems.