Issuer Details and Decentralized Identifier (DID)

V1.0

In this section , learn to set information about an Issuer and create a Decentralized Identifier (DID).

Issuer Details

An issuer must set it’s name and logo.

In the RCL VC Issuer application, click on the Issuer link in the side menu
In the Issuer Details page, click the Add button
In the page, add the Name of the Issuer and add an image for the logo
It is recommended that the logo be a square image with approximate size of 250 px
Click the Save button when completed.

Decentralized Identifier

When the issuer details are added, a Decentralized Identifier will be automatically created for the Issuer. The DID can be accessed on the Issuer Details page. A DID is used to uniquely identify the issuer. A cryptographic public-private key pair is created for the issuer and stored in the Windows OS. The public key is used to create the DID using the did:key method.

Sample DID

did:key:zDnaeoR83noBrm6PicyaAvSyNf8xBsUNL31vcAQyQhKVM3xQp

The did:key method is a specific type of Decentralized Identifier (DID) that converts a cryptographic public key directly into a DID string. It is the simplest and most lightweight DID method because it requires no blockchain, registry, or central authority to function. Use the Universal DID Resolver to decode the Issuer’s public key from the DID.

The public key is generated by the application using the Elliptic Curve P-256 cryptographic algorithm. The public key is presented as a JSON Web Key.

Sample Public Key presented as a Json Web Key (JWK)

{
   "kty":"EC",
   "crv":"P-256",
   "x":"VYVl3eukZy52mECwbLI6y_2BcO5UCwPlQSAjZmmAHrE",
   "y":"FOjV_qm5CTHqDTL5pJkDWVuNOrSfiCOxwLdlv8RdXIM"
}

The Issuer will digitally sign a credential with it’s private key. The Public Key decoded from the Issuer’s DID will be used to verify that the Issuer’s signature was valid and that the credential was not tampered with. This DID is included in the credential data itself and there is no need for an Issuer to host the DID on a blockchain or separate website. The application will extract the DID from the credential data to validate signatures.