Block Open Source

Block Contributes Digital Identity Components to the Decentralized Identity Foundation

Published on Tuesday, November 26, 2024

Block

Block

Block Contributes Digital Identity Components to the Decentralized Identity Foundation

Block is contributing key components of our Web5 technology stack to the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), advancing the development of open, decentralized identity solutions.

What We’re Contributing

Our contribution includes several foundational components:

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)

Implementation libraries for creating, resolving, and managing DIDs across multiple methods and platforms.

Verifiable Credentials

Tools for issuing, presenting, and verifying credentials in a decentralized manner.

Decentralized Web Nodes (DWNs)

Infrastructure for personal data storage and messaging that users control.

Web5 SDKs

Software development kits that make it easier to build applications using decentralized identity.

Why Decentralized Identity Matters

Today’s digital identity systems are fundamentally broken:

  • Centralized control - Companies and governments control your identity data
  • Privacy risks - Your data is stored in centralized databases vulnerable to breaches
  • Vendor lock-in - Moving between services means recreating your identity
  • Exclusion - Billions of people lack access to formal identity systems

Decentralized identity offers a better model:

  • User control - You own and control your identity data
  • Privacy by design - Share only what’s necessary, when necessary
  • Portability - Take your identity across services and platforms
  • Inclusion - Anyone can create and manage their digital identity

The Web5 Vision

Web5 is Block’s vision for a decentralized web layer that returns ownership and control to users. Key principles include:

Self-Sovereign Identity

Users control their identities without relying on centralized authorities.

Decentralized Data Storage

Personal data is stored in decentralized web nodes that users control.

Verifiable Credentials

Claims about identity can be cryptographically verified without contacting issuers.

Interoperability

Standards-based protocols enable different systems to work together.

Why Contribute to DIF?

The Decentralized Identity Foundation is the leading organization developing standards and specifications for decentralized identity. By contributing our work to DIF, we:

Advance Standards

Help develop and refine the standards that will power decentralized identity systems.

Enable Interoperability

Ensure our implementations work with other DIF-compliant systems.

Build Community

Collaborate with other organizations working on decentralized identity.

Accelerate Adoption

Make it easier for developers to build decentralized identity solutions.

Technical Details

Our contributions include:

DID Methods

Implementations of multiple DID methods, including:

  • did:web - DIDs based on web domains
  • did:key - DIDs derived from cryptographic keys
  • did:ion - DIDs on the Bitcoin blockchain via ION

Credential Exchange

Protocols and libraries for:

  • Issuing verifiable credentials
  • Presenting credentials for verification
  • Verifying credential authenticity
  • Revoking credentials when necessary

Decentralized Web Nodes

Reference implementations of:

  • Data storage and retrieval
  • Access control and permissions
  • Synchronization across nodes
  • Messaging between identities

Developer Tools

SDKs and tools for:

  • JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Kotlin (Android)
  • Swift (iOS)
  • Additional platforms coming soon

Use Cases

Decentralized identity enables many important use cases:

Financial Services

  • KYC/AML compliance without centralized data storage
  • Credit histories that users control and port between services
  • Payment credentials that work across providers

Healthcare

  • Medical records that patients control
  • Prescription verification without centralized databases
  • Insurance claims with privacy-preserving verification

Education

  • Academic credentials that students own
  • Professional certifications that are easily verifiable
  • Lifelong learning records that follow individuals

Employment

  • Professional credentials that are portable
  • Background checks with user consent
  • Payroll and benefits tied to user-controlled identity

Getting Started

Developers can start building with our Web5 components today:

Documentation

Comprehensive guides and API documentation are available at developer.tbd.website

SDKs

Install our SDKs via your preferred package manager:

# JavaScript/TypeScript
npm install @web5/api

# Kotlin
implementation 'xyz.block:web5:0.1.0'

# Swift
.package(url: "https://github.com/TBD54566975/web5-swift", from: "0.1.0")

Examples

Check out example applications in our GitHub repositories

Community

Join our Discord community to connect with other developers

Standards and Specifications

Our work is based on open standards developed through DIF and other standards bodies:

Open Source Commitment

All our Web5 components are open source under permissive licenses:

  • Apache 2.0 for most components
  • MIT for some libraries
  • Clear licensing for all dependencies

We believe decentralized identity must be built on open source foundations to ensure:

  • Transparency - Anyone can audit the code
  • Security - Community review improves security
  • Adoption - Open source removes barriers to adoption
  • Innovation - Developers can build on and extend our work

Roadmap

We’re continuing to develop and contribute:

Short Term

  • Additional DID method support
  • Enhanced privacy features
  • Improved developer tools
  • More example applications

Medium Term

  • Mobile wallet reference implementations
  • Enterprise integration guides
  • Compliance and regulatory frameworks
  • Performance optimizations

Long Term

  • Advanced cryptographic features
  • Cross-chain identity solutions
  • AI-assisted identity management
  • Global adoption initiatives

Join the Movement

Decentralized identity is bigger than any one company or project. We invite:

Developers

Build applications using our Web5 components and contribute improvements.

Organizations

Adopt decentralized identity in your products and services.

Standards Bodies

Help develop and refine the standards that will power decentralized identity.

Users

Demand control over your digital identity and support products that respect your rights.

Learn More

Together, we can build an internet where users control their identity and data. Join us.

Questions about Web5 or decentralized identity? Contact us at web5@block.xyz or join our Discord