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← Identity and credentials

Learning path

Compare the layers of identity mechanisms

Move from identifiers to authentication and verifiable claims.

Start with DID and WebID identifiers, then examine OIDC authentication and VC claims. Return to the comparison table to ask which problem each mechanism addresses and what an integration still needs.

Avoid a single score for the best identity system. Describe your application’s requirements, then examine specification versions, trust boundaries and demonstrated interoperability.

Along this path

  1. What does a DID identify?

    Distinguish the identifier, its document and its subject.

  2. How does WebID identify someone with a Web address?

    HTTP URIs and profile documents offer another identification model.

  3. Does OpenID Connect solve the same problem as DID?

    Separate a login protocol, an identifier and API authorization.

  4. What does a verifiable credential make verifiable?

    Check authorship and integrity, then decide whether to accept the claim.

  5. How should DID, WebID, OIDC and VC be compared?

    Identify the layer each occupies before comparing combinations.