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Glossary / Verification

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs)

A decentralized identifier is a globally unique identifier that a person or organization can create and control without a central registry, defined by the W3C and often used alongside verifiable credentials.

Also: DID, decentralized identifier

A decentralized identifier is an identifier its subject creates and controls directly, without depending on a central authority to issue or hold it. Each DID resolves to a document containing the public keys and service endpoints needed to interact with the subject, and the W3C standardizes its format and resolution.

DIDs are a building block of decentralized identity, usually paired with verifiable credentials. The DID provides the controllable identifier and keys, while verifiable credentials carry the signed claims about the subject. Together they let a holder prove things about themselves without a single provider sitting in the middle of every interaction.

For CIAM, DIDs and verifiable credentials point toward a future of user-held, reusable identity, though adoption today is early and concentrated in wallets and regulated digital identity programs.

Sources

Related terms

Standards

  • W3C Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0

Further reading

References