decentralized identity
Giving identity holders control of their own identity
Decentralized identity features and benefits
Decentralized identifiers (DIDs)
Verifiable credentials (VCs)
Digital identity documents
hedera consensus service
Decentralized identifiers and managed credentials
Hedera Consensus Service enables tamper-proof event logging for identity interactions. It follows W3C DID and verifiable credential standards, ensuring secure, private and standards-based credential management.
hedera token service
Turn credentials into user-controlled identity tokens
Built on the Hedera Token Service, identity tokens transform credentials into verifiable, user-controlled digital assets. Combining the assurance of institutional verification with the flexibility of Hedera, they enable tamper-proof authentication, programmable access, and lifecycle control—delivering scalable, low-cost identity solutions for the decentralized world.
Why Hedera for decentralized identity?
Hedera offers the ideal trust layer for secure, scalable identity systems—anchoring verifiable credentials with immutable trust and low-cost scalability.
how it works
Hedera DID SDK
The Hedera DID SDK for Java makes it easy for users to publish and resolve DID documents, issue verifiable credentials, and manage their validity status.
Credentials issued
Issuer signs a set of identity attributes for a user and gives to user for storage.
Issuance recorded
Metadata for credential recorded via an HCS message.
Credential used
User presents credential as part of authentication process at some application/resource.
Metadata retrieved
Relying party retrieves timestamped metadata in order to validate credential.
Credential revoked
Relying party retrieves timestamped metadata in order to validate credential.
Credential used
The next time the credential is presented, authentication fails.
industry-wide applications
Decentralized identity use cases across industries
Government services
Governments are exploring self-sovereign identity (SSI) models, where the citizen controls their identity data in a digital wallet. DLT acts as a verifiable registry that stores cryptographic proofs of identity credentials, not the personal data itself. Examples include digital passports and national ID systems.
Financial services
Financial institutions can share verified identity attestations, such as KYC with other entities via an immutable ledger. Smart contracts can also automate AML compliance by verifying whether a digital ID meets regulatory criteria.
Healthcare
Each patient holds a decentralized identifier (DID) and a verifiable credential proving their health records. Hospitals and labs issue signed credentials, which patients can store in their wallet. An example includes vaccination certificates.
Education
Universities can issue tamper-proof digital diplomas or certifications as verifiable credentials anchored on a blockchain. Employers or other institutions can instantly verify authenticity without contacting the issuer, while the DLT records only the credential’s cryptographic proof, ensuring privacy.
Trusted partners within the ecosystem
Leading custodians in the Hedera ecosystem enable secure key management, identity verification, and asset custody for enterprises and institutions.
case studies
see what others are saying
Trusted for the real world
The success of a self-sovereign identity solution is driven by the platform it’s built upon. While choosing the underlying platform, we compared many options, and decided to build EarthID on Hedera.
Shiv Aggarwal
EarthID
Tejouri has been engineered to help address issues of storage and security of these documents and to enable individuals to now transfer this data to one secure location. The DIFC Courts, together with its public and private sector partners, is proud to be able to offer this distinctive service to the public.
Justice Omar Al Mheiri
Director
Founding members of the DeRec Alliance
Hedera is a founding member of the the Decentralized Recovery (DeRec) Alliance, alongside Algorand Foundation, Hashgraph, Ripple, XRPL Labs, and Input | Output (IOHK).
DeRec provides an open protocol for decentralized recovery of keys, credentials, and identity data, ensuring users can retain access even if devices or secrets are lost.
This is critical for digital identity because it adds a safety net to DID/VC systems without relying on centralized recovery methods. Overall, it boosts trust, resilience, and user confidence in identity applications.
If we want our industry to reach the other 7 billion people, we’ve got to provide a safety net, especially as we go to things like identity where it really is your whole life that is controlled by it. The real danger is that we end up with more than one protocol. That’s why it was so important that the DeRec Alliance is not a Hedera-only initiative– it’s multi-chain. We need to be working together as an industry.
Dr. Leemon Baird
Co-founder
