What is a verifiable credential (VC)?

A verifiable credential is a signed data package issued by an issuer that contains claims about one or more subjects or objects; it is an integrity-protected proof whose authorship can ideally be proven, and it can be presented to a verifier directly or inside a verifiable presentation.

It may carry metadata such as issuer and expiry date. Synonym: überprüfbarer digitaler Nachweis. The three building blocks are credential metadata, claims and proofs.

Go deeper:

• W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model v2.0 — the standard for credentials, presentations and the issuer-holder-verifier ecosystem.