Decentralized Identifier (DID)

A globally unique identifier that its owner controls directly, without a central registration authority, verifiable by cryptography.

Portable, self-controlled identity is a precondition for trusted agents on the agentic web; DIDs and verifiable credentials are how an agent proves who it is without a central gatekeeper.

term
Decentralized Identifier (DID)
category
identity
short_def
A globally unique identifier that its owner controls directly, without a central registration authority, verifiable by cryptography.
long_def
A DID is a URI (did:method:id) that resolves to a DID document containing public keys and service endpoints, letting the controller prove ownership by signing. Because no central registry issues it, a DID gives an agent a portable, self-controlled identity — a building block for agent identity and verifiable credentials.
see_also
agent-identity verifiable-credentials web-bot-auth
etymology_origin
— verify-against-primary-at-build ↗ https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/ — Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) v1.0, a W3C Recommendation (2022)
related_to
agent-identity verifiable-credentials web-bot-auth http-message-signatures
contrast_with
Unlike an account issued and revocable by a central provider, a DID is controlled by its holder's keys — no issuer can take it away or is needed to verify it.
example
An agent could present a DID and sign a challenge to prove it is the same agent across sites, without any site-specific account.
source
https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/
status
active
why_it_matters
Portable, self-controlled identity is a precondition for trusted agents on the agentic web; DIDs and verifiable credentials are how an agent proves who it is without a central gatekeeper.
sameAs
https://www.w3.org/TR/did-core/
bridge_entity
agent-identity
last_verified
2026-07-06
md_twin
/glossary/decentralized-identifier.md

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