Verifiable Credential
Verifiable Credential.
A W3C-standardized digital credential cryptographically signed by an issuer, held by a subject, and verifiable by a verifier — the privacy-preserving alternative to phoning back to the issuer for every check.
The recurring distinction: VCs vs JWTs. Both are signed digital tokens, but VCs are designed for holder-mediated presentation across many verifiers (the user controls when and to whom they reveal), while JWTs are designed for direct issuer-to-verifier exchange (the issuer knows who's verifying, the verifier knows the issuer's identity). The VC architecture is fundamentally about user control of disclosure; the JWT architecture is fundamentally about server-to-server identity assertion.
Common questions
What's the difference between a Verifiable Credential and a JWT?
Can VCs be revoked?
Is the EU Digital Identity Wallet built on VCs?