OpenAttestation - Endorse and Verify Documents on the Blockchain Securely and Seamlessly

OpenAttestation, part of Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative, is an open-source framework to simplify the endorsement and verification of documents using the blockchain.

Created by GovTech’s Government Digital Services (GDS), OpenAttestation allows an entity to prove the existence and authenticity of a digital document. It makes use of smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain to store cryptographic proof of individual documents.

Alternatively, it can also be used to create verifiable documents using digital signatures, forgoing the need to pay for Ethereum transactions. Verifiable documents (or verifiable credentials) are tamper-resistant and provide proof of who issued them. They are the electronic equivalent of physical documents that we possess today - such as passports, driving licenses, qualifications, awards and so forth.

The OpenAttestation framework can help you to:

• Ensure document integrity: OpenAttestation ensures that the content of the document has not been modified since the document’s creation, with the exception of data omitted using the built-in mechanism.
• Check issuance status: OpenAttestation checks that the document has been issued and that its issuance status is in good standing, i.e. it hasn’t been revoked, for example. Currently, OpenAttestation supports two ways to issue documents: Decentralised Identifier (DID) Signing and Ethereum Smart Contracts.
• Check issuance identity: OpenAttestation checks and returns the identity of the issuer through DNS primarily. It verifies that the issuing party in the document has provided some sort of proof that it is the same party as claimed by, for example, proving ownership over a domain by the ability to create a DNS record.

Technically, OpenAttestation is a decentralised database with no single point of failure, such as a central database going down. Verifications also take place on the client browser without the need for backend integration.

Awards and Recognition

OpenAttestation has been listed in the Digital Public Goods registry by the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA). DPGA is a multistakeholder initiative supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and UNICEF.

Key Features

OpenAttestation’s key features include:

• Verifiable credentials
• Selective disclosure
• Decentralised rendering
• Verification of issuer’s identity

Use Cases

OpenCerts was the first project that leveraged the OpenAttestation framework to provide a convenient way for educational institutions to issue academic certificates, and for students to share with prospective employers.

Most recently, OpenAttestation was leveraged for the issuance of HealthCerts. HealthCerts is a set of digital standards and schema for issuing digital COVID-19 certificates that are in line with international standards and the Singapore Government’s requirements.

The private sector has also applied the OpenAttestation framework internationally, for purposes such as the issuance of academic certificates and a pilot project that helps farmers deliver sustainable cashmere.

Pricing

OpenAttestation is an open-source framework that is free to use. Check out the OpenAttestation listing in the Digital Public Goods Registry.

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Last updated 16 May 2023

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