Specifications

Standards and emerging specifications that enable secure, interoperable verifiable credentials and decentralized identity systems worldwide.

Specification Categories

The W3C Credentials Community Group incubates specifications that eventually progress to the standards track at W3C, IETF, or other global standards bodies. The work that is now a global standard was originally incubated in the Credentials Community Group, while other work is currently being incubated here for future standardization.

Global Standards

Official standards published by W3C, IETF, and other global standards bodies. These specifications were originally incubated by the W3C Credentials Community Group and have now become stable, production-ready standards used worldwide.

These include the Verifiable Credentials family of specifications, Decentralized Identifiers, and related cryptographic and transport standards that provide the foundation for interoperable verifiable credential systems.

View Global Standards

Incubation Work

Emerging specifications currently being developed and tested by the W3C Credentials Community Group. These specifications extend and enhance verifiable credentials capabilities and represent the next generation of digital credential technologies.

This incubation work includes advanced cryptographic techniques, privacy-preserving technologies, new credential formats, API specifications, and industry-specific extensions that may become future global standards.

View Incubation Work

The Incubation to Standards Process

  1. Community Incubation - New ideas and specifications begin in the W3C Credentials Community Group where they are developed, tested, and refined
  2. Implementation and Testing - Community members build implementations and conduct interoperability testing to validate the technical approach
  3. Standards Track Proposal - Well incubated specifications are proposed to appropriate standards bodies like W3C Working Groups or IETF Working Groups
  4. Formal Standardization - Specifications undergo the formal standards process, including wide review, implementation reports, and final approval
  5. Global Deployment - Completed standards are deployed worldwide, providing stable foundations for production systems

Getting Started

For Implementers

Start with the Global Standards for production implementations. These specifications have been thoroughly tested and are supported by multiple interoperable implementations across different platforms and vendors.

For Researchers and Innovators

Explore the Incubation Work to discover cutting-edge features and contribute to the development of next-generation verifiable credential technologies that may become tomorrow's standards.

For Standards Contributors

Join the W3C Credentials Community Group to participate in the incubation process and help shape the future of digital credentials through collaborative specification development.

Implementation Support

  • Test Suites - Comprehensive test suites are available for all global standard specifications to verify implementation compliance and interoperability
  • Implementation Guides - Detailed guidance and examples for implementing verifiable credential systems using both standards and incubating specifications
  • Interoperability Testing - Regular plugfests and testing events to ensure implementations work together across different vendors and platforms
  • Community Support - Active community of implementers and experts available through mailing lists, regular meetings, and collaborative development processes