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Creating Proofs

A proof is a cryptographic signature that proves a document hasn't been tampered with and was signed by you. Anyone can verify your proof using your key's public identifier.

What is a Proof?

When you create a proof:

  • Your document is cryptographically signed
  • A proof object is attached to your document
  • The proof includes information about which key was used
  • Anyone can verify the signature to ensure the document is authentic

The result is a signed document that combines your original document with the proof.

Prerequisites

Before creating a proof, you need:

  1. A stored document: Store a document on the Documents page first
  2. A key: You automatically have a default key, or you can create additional keys

Creating a Proof

  1. Go to the Proofs page
  2. In the Create Proof section at the top:
  3. Select a key from the dropdown (choose which key to use for signing)
  4. Select a document from your stored documents
  5. Click Add Proof

The system will: - Sign your document with the selected key - Create a proof object - Store the signed document automatically - Show a success message

Your signed document is now stored in the Proofs page and ready to use!

What's in a Signed Document?

A signed document contains:

  • Your original document: The content you stored
  • Proof object: Contains:
  • Verification Method: The DID of the key used (e.g., did:key:z6Mk...)
  • Cryptosuite: eddsa-jcs-2022 (the signing algorithm)
  • Created: When the proof was created
  • Proof Purpose: assertionMethod (indicates this is an assertion proof)

After Creating a Proof

Once a proof is created, you can:

  • View: Click the proof card to see the complete signed document
  • Download: Save the signed document as a JSON file
  • Star: Mark important proofs for quick access
  • Delete: Remove proofs you no longer need

Starred proofs appear in the Shortcuts menu in the top navigation for quick access.

Choosing the Right Key

When creating a proof, you select which key to use:

  • Default key: Good for general use
  • Custom keys: Use for specific purposes (e.g., "production-key" for official documents)
  • Upgraded keys: Use if you want your user DID to appear in the proof

The key you choose determines: - Which key identifier appears in the proof - Which key was used to sign (important for verification)

Proof Verification

Anyone can verify your proof by:

  1. Looking at the verificationMethod in the proof
  2. Resolving that DID to get the public key
  3. Verifying the signature matches

This proves: - The document hasn't been modified - The signature was created by the owner of that key - The proof is authentic

Best Practices

  • Use appropriate keys: Choose the right key for your use case
  • Store important proofs: Keep proofs you need to reference later
  • Star frequently used proofs: Make them easy to find
  • Share complete documents: Always share the full signed document (document + proof)