What Is
a DID?

A Decentralized Identifier (DID) is a globally unique identifier that you create and control — not issued by a government, a corporation, or any centralized authority. It is the "username" layer of Web3 identity. A DID looks like this: did:ethr:0x1234...abc (anchored on Ethereum) or did:key:z6MkhaX... (self-contained cryptographic identifier). The part after "did:" is the method — specifying which blockchain or network anchors the identifier. The W3C DID Core specification (a global web standard since 2022) defines how DIDs are created, resolved, updated, and deactivated. Every DID resolves to a DID Document — a JSON file containing public keys, service endpoints, and verification methods.

did:ethr — Anchored on Ethereum. Your DID Document is stored on-chain or on IPFS. Suitable for applications that need blockchain-level immutability. did:key — Lightweight and self-contained. The DID itself encodes the public key. No blockchain, no registry. Ideal for ephemeral or low-stakes use cases. did:indy — Privacy-preserving. Used by Hyperledger Indy. Supports zero-knowledge proofs and pairwise identifiers — each relationship gets a unique DID, preventing correlation. did:web — Resolves via HTTPS. Your DID is hosted at a domain you control: did:web:example.com. Simple but requires domain ownership. MyShape Protocol uses did:key for lightweight identity binding. The continuity proof — a cryptographic attestation of unbroken human presence — can bind to any DID method, adding a physical verification layer to any decentralized identifier.

In Web2, your identifier is an email address or a username — owned by the platform, revocable at will. In Web3, your DID is yours. You hold the private key. No platform can take it away. DIDs enable: portable identity across platforms, verifiable credentials without centralized issuers, privacy-preserving authentication, and self-sovereign control over your digital existence. The next step: binding a DID to a proof of continuity. A DID proves you control a key. A continuity proof proves you are a continuously present human. Together, they form the strongest identity primitive available in 2026.