Prisma DIDs – Executive Summary

Version: 1.0 Date: December 2025 Status: Production-Ready Specification

Overview

Prisma DIDs is a Cardano-native decentralized identity system that enables self-sovereign identity and verifiable credentials using existing Cardano wallets. The system provides W3C-compliant DIDs and privacy-preserving credentials at a fraction of the cost of existing solutions.

Problem

Current decentralized identity solutions for Cardano face significant barriers:

Solution

Prisma DIDs leverages Cardano’s native capabilities to provide a lightweight, accessible identity layer:

Core Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  CIP-30 Wallet  │ ──▶ │ Cardano Chain   │ ◀── │ Prisma Resolver │
│  (User Control) │     │ (Metadata Layer)│     │ (Verification)  │
└─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
                               │
                               ▼
                        ┌─────────────────┐
                        │      IPFS       │
                        │ (DID Documents) │
                        └─────────────────┘

Key Differentiators

Technical Approach

DID Method: did:cardano

DIDs are derived from Cardano stake addresses, providing:

• Persistence: Stake addresses remain constant across wallet operations
• Security: Native cryptographic binding via stake key signatures
• Interoperability: Standard bech32 format (did:cardano:stake1u9...)

On-Chain Registry

All DID and VC events are stored as CIP-20 transaction metadata:

Verifiable Credentials

Three credential formats supported:

Revocation: SD-JWT credentials use the jti (JWT ID) as the on-chain identifier, enabling revocation checks regardless of which claims are disclosed in a presentation.

Standards Compliance

Use Cases

Primary: Contribution Credentials

The initial deployment targets Action Learning Journey (ALJ), where organizations issue verifiable credentials for:

• Learning module completions
• Project contributions
• Skill attestations
• Community participation

Broader Applications

Cost Analysis

Monthly estimate (100 DIDs, 500 VCs): 115 ADA ($70 at$0.60/ADA)

Security Model

System Architecture

Per the technical specification, the system separates global infrastructure from forkable components:

Global Infrastructure (Prisma-operated)

Forkable per Organization

This separation enables:

• A single, shared DID infrastructure for all Cardano users
• Organization-specific credential systems with custom schemas and indexers
• Decentralized VC ecosystems without relying on Prisma infrastructure

Documentation

Contact

Project: Prisma DIDs Repository: prisma-dids