Decentralized Identity (DID)
DID is not a wallet. It is not a login. It is the accountable identifier for every system actor — people, services, Blocklets, AI agents, tools, and data sources.
What DID Really Is
Most people think of decentralized identity as a replacement for username/password login, or a crypto wallet feature. That framing misses the point entirely. In ArcBlock's architecture, DID is the accountable system actor identifier. Every entity that acts in the system — a person, an AI agent, a microservice, a data source — gets a DID. That DID is a blockchain account. It can sign, delegate, and be held accountable.
The critical insight is the separation of Identity, Capability, and Delegation. Identity tells you who. Capability tells you what they can do. Delegation tells you who authorized them. These three concerns must be kept separate to build systems that are both secure and composable.
This matters enormously for AI. When an AI agent acts on behalf of a user, it needs its own identity (Agent DID), scoped capabilities (what it is allowed to do), and a verifiable delegation chain (proof that the user authorized it). ArcBlock holds patents on this delegation mechanism.
Key Concepts
Agent ID = DID = Blockchain Account
Every system actor — human or machine — is identified by a DID that is simultaneously a blockchain account. This means every action is cryptographically signed, verifiable, and attributable. AI agents are not anonymous processes; they are accountable actors.
Identity + Capability + Delegation
The three-layer separation is the core architectural principle. Identity is persistent. Capabilities are scoped and revocable. Delegation creates a chain of trust from principal to agent. This separation enables fine-grained authorization without centralized permission systems.
Privacy by Derivation
User DID is derived from Wallet DID + App DID. This means each application sees a different user identity, preventing cross-application tracking while maintaining verifiability within each context. Privacy is not an afterthought — it is built into the identity derivation itself.
Patented Delegation Mechanism
ArcBlock's delegation mechanism allows principals to grant scoped, time-limited, revocable authority to agents. The delegation chain is cryptographically verifiable. This is the foundation for trustworthy AI agent authorization — every agent action can be traced back to a human principal.
Related Products
DID Wallet
The user-facing identity management tool. Manage DIDs, verifiable credentials, and digital assets. The wallet derives application-specific identities for privacy.
Learn more →Blocklet Server
Every Blocklet running on Blocklet Server has its own DID. The server manages identity lifecycle, capability scoping, and delegation for all deployed components.
Learn more →ArcSphere
ArcSphere uses DID as the identity layer for its hosted services. All interactions are identity-bound and capability-scoped through the DID infrastructure.
Learn more →Explore Decentralized Identity
Dive into the documentation, explore the SDK, and build identity-aware applications.