Issue verifiable
credentials instantly.
An open-source, local-first toolkit for issuing and verifying W3C Verifiable Credentials. Run it as a desktop app or a Docker server. Your signing keys never leave your machine.
Notepad, not Word.
Most credential products are platforms: an account, a hosted service, a wallet, a workflow engine, and a contract. They make sense for a national ID authority. They are far too much for a school issuing marksheets or an SME issuing employment letters.
OpenCred is a tool, not a platform. It runs on your laptop or inside your own container, does one job — issue and verify W3C Verifiable Credentials — and stays out of the way of the systems you already run.
No online service to sign up for. No platform to depend on. Nothing that calls home. If OpenCred disappeared tomorrow, everything you issued would still verify.
| OpenCred | A credential platform | |
|---|---|---|
| Runs | On your laptop or in your own infrastructure | In the vendor's cloud |
| Dependencies | None — no account, no online service | Platform account, SDK, vendor uptime |
| Setup | Download and run, or one container | Procurement and an integration project |
| Data held | Nothing. Issue, export, done | Your holders' records, on their servers |
| Keys | Never leave you: local file, hardware token, OS keychain, or your HSM | Custodied by the vendor |
| Output | W3C Verifiable Credentials any conformant verifier accepts | Often verifiable only inside the platform |
| Cost | Free. MIT licensed | Licences and per-credential fees |
Super simple
Download, create a key, issue. A small school or an SME can be issuing signed credentials the same afternoon, without an engineering team or a vendor onboarding.
Embeddable
A headless HTTP API and CLI drop into the systems you already have — student records, HR, billing — with one container. Your workflow stays yours; OpenCred only signs and packages.
No dependencies
No online service, no platform account, no proprietary format. Open standards end to end, so what you issue today verifies anywhere, for as long as the credential is valid.
Available today.
Desktop app
For issuers without an engineering team. Create keys, issue credentials, and export PDFs with a scannable QR — everything runs on your laptop. No server, no cloud dependency.
Download →Docker server
Automate issuance and verification inside your own systems. One image, one API key, and a signing key mounted read-only. Runs anywhere Docker runs.
docker pull ghcr.io/nfh-trust-labs/opencred/opencred-server:latest
Source code
Read it, fork it, build it, contribute. The repo ships with a contributor guide, DCO sign-off, and the full changelog. Issues and releases live there too.
github.com/nfh-trust-labs/opencred →principles.
User-Centric
Complete custody. No intermediary. Users hold the control to their own credentials and decide what to share and with whom.
Privacy-Preserving
Zero storage beyond processing. Cryptographic integrity at every layer without compromising personal information.
Decentralized
No single point of failure. Open source under MIT, open standards end to end. Works across use cases, sectors, and geographies without vendor lock-in.
Credentials?
Verifiable Credentials (VCs) are tamper-proof machine readable versions of claims like IDs, certificates, and licenses. They use cryptography to prove authenticity without revealing unnecessary personal information.
How it works
Issue
An issuer (university, employer, government) creates a verifiable credential signed with their cryptographic key.
Hold
The holder receives the credential in their wallet. They control it entirely — no copy is stored by the issuer.
Verify
A verifier checks the credential's cryptographic proof instantly. No need to contact the issuer.
every industry.
Academic Credentials
Degrees, diplomas, certificates, and course completions verified instantly.
Medical Records
Vaccination proofs, prescriptions, and medical certifications.
Work Credentials
Licenses, employment history, and professional certifications.
Civic Identity
IDs, permits, registrations, and age verification.
Financial Trust
Credit attestations, bank verifications, and KYC compliance.
Product Provenance
Product authenticity, origin tracking, and certification chains.
Access & Tickets
Event tickets, access passes, and membership verification.
Organizational Trust
Vendor approvals, compliance attestations, and audit trails.
Start issuing
today.
Download the desktop app, run the Docker image, or build from source. Free and open under the MIT licence.