Guide
What are digital credentials?
The Cylinder Team
Digital identity & verification
A digital credential gives a person a portable way to present information issued by an organisation a business trusts. This guide explains the roles of the issuer, wallet, holder, and verifier, along with the limits a buyer should understand before replacing a document check.
What a digital credential is
A digital credential is an issuer-signed set of claims. It might state that a person holds a qualification, has a current professional registration, or satisfies an age threshold. The holder manages the credential through a compatible wallet and can present it when a verifier asks for evidence.
A valid cryptographic signature can show that the credential came from the stated issuer and has not been altered. It does not prove that the issuer is appropriate for the business decision. The verifier still needs rules about which issuers, credential types, and claims it accepts.
Who issues them
Issuers are the source of the claim. Governments may issue identity credentials, education providers issue qualifications, and professional bodies issue registrations. A business should accept a credential only when the issuer and credential type are suitable for the decision it needs to make.
How wallets hold and present them
The wallet receives a presentation request and prepares a response for the verifier. Compatible credential formats can support selective disclosure, which lets the holder present only requested claims. For example, an issuer may include a signed ‘18 or older’ claim that can be disclosed without sharing a date of birth. This capability depends on the credential, wallet, and verification profile.
How a business verifies a claim
The business asks for a supported credential through a presentation request. The holder approves a presentation in their wallet, and the verifier validates the cryptographic evidence and required claims. Expiry and status or revocation information can be checked where the credential and issuer support it. The business then receives the configured result.
Why this beats documents and screenshots
A supported digital credential can reduce manual document handling and make a check more consistent. It does not remove the need to define acceptable issuers, handle people who lack a compatible credential, or protect the result and operational record. Those decisions remain part of the business workflow.
Where Cylinder fits
Cylinder is managed digital ID verification software for small and medium businesses. It wraps supported credential infrastructure in a branded flow, publishing options, and a dashboard. Your team configures the business request and manages the result without building the wallet-facing experience from scratch.
Questions to settle before launch
- Which issuers, credential formats, wallets, and claims are supported for this check?
- Which source fields will Cylinder map, and what result will the business receive?
- What alternative path is available if the person declines, lacks the credential, or uses an unsupported wallet?
- What operational record is retained, for how long, and who can access it?
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