Introduction
Litentry is a decentralized identity oracle that aims to provide a secure and interoperable solution for managing and verifying digital identities across multiple platforms and blockchains. An Identity Oracle refers to a specialized service or mechanism that serves as an external source of identity-related data that dapps and smart contracts can rely upon for identity verification and management. As such, Litentry leverages advanced cryptographic techniques and decentralized infrastructure as an identity oracle network to create a trustless and efficient identity management system.
Traditionally, decentralized oracles solve a fundamental restriction of smart contracts — they cannot inherently interact with data and systems existing outside their native blockchain environment. Resources external to the blockchain are considered “off-chain,” while data already stored on the blockchain is considered on-chain. Securely interoperating with off-chain systems from a blockchain requires an additional piece of infrastructure known as an oracle to bridge the two environments.
Interestingly, Litentry has evolved from a decentralized identity aggregation protocol into a decentralized identity oracle that aims to provide a secure and interoperable solution for managing and verifying digital identities across multiple platforms and blockchains.
This article delves into the technical aspects of the Litentry protocol, highlighting its evolution and demonstrating how it functions as a robust Identity Oracle Network.
Protocol-Level Evolvement
Decentralized Identity Aggregation
Litentry’s core functionality revolves around aggregating identities from various web3 (blockchain) networks (ERC20, BRC20, Solana, etc.) and web2 networks (Twitter, Discord, etc.) This is achieved through its decentralized architecture, which ensures that no single entity has control over the identity data. The protocol employs a combination of on-chain and off-chain components to facilitate this aggregation:
- On-Chain Components: Litentry operates on the Substrate framework, a modular blockchain development framework that powers the Polkadot network. This allows Litentry to benefit from Substrate’s robust features, including forkless upgrades, high security, and interoperability. On-chain components handle identity-related transactions, such as registering, updating, and verifying identities.
- Off-Chain Workers: These are nodes that interact with various blockchains and digital platforms to fetch identity data. They act in a way that distributes trust and control. Off-chain workers perform the heavy lifting of data aggregation, ensuring that the process is efficient and scalable. They communicate with the main Litentry blockchain to update identity states and provide proof of data validity.
Verifiable Credentials
A critical aspect of Litentry’s identity management is the use of verifiable credentials. These are cryptographically signed statements that assert specific attributes about an identity, such as account age, holding amount, transaction count, etc. Verifiable credentials are essential for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of identity data within the Litentry network.
- Issuance and Verification: Verifiable credentials are issued by trusted entities, known as issuers, who have the authority to validate certain attributes. These credentials are then stored on the blockchain, allowing any participant in the network to verify their authenticity without relying on a central authority. The verification process involves checking the cryptographic signatures and ensuring that the credentials have not been tampered with.
Trusted Execution Environment (TEE)
Privacy is a paramount concern of the Litentry identity oracle and it is addressed through the use of the Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) technology. TEE provides a secure enclave within which sensitive data can be processed without exposing it to the rest of the system. This ensures that identity data is handled in a privacy-preserving manner.
- Secure Data Processing: TEE is used to perform sensitive operations, such as verifying identity attributes and processing user requests, within a secure and isolated environment. This minimizes the risk of data leakage and unauthorized access. By leveraging TEE, Litentry can guarantee that even the off-chain workers, which aggregate data from various sources, do not have access to the raw identity information.
Interoperability with Web2 and Web3
Litentry bridges the gap between traditional web (Web2) applications and decentralized web (Web3) applications. This interoperability is crucial for creating a unified identity management system that can operate across different environments.
- Cross-Chain Communication: Litentry uses the Cross-Chain Messaging (XCM) protocol to facilitate communication between different blockchains. This allows identities to be verified and managed across multiple chains, enhancing the protocol’s flexibility and reach.
- Web2 Integration: To support traditional web applications, Litentry provides APIs and SDKs that developers can use to integrate identity services into their applications. This ensures that Web2 applications can benefit from the security and privacy features of decentralized identity management.
Functioning as an Identity Oracle Network
Identity Verification
Litentry enables users and applications to verify identity attributes through its decentralized network using the IdentityHub. This involves checking the authenticity of verifiable credentials and ensuring that the claimed attributes match the recorded data.
- Decentralized Verification: The verification process is trustless, meaning that it does not rely on a central authority. Instead, it uses cryptographic proofs and consensus mechanisms to validate identity data. This enhances the security and reliability of the verification process.
Below is a code snippet on how to build VC with Litentry:
import { request } from "@litentry/enclave";
// The Subject of the VC. The prime identity.
const who = createLitentryIdentityType(api.registry, {
addressOrHandle: '9oTtQwDrJk5FomPyhoTFyxRC1rmf5Dn6hYD4Ezfgiy6r',
type: 'Solana',
});
const call = await request.requestBatchVC(api, {
who,
assertions: [assertion], // One or many.
});Here is the documentation explaining how to verify a credential using the Litentry protocol.
Identity Linking and Management
Litentry identity oracle allows users to link multiple identities across different platforms and blockchains, creating a unified digital identity.
This is particularly useful for users who participate in various decentralized applications (dApps) and services.
- Unified Identity Management: With this users can manage their linked identities through a single interface, simplifying the process of updating and verifying identity information. This unified approach reduces the complexity of identity management and enhances user convenience.
Here is a section of our documentation that explains how Litentry facilitates identity-linking from dApps view.
Data Privacy and Security
By leveraging TEE, the Litentry Identity Oracle ensures that identity data is handled securely and privately. Users have full control over their data, deciding what information to share and with whom. Litentry’s decentralized infrastructure ensures that no single entity has control over the identity data. Off-chain workers, which aggregate and process identity information, operate in a decentralized manner. This decentralization reduces the risk of data manipulation and enhances the trustworthiness of the network.
- Granular Access Control: Users can specify which attributes to disclose to specific dApps and services, ensuring that only the necessary information is shared. This granular control enhances privacy and minimizes the risk of data exposure.
Conclusion
Litentry’s evolution as an Identity Oracle Network showcases its commitment to providing a secure, interoperable, and user-centric identity management solution. By leveraging verifiable credentials, TEE technology, and decentralized infrastructure, Litentry addresses the critical challenges of fragmented identities, trust, privacy, and interoperability. Its ability to bridge Web2 and Web3 applications further enhances its utility, making it a game-changer in the decentralized identity management niche of the blockchain industry. As the identity oracle continues to evolve, it is poised to drive significant advancements in how digital identities are managed and utilized across various platforms and ecosystems.
