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Universal Issuer
The Universal Issuer enables the issuance of Verifiable Credentials (VCs), using a common interface. It can issue Verifiable Credentials in various formats (JSON-LD, VC-JWT, SD-JWT).
The Universal Issuer API provides a unified interface for issuing Verifiable Credentials (VCs). It supports issuance of VCs in two primary modes:
Standard issuance where credentials are issued directly through the Universal Issuer’s REST API.
OID4VCI (OpenID for Verifiable Credential Issuance) where credentials are issued using the OID4VCI protocol, enabling wallet-driven, standards-based issuance flows.
Standard Issuance
In the standard mode, the Universal Issuer can issue VCs by directly calling its API endpoints. This is useful when you control both the issuer and the credential delivery process — for example, in back-end integrations or server-to-server issuance.
No special configuration is required beyond setting up your issuer’s base parameters (e.g., schema, credential types, and signing keys (DID)).
Read more about the Standard Issuance API.
OID4VCI-Based Issuance
In the OID4VCI mode, the Universal Issuer acts as an OpenID Credential Issuer, allowing OID4VCI compliant wallets to request credentials interactively.
Before issuing credentials via OID4VCI, the issuer must configure the credentialConfigurations using the Issuer Configuration API. This configuration defines key parameters such as:
- Supported credential types
- Credential schemas
- Signing keys and credential format preferences
- The issuer’s metadata
Once configured, the Universal Issuer automatically exposes an OID4VCI-compliant interface described in Issuer OID4VCI API.
Summary
| Issuance Mode | Description | Requires Configuration? |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | Issue VCs directly via Universal Issuer REST API | ❌ No |
| OID4VCI | Issue VCs interactively via OpenID4VCI-compatible wallets | ✅ Yes — configure once via Issuer Configuration API |
Next Steps
- To issue credentials directly, continue with the Universal Issuer API.
- To enable OID4VCI issuance, first complete the setup described in Issuer Configuration, then follow Issuer OID4VCI.
API Reference
See API Reference.