DID Method

4 min read

Pronunciation

[ˌdē-ˌī-ˈdē ˈme-thəd]

Analogy

Think of DID Methods like different postal systems operating across various countries. Just as each national postal service has its own specific standards for addressing formats, mailbox designs, and delivery protocols—yet all enable the universal function of sending messages between locations—each DID Method defines its own specific rules for creating, modifying, and looking up decentralized identities within a particular ecosystem. When you want to send a letter to Germany, you need to follow German postal addressing conventions; similarly, when you want to use a DID on the , you need to follow the 'ethr' DID Method's specific technical requirements. Despite these differences in implementation details, all DID Methods serve the same fundamental purpose: enabling reliable, controller-sovereign digital identities without central authorities. The method specification is essentially the 'rulebook' explaining exactly how decentralized identifiers work within a specific , distributed , or storage network—making it possible for anyone to participate in that identity ecosystem by following its established conventions.

Definition

A specific implementation specification that defines how Decentralized Identifiers are created, resolved, updated, and deactivated within a particular distributed system or network. DID Methods establish the concrete mechanisms for managing identifier lifecycles, determining where DID Documents are stored, how they are retrieved, and the cryptographic operations required for authentication and verification within that particular ecosystem.

Key Points Intro

DID Methods enable interoperable identity systems through four essential specifications:

Key Points

Creation Procedures: Define the exact technical process for generating new DIDs within the specific ecosystem, including identifier syntax, key generation requirements, and registration mechanisms.

Resolution Protocol: Establish how DID Documents are retrieved when presented with a DID, mapping identifiers to their corresponding metadata through network-specific lookup procedures.

Update Operations: Specify the mechanisms for modifying DID Documents, including authentication requirements, versioning approaches, and state transition validation.

Deactivation Process: Detail how identifiers can be permanently disabled when no longer needed, ensuring proper lifecycle management while maintaining historical provenance.

Example

A digital identity startup creates a new DID Method called 'did:example' specifically designed for humanitarian identity applications with limited connectivity. The method specification, formally registered in the W3C DID Method Registry, details each required component: For creation, it defines a process where identifiers are generated from biometric templates combined with geographic codes, resulting in DIDs like 'did:example:geo:nyc:1234abcd'. The resolution section specifies a hybrid approach where DID Documents are stored on both a distributed for global availability and locally cached in regional servers for offline access. Update operations require multi-factor authentication combining cryptographic signatures with location verification, with all changes recorded to an immutable audit log. Deactivation follows a two-phase process requiring both controller authorization and a 30-day waiting period to prevent accidental or coerced identity removal. With this comprehensive method specification published, other developers can now build compatible wallets, verification services, and applications that interoperate with identifiers created under this method, even without coordination with the original creators. When a humanitarian organization later decides to implement the system, they follow the method specification to deploy compatible infrastructure, confident that their implementation will work with all existing tools and services supporting the 'did:example' method.

Technical Deep Dive

DID Method specifications implement detailed technical protocols that the complete lifecycle management of decentralized identifiers within specific distributed systems. The foundation typically begins with method-specific syntax defined by ABNF (Augmented Backus-Naur Form) grammar that specifies the exact format for the method-specific identifier component, often incorporating rules for encoding network identifiers, namespaces, or cryptographic material within the DID string itself. Create operations (often denoted as 'Register' in specifications) define precise cryptographic procedures for generating new identifiers. These typically include algorithms, registration formats, and initial encoding. Advanced methods implement sophisticated capabilities like hierarchical derivation, quantum-resistant cryptographic primitives, or zero-knowledge generation protocols that enhance privacy or security properties. Resolution mechanics define the complete technical pipeline from identifier to document, typically including multiple phases: DID parsing to extract method-specific components, network addressing to locate authoritative data sources, resolution to reconstruct the current document from historical operations, and document construction to assemble the final representation according to W3C syntax requirements. Performance-focused methods often implement caching strategies, gateway architectures, or peer-to-peer resolution networks to optimize availability and . Update operations specify transition models appropriate to the underlying distributed system. These include authorized formats, signature requirements, conflict resolution mechanisms for concurrent updates, and canonicalization procedures to ensure processing. Advanced methods implement sophisticated capabilities like delegated update authority, time-locked transitions, or threshold signature requirements for enhanced security models. Deactivation procedures the paradox of permanent removal in append-only systems, typically implementing cryptographic tombstone patterns that irrevocably signal of an identifier while maintaining provenance records. This often involves publishing provably unreconstructable keys, cryptographic commitment to intent, or specialized types that validators enforce as terminal transitions. Beyond core operations, comprehensive method specifications additional considerations including fee models, privacy characteristics, properties, and security assumptions specific to the underlying distributed system.

Security Warning

DID Methods vary significantly in their security properties based on the underlying distributed systems they leverage. Thoroughly evaluate method-specific threat models before implementation, particularly regarding security, assumptions, and privacy characteristics. Be cautious of methods with limited implementation diversity, as they may contain undiscovered vulnerabilities or centralization vectors not apparent in specifications. Consider implementing multi-method identity strategies for critical applications, preventing single-method dependencies that could create system-wide vulnerabilities if a particular method's security assumptions are compromised.

Caveat

Despite standardization efforts, DID Methods face significant practical limitations. Method proliferation has led to an ecosystem with dozens of incompatible implementations, fragmenting the identity landscape rather than unifying it. Implementation complexity varies dramatically, with some methods requiring sophisticated distributed infrastructure while others operate with minimal resources, creating inconsistent security and reliability characteristics. Method-specific features often extend beyond the core specification, resulting in capabilities that don't translate across methods despite using the same fundamental DID architecture. Most critically, economic sustainability remains questionable for many methods, as the infrastructure costs of maintaining resolution systems often lack corresponding revenue models—potentially threatening long-term viability for methods without established funding mechanisms or governance structures.

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