Verifiable Credentials Vocabulary v2.0 (original) (raw)
This document describes the Verifiable Credentials Vocabulary v2.0, i.e., the RDFS [[RDF-SCHEMA]] vocabulary used by the Verifiable Credentials [[VC-DATA-MODEL-2.0]].
Alternate versions of the vocabulary definition exist inTurtle andJSON-LD.
Published:
2024-10-19
Version Info:
2.0
See Also: https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model-2.0/
This vocabulary has been defined by the W3C Verifiable Credentials Working Group and provides the official RDFS vocabulary for Verifiable Credentials. Comments regarding this document are welcome. Please file issues directly on GitHub, or send them topublic-vc-comments@w3.org (subscribe,archives).
Specification of terms
In general, the terms — i.e., the properties and classes — used in the VCDM are formally specified in Recommendation Track documents published by the W3C Verifiable Credentials Working Group or, for some deprecated or reserved terms, in Reports published by the W3C Credentials Community Group. In each case of such external definition, the term's description in this document contains a link to the relevant specification. Additionally, the `rdfs:definedBy` property in the RDFS representation(s) refers to the formal specification.
In some cases, a local explanation is necessary to complement, or to replace, the definition found in an external specification. For instance, this is so when the term is needed to provide a consistent structure to the RDFS vocabulary, such as when the term defines a common supertype for class instances that are used as objects of specific properties, or when RDF Graphs are involved. For such cases, the extra definition is included in the current document (and the `rdfs:comment` property is used to include them in the RDFS representations).
Overview diagram of the vocabulary (without the deprecated items).
A separate, stand-alone SVG version of the diagram, as well as a textual description, are also available.
Namespaces
This specification makes use of the following namespaces:
cred
https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials#
dc
http://purl.org/dc/terms/
owl
http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#
rdf
http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#
rdfs
http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#
xsd
http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#
vs
http://www.w3.org/2003/06/sw-vocab-status/ns#
schema
http://schema.org/
jsonld
http://www.w3.org/ns/json-ld#
@context files
The following @context files make use of the terms defined in this specification:
- https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2term list
- credentialSchema
- credentialStatus
- confidenceMethod
- credentialSubject
- digestSRI
- evidence
- expirationDate
- holder
- jsonSchema
- issuanceDate
- issuer
- refreshService
- relatedResource
- termsOfUse
- validFrom
- validUntil
- verifiableCredential
- EnvelopedVerifiableCredential
- EnvelopedVerifiablePresentation
- JsonSchema
- JsonSchemaCredential
- VerifiableCredential
- VerifiablePresentation
- sriString
Regular terms
Property definitions
The following are property definitions in the cred namespace.
credentialSchema
Credential schema
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
credentialStatus
Credential status
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
credentialSubject
Credential subject
See the formal definition of the term.
The property's value should be a URL, i.e., not a literal.
stable
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
digestSRI
Subresource integrity digest
See the formal definition of the term.
See also:
Subresource Integrity Metadata
stable
Range:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
evidence
Evidence
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
holder
Holder
See the formal definition of the term.
The property's value should be a URL, i.e., not a literal.
stable
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
jsonSchema
Referring to a Json Schema
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
rdf:JSON
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
issuer
Issuer
See the formal definition of the term.
The property's value should be a URL, i.e., not a literal.
stable
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
refreshService
Refresh service
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
termsOfUse
Terms of use
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Union of:
VerifiableCredential
VerifiablePresentation
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
validFrom
Valid from
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
xsd:dateTime
Domain:
Union of:
VerifiableCredential
VerifiablePresentation
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
validUntil
Valid until
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
xsd:dateTime
Domain:
Union of:
VerifiableCredential
VerifiablePresentation
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
verifiableCredential
Verifiable credential graph
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range:
Domain:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
Class definitions
The following are class definitions in the cred namespace.
CredentialEvidence
Credential evidence
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range of:
CredentialSchema
Credential schema
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range of:
CredentialStatus
Credential status
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range of:
EnvelopedVerifiableCredential
Enveloped verifiable credential
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
EnvelopedVerifiablePresentation
Enveloped verifiable presentation
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
JsonSchema
JSON schema validator
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Subclass of:
Domain of:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
JsonSchemaCredential
JSON schema validator with schema contained in a credential
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Subclass of:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
RefreshService
Refresh service
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range of:
TermsOfUse
Terms of use
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Range of:
VerifiableCredential
Verifiable credential
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Domain of:
credentialSchema, credentialStatus, credentialSubject, evidence, issuer, refreshService, renderMethod, relatedResource
In the domain of:
termsOfUse, validFrom, validUntil
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
VerifiableCredentialGraph
Verifiable credential graph
See the formal definition of the term.
Instances of this class are RDF Graphs [[RDF12-CONCEPTS]].
stable
Range of:
VerifiablePresentation
Verifiable presentation
See the formal definition of the term.
stable
Domain of:
In the domain of:
termsOfUse, validFrom, validUntil
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
Datatype definitions
The following are datatype definitions in the cred namespace.
sriString
Datatype for digest SRI values
See the formal definition of the term.
See also:
Subresource Integrity Metadata
stable
Derived from:
xsd:string
Range of:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
Reserved terms
All terms in this section arereserved. Implementers may use these properties, but should expect them and/or their meanings to change during the process to normatively specify them.
Reserved properties
The following are reserved property definitions in the cred namespace.
confidenceMethod
Confidence method (reserved)
See the formal definition of the term.
reserved
Range:
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
renderMethod
Render method (reserved)
See the formal definition of the term.
reserved
Range:
Domain:
Reserved classes
The following are reserved class definitions in the cred namespace.
ConfidenceMethod
Confidence method (reserved)
See the formal definition of the term.
reserved
Range of:
RenderMethod
Render method (reserved)
See the formal definition of the term.
reserved
Range of:
Deprecated terms
All terms in this section are deprecated, and are only kept in this vocabulary for backward compatibility.
New applications should not use them.
Deprecated properties
The following are deprecated property definitions in the cred namespace.
expirationDate
Expiration date (deprecated)
See the formal definition of the term.
The value of this property was used in the past to express the date and time the credential ceased to be valid. It has been deprecated in favor of validUntil
deprecatedtrue
Range:
xsd:dateTime
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
issuanceDate
Issuance date (deprecated)
See the formal definition of the term.
The value of this property was used in the past to represent the earliest date when the information associated with the credentialSubject property became valid. This property has been deprecated in favor of validFrom.
deprecatedtrue
Range:
xsd:dateTime
Relevant @context:
https://www.w3.org/ns/credentials/v2
Deprecated properties
Diagram description
Overview diagram of the vocabulary (without the deprecated items).
The diagram uses boxes, ellipses, and connecting lines with different "styles" (border color, end marker, line type) to differentiate their semantic meaning; these styles identify Property, Class, or Datatype, via the shapes used for the graph nodes, and Superclass, Domain Of, Range, or Contains, via the styles of the connecting lines. These style names are used in the explanation text in what follows.
In the middle of the diagram there is a column of labeled boxes, all styled as Property. The labels, from top to bottom, are: "credentialSchema", "credentialStatus", "credentialSubject", "issuer", "evidence", "refreshService", "renderMethod", "confidenceMethod", "termsOfUse", "validFrom", "validUntil", and "holder". On the left side of this column, there are five labeled ellipses, styled as Class. These are, from top to bottom, "VerifiableCredential", "JsonSchemaCredential", "EnvelopedVerifiableCredential", "VerifiableCredentialGraph", and "VerifiablePresentation". There is also a small, unlabeled circle, which serves as an intersection point for connector lines, with two pointing in, and four pointing out.
The "VerifiableCredential" ellipse is connected to the "credentialSchema", "credentialStatus", "credentialSubject", "issuer", "relatedResource", "evidence", "refreshService", "renderMethod", and "confidenceMethod" boxes, through connecting lines styled as Domain Of. It is also connected to the crossing point circle with a similar connecting line, styled as Domain Of. The "VerifiablePresentation" ellipse is connected to the crossing point circle, as well as the "holder" and "verifiableCredential" boxes, with a similar connecting line styled as Domain Of. The crossing point circle is connected to the "termsOfUse", "validFrom", and "validUntil" boxes with a connecting line styled as Domain Of. The "verifiableCredential" box is connected to the "VerifiableCredentialGraph" ellipse with a connecting line styled as Range. The "JsonSchemaCredential" ellipse is connected to the "VerifiableCredential" ellipse with a connecting line styled as Superclass. Finally, the "VerifiableCredentialGraph" ellipse is connected to the "VerifiableCredential" and "EnvelopedVerifiableCredential" ellipses with connector lines styled as Contains.
On the right side of the column, there is another column of ellipses, styled as "Class", and labeled as "CredentialSchema", "CredentialStatus", "CredentialEvidence", "RefreshService", "RenderMethod", "ConfidenceMethod", and "TermsOfUse". The Property boxes labeled as "credentialSchema", "credentialStatus", "credentialEvidence, "refreshService", "renderMethod", "confidenceMethod", and "termsOfUse" are respectively connected to those Class ellipses, with connecting lines styled as Range.
The "CredentialSchema" ellipse is connected to one more ellipse, on the far right side of the diagram, styled as Class and labeled as "JsonSchema", with a connecting line styled as Superclass. This "JsonSchema" ellipse is also connected to a Property box labeled as "jsonSchema", through a connector line styled as Domain Of, and to a Datatype shape labeled as "rdf:JSON", through a connecting line styled as Range.
Finally, on the lower far right side of the diagram, there is a separate Property box labeled as "digestSRI", connected to a Datatype shape labeled as "sriString", with a connecting line styled as Range.