did:cheqd
Identity Protocol
DAO
Details
License Libre (Apache-2.0) — cheqd-node and supporting tooling at https://github.com/cheqd
Dev Status 🟢 Active
Owner cheqd — CHEQD FOUNDATION LIMITED is the registrant listed in the W3C DID Extensions methods registry; the network is operated by independent validators with on-chain governance by CHEQ token holders
Owner - List
- World Wide Web Consortium
Governing Body CHEQD FOUNDATION LIMITED (registrant of record) | DAO / token-holder governance (CHEQ holders vote on network parameters and upgrades via Cosmos governance modules)
Country United Kingdom (cheqd is UK-headquartered; the network itself is globally distributed across independent validators)
Start Year 2021
Stack Go — Cosmos SDK application chain with Tendermint/CometBFT consensus; TypeScript SDKs and resolver tooling
Funding Venture-funded with a native token — CHEQ token used for network fees, staking and identity-service payments. Specific raise amounts not confirmed in the sources reviewed
Last Investigated Jul 31, 2026
Identity Protocol Attributes
Owner - List
- World Wide Web Consortium
Origins Self-sovereign identity plus payment rails — created on the premise that SSI adoption was constrained by the absence of a sustainable commercial model for issuers and verifiers, and that identity infrastructure needed native payment and incentive mechanisms to reach scale
Database cheqd network — a Cosmos SDK blockchain with CometBFT consensus, storing DID documents and DID-Linked Resources on-chain
Query Language cheqd DID Resolver (resolver.cheqd.net) and the DIF Universal Resolver; DID-Linked Resources are queryable by resourceName, resourceType, resourceVersion and resourceVersionTime, giving time-travel access to prior versions
Data Formats W3C DID Document (JSON/JSON-LD); DID-Linked Resources as sequentially ordered, indexable and historically queryable JSON files with resourceName / resourceType / resourceVersion metadata and optional alternativeUri
Mobile Support Library-level — implemented inside resolver libraries and wallets; no standalone application
Web Support Yes — public HTTPS resolution via resolver.cheqd.net and the DIF Universal Resolver, in addition to direct chain reads
Native Apps Library-level — embedded in resolver libraries; no standalone application
Terms Transaction fees in CHEQ for writes; reads and resolution are free via public resolvers. Commercial payment flows for credential services are an explicit design feature rather than an incidental cost
Funds Unknown — figures not confirmed in the sources reviewed
Based On W3C DID Core 1.0; Cosmos SDK and CometBFT consensus; W3C DID-Linked Resources specification (W3C CCG); interoperates with the ToIP did:scid method as a named DID host option
Permissions Cryptographic key control for DID updates; chain-level permissionless write subject to fee payment; DID-Linked Resource publication authorised by the DID's authentication keys
Authentication & Identity Ledger-anchored with clear separation between the identity keypair and the blockchain keypair — the account that pays for and submits a transaction need not be the DID controller, a design the ToIP did:scid specification cites approvingly as an ADR-documented pattern
Storage Model On-chain — DID documents and DID-Linked Resources stored on the cheqd network, replicated across validators. The DID-Linked Resource mechanism provides versioned, historically queryable storage functioning as a microledger for resource updates
Interoperability W3C DID ecosystem via the cheqd resolver and the DIF Universal Resolver; supports W3C Verifiable Credentials and AnonCreds; named in the ToIP did:scid specification as a blockchain DID host, where a did:scid identifier can point to verification metadata anchored on cheqd
Data Portability Chain-bound — identifiers and resources live on the cheqd network and cannot be migrated to another chain or method without re-issuance. The did:scid integration is explicitly an attempt to decouple identifier from location, which is an acknowledgement of this limitation
Governance & Decision Making On-chain token-holder governance — CHEQ holders vote on network parameters and upgrades through Cosmos governance modules, with CHEQD FOUNDATION LIMITED as the principal contributing organization
Protocol Maturity / Standardization Registered W3C DID method with a live mainnet, public resolver, DIF Universal Resolver support, and third-party specification uptake — the ToIP did:scid method devotes an appendix to cheqd as a DID host. Method specification is a project ADR rather than a standards-body document
Identity Standards W3C DID Core 1.0; W3C Verifiable Credentials; AnonCreds support; W3C DID-Linked Resources; registered in the W3C DID Extensions methods registry
Identity Standards - List
DID Methods Supported did:cheqd (defines this method), with testnet and mainnet namespaces. Serves as a host for did:scid identifiers via DID-Linked Resources
DID Methods Supported - List
Key Management Controller-managed with on-chain rotation — verification method updates are submitted as signed transactions, giving an auditable on-chain history. The DID controller keypair is deliberately distinct from the blockchain account keypair
Credential Types N/A — a DID method specification; defines no credential types. Compatible with W3C Verifiable Credentials issued against identifiers of this method
Credential Types - List
Verification Method Resolution from the cheqd chain, with correctness resting on CometBFT consensus. DID-Linked Resources may be signed with keys from the DID document's authentication section, providing cryptographic verifiability back to the controller
Privacy Features Standard for a public chain — DID documents are publicly readable, so pairwise privacy must come from using a different method for holder identifiers. AnonCreds support provides selective disclosure at the credential layer. Payment flows introduce their own metadata surface
Authentication Methods Cryptographic signature against verification methods recorded on-chain
Revocation Mechanism On-chain DID deactivation; credential revocation via status lists or AnonCreds revocation registries published as DID-Linked Resources, with version history preserved
Agent Types Supported Any key-controlling entity — individuals, organizations, services and devices
Wallet/Client Types SDK / library integration — resolver implementations across the SSI tooling ecosystem; no method-specific wallet
Recovery Mechanisms Key rotation by the current controller; multi-key and multi-controller configurations possible via the DID document. No social or custodial recovery defined at the method level
Compliance / Regulations Positioned for regulated commercial use — a named UK legal entity, published governance, and payment rails designed with compliance in mind. The token component conversely introduces securities and financial-regulatory exposure
Credential Exchange Protocols DIDComm, OpenID4VC, and AnonCreds presentation exchange; resolver support in the DIF Universal Resolver makes it usable by any W3C DID-resolving protocol
Credential Exchange Protocols - List
Trust Framework Ledger consensus plus commercial accountability — cryptographic verification against chain state, combined with an identifiable corporate entity and on-chain governance. Trust registries are a first-class supported use case
Cost Model Paid — CHEQ-denominated transaction fees for writes, with the payment layer for credential issuance and verification being the network's deliberate differentiator. Reads and resolution are free
Censorship Resistance Moderate — writes are permissionless (anyone holding CHEQ can create a DID, unlike Indy's endorser model) and the validator set is independent, but the chain has a single identifiable corporate sponsor and a token whose availability could be constrained by exchange or regulatory action
Relationships
How this tool connects to other tools and organizations, from relationships reviewed by the OpenHaven data steward. They describe how projects connect, not how good they are.
- Based on
- Developed by
- World Wide Web Consortium
- Identifies via
- Stores in
- Interoperates with
- Identity primitive for