Verification

import { StandardSite } from '@/app/components/docs'

Verification

Since records reference domains and web pages, a verifiable way for these resources to point back to their corresponding records is needed.

Overview

Verification is accomplished using a .well-known endpoint for publications, and an HTML tag for documents.

When an application needs to verify a record, it fetches the appropriate verification endpoint and checks that the returned value matches the record's AT-URI.

A record should only be considered "valid" if the author of the material provides an accurate verification endpoint pointing to the record.

Publication Verification

To verify a publication, add a .well-known endpoint to the domain:

The endpoint should return the AT-URI of the publication record:

Non-root Publications

If the publication does not live at the domain root, append the publication path to the endpoint:

Document Verification

To verify an individual document, include a tag in the document's that references its AT-URI.

HTML Example

This confirms the association between the rendered document and its site.standard.document record.

Verification Flow

1. An application discovers a record
2. The record contains a url (for publications) or site + path (for documents)
3. The application fetches the verification endpoint from that URL
4. The application checks if the returned AT-URI matches the record
5. If they match, the record is verified

Best Practices

• Always implement verification for production records
• Use HTTPS for all publication and document URLs
• Keep AT-URIs consistent across records and verification endpoints
• Update verification endpoints when migrating records to a new DID

Related

• Publication lexicon - Understanding publication records
• Document lexicon - Understanding document records
• Quick Start - Implementation guide