What is Blockchain?

Updated 4/19/23

What is Blockchain?

Blockchain is an emerging technology that allows information to be accessed and trusted without relying on a single authority or centralized database. Many different computers across the globe string together bits of information (literally blocks of information) that attest a transaction occurred. In the case of digital credentials, the transaction is the issuance of the badge.

Once published to the blockchain, a record is permanent and secure. Let’s say your birth certificate was published to the blockchain; even if the county clerk’s office burned to the ground and the computer servers melted, there would be proof that your birth was recorded.

In the not-so-distant future, we believe that everything from identities to skills could be published, managed, and trusted using distributed ledger technology. For now, what we are sending and storing on the blockchain is a record of issuance, not personally identifiable information.  In terms of the value it adds to digital credentials, publishing to blockchain provides another secure form of verification.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is Credly involved with blockchain technology?

• Credly is the technology provider that organizations use to issue digital credentials. Credly has developed a new capability to issue and verify credentials using blockchain technology.

Will my earners care?

• That largely depends on the perceived value of your digital credential.  If this represents a significant professional achievement, it may be worth publishing to the blockchain.

How do my earners share their badge to the blockchain?

• We have put together a helpful video for your earners, taking them through each step of publishing their badge to the blockchain. - Blockchain.

How do I give my earners the ability to share to blockchain?

• Please contact your Customer Success Manager (CSM) or [e-mail] if you would like the Blockchain sharing option enabled within your account. Once enabled, you will see a Blockchain tab under the Settings section of your account.

Is there a cost associated with publishing?

• There is no cost to clients or their earners.

Which blockchain is Credly using?

• Credly is currently using the Bitcoin blockchain based on the Blockcerts specification – this specification leverages the Open Badges standard. Blockcerts was originally developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was designed, in part, for academic credentials, professional certifications, and other records.  

Why has Credly chosen to use the Bitcoin blockchain?

• Bitcoin is the most widely used blockchain with the highest security guarantee (highest hash rate as measured through proof of work). The Bitcoin blockchain is also the most mature tool chain with 10 years of development, and it is supported by Blockcerts, a long-running project started at the MIT Media Lab and supporting community. The Bitcoin blockchain decreases the likelihood of corruption and increases the likelihood of durability and availability.  

Once published, is this permanent?

• Yes, because once published to the blockchain, a record is immutable. That said, if the badge were to change (e.g. revoked, changed expiration date), the earner would need to publish the new version. The former version would return an “unverified” message.

How can outside users (employers, institutions, etc.) use blockchain to verify an earner’s badge?

• When an outside user views an earner’s badge page, they’ll see a “Verify” button to accomplish that task. Information will then populate letting the user know that the earner has shared the badge to the blockchain.

Will earners always have access to their record on the blockchain?

• As long as they maintain their account on youracclaim.com, they will always have access to the credential and its verification on blockchain.

Is earner’s blockchain information private?

• There is no personally identifiable information associated with an earner’s credential stored on the blockchain. Earners do have the option to claim their account and make the information available. If they claim their account, the transaction points back to their credential page.

What is a “wallet” and how does it relate to blockchain-based credentials?

• A “wallet” has different meanings, but in this context we will describe it as a place where earners can store multiple blockchain transactions. If 15 years in the future the earner has different badges, each registered on the Bitcoin blockchain, the Blockcerts wallet may be a solution. However, currently it is easier to validate through the Credly’s Acclaim interface. That said, the easiest way for an earner to prove that they earned a collection of badges is to make sure they’re all on Acclaim.