Meta-schema model

The meta-schema is a universal, format-agnostic model that serves as the single source of truth for a credential's claim structure and semantic meaning. As a developer, you use this meta-schema to define your credential's data once, and Truvity handles its translation to various formats (for example, W3C Verifiable Credentials Data Model or SD-JWT Verifiable Credentials). This decreases the learning curve for the majority of use cases by eliminating the need to understand all technical details and limitations of credential formats required for issuing and processing credentials.

This approach ensures that your schemas are always consistent and interoperable across different ecosystems without you having to manage multiple formats.

For developers using the Truvity SDK, user-defined types (UDTs) are the recommended way to define a meta-schema in code. The SDK automatically translates your UDT into the platform's meta-schema representation, simplifying the process of defining complex credential structures and providing a better developer experience.

To learn how to define a schema for a credential with UDTs, see the Define credential schema guide.

Further reading