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Issue credential

Once a draft is finalized, you can issue it as a verifiable credential (VC). Issuing a VC finalizes it, making it available for verification by other parties.

As mentioned on the Drafts vs credentials page, issuing a draft does the following under the hood:

  • Exports the draft as an unsigned VC
  • Signs the unsigned VC to create a signed VC
  • Imports the signed VC

You can also perform each of the last steps separately, using the Export, Sign, and Import methods for more granular control.

Prerequisites

Generate key for signing​

Before issuing the VC, you need to ensure that you have a public-private key pair to sign the VC. If you have not generated a public-private key pair as part ot the quick start guide, use the example below to generate the key pair with a P256 curve:

const privateKey = await client.keys.keyGenerate({
    data: {
        type: 'P256',
    },
});
note

The Truvity platform supports different types of cryptographic keys. The Cryptosuites page lists all supported key types and their names.

Issue credential​

Call the issue method to issue a VerifiableCredential from an existing draft:

const credential = await updatedDraft.issue(privateKey.id); // VerifiableCredential<ClaimsModelExample>

What happens after issuing?​

Once issued, the credential:

  • Is signed cryptographically and becomes tamper-evident.
  • Can no longer be modified.
  • Is ready to be shared with verifiers for validation.

Best practices​

  • Finalize all data : Ensure all the necessary data is included before issuing, as credentials cannot be edited once issued.

  • Review thoroughly before issuing : Carefully examine and validate drafts to ensure all fields are accurate and complete, especially in scenarios involving multiple approving parties.

Further reading​

After credential issuance, you can do the following: