Glossary

Verifiable credential — an electronic identity document (driving licence, Emirates ID, competition licence) signed by its issuer and stored in a wallet.

mdoc — the ISO/IEC 18013-5 container all credentials here use; “mDL” is the driving licence in that container.

Holder — the person whose credential it is; their phone runs the wallet.

Issuer — the authority that signs and hands out credentials.

Verifier / relying party — whoever checks a credential: your website, your app, an officer.

Presentation — the act of sharing selected fields from a credential with a verifier.

Selective disclosure — sharing only the fields requested (over 21, not the birth date).

Device binding — the credential is tied to a key that never leaves the holder’s phone; a presentation is signed with it, so copies and replays fail.

Session transcript — the data both sides sign so a presentation belongs to this exchange only.

IACA — Issuer Authority Certificate Authority: an issuer’s root certificate.

VICAL — a signed list of trusted issuer certificates and the document types each may sign.

RICAL — a signed list of trusted verifier (reader) certificates with display names.

Reader certificate — the certificate a verifier signs its requests with; wallets use it to name the verifier.

OpenID4VCI — the protocol wallets use to receive credentials from issuers.

OpenID4VP — the protocol websites use to request a presentation online.

Digital Credentials API — the browser feature that lets a website ask the phone’s wallets directly (Safari’s “share your ID” sheet).

App Link / Universal Link — an https:// link Android or iOS opens directly in an app; used for same-device tap-to-open.

Publishable key / secret key — Verify API credentials: the first goes in the page, the second stays on your server.

Preset — a named check an operator can pick in the in-person app.