Node Setup, Identifiers & Credentials

This guide covers setting up an agent and creating identifiers in Node.

Note

A finished example of this tutorial can be found on GitHub at https://github.com/veramolabs/veramo-nodejs-tutorial

This tutorial has been updated to reflect the switch to ESM. Please take care to ensure you use proper ESM syntax in imports and commands. Also, please carefully note package.json and tsconfig.json.

Additional info regarding ESM can be found at the following links: https://www.typescriptlang.org/docs/handbook/esm-node.html https://nodejs.org/api/esm.html https://caniuse.com/?search=modules

Prerequisites

You need to have Node v14 or later installed. In this example, we use yarn as the package manager, but you can also use npm.

Start by creating a directory for our project and initializing the npm package.

mkdir veramo-agent && cd veramo-agent
yarn init -y

Set project to use ESM

in package.json

"type": "module"

Install dev dependencies

yarn add typescript ts-node --dev

ℹ️ Note: In case you run into issues check out the Troubleshooting page for some options.

Install Veramo core and plugins

yarn add @veramo/core @veramo/credential-w3c @veramo/data-store @veramo/did-manager @veramo/did-provider-ethr @veramo/did-resolver @veramo/key-manager @veramo/kms-local ethr-did-resolver web-did-resolver

Install sqlite

yarn add sqlite3 typeorm

Generate your secret key and save for later in a safe place

npx @veramo/cli config create-secret-key

Add a tsconfig.json to your project

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "preserveConstEnums": true,
    "strict": true,
    "target": "esnext",
    "module": "esnext",
    "rootDir": "./",
    "moduleResolution": "node",
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "downlevelIteration": true
  }
}

Bootstrap Veramo

We bootstrap Veramo by creating a setup file and initializing the agent. Create a setup file in src/veramo/setup.ts and import the following dependencies:

Note: In this file we'll use that secret key that we generated in an earlier step, so have it handy.

// Core interfaces
import {
  createAgent,
  IDIDManager,
  IResolver,
  IDataStore,
  IDataStoreORM,
  IKeyManager,
  ICredentialPlugin,
} from '@veramo/core'

// Core identity manager plugin
import { DIDManager } from '@veramo/did-manager'

// Ethr did identity provider
import { EthrDIDProvider } from '@veramo/did-provider-ethr'

// Core key manager plugin
import { KeyManager } from '@veramo/key-manager'

// Custom key management system for RN
import { KeyManagementSystem, SecretBox } from '@veramo/kms-local'

// W3C Verifiable Credential plugin
import { CredentialPlugin } from '@veramo/credential-w3c'

// Custom resolvers
import { DIDResolverPlugin } from '@veramo/did-resolver'
import { Resolver } from 'did-resolver'
import { getResolver as ethrDidResolver } from 'ethr-did-resolver'
import { getResolver as webDidResolver } from 'web-did-resolver'

// Storage plugin using TypeOrm
import { Entities, KeyStore, DIDStore, PrivateKeyStore, migrations } from '@veramo/data-store'

// TypeORM is installed with `@veramo/data-store`
import { DataSource } from 'typeorm'

Create some variables that we will use later

// This will be the name for the local sqlite database for demo purposes
const DATABASE_FILE = 'database.sqlite'

// You will need to get a project ID from infura https://www.infura.io
const INFURA_PROJECT_ID = '<your PROJECT_ID here>'

// This will be the secret key for the KMS (replace this with your secret key)
const KMS_SECRET_KEY =
  '< you can generate a key by running `npx @veramo/cli config create-secret-key` in a terminal>'

Initialise a database using TypeORM

const dbConnection = new DataSource({
  type: 'sqlite',
  database: DATABASE_FILE,
  synchronize: false,
  migrations,
  migrationsRun: true,
  logging: ['error', 'info', 'warn'],
  entities: Entities,
}).initialize()

Create the agent by using the createAgent method from @veramo/core

export const agent = createAgent<
  IDIDManager & IKeyManager & IDataStore & IDataStoreORM & IResolver & ICredentialPlugin
>({
  plugins: [
    new KeyManager({
      store: new KeyStore(dbConnection),
      kms: {
        local: new KeyManagementSystem(new PrivateKeyStore(dbConnection, new SecretBox(KMS_SECRET_KEY))),
      },
    }),
    new DIDManager({
      store: new DIDStore(dbConnection),
      defaultProvider: 'did:ethr:sepolia',
      providers: {
        'did:ethr:sepolia': new EthrDIDProvider({
          defaultKms: 'local',
          network: 'sepolia',
          rpcUrl: 'https://sepolia.infura.io/v3/' + INFURA_PROJECT_ID,
        }),
      },
    }),
    new DIDResolverPlugin({
      resolver: new Resolver({
        ...ethrDidResolver({ infuraProjectId: INFURA_PROJECT_ID }),
        ...webDidResolver(),
      }),
    }),
    new CredentialPlugin(),
  ],
})

Note:
The types you specify for agent creation are optional, but may be very helpful when writing TypeScript, as long as they match the plugins that you add to the agent.
<IDIDManager & IKeyManager & IDataStore & IDataStoreORM & IResolver & ICredentialPlugin>
These types help the typescript compiler to figure out what plugin methods get exposed by the agent and what parameters those methods require. These types are also very helpful for development in VSCode, or other IDEs that provide auto-complete.

That's one possible agent setup. Let's use it to create and list identifiers.

App Logic

Create 4 files ./src/create-identifier.ts, ./src/list-identifiers.ts, ./src/create-credential.ts and ./src/verify-credential.ts

Add the following code to ./src/list-identifiers.ts

import { agent } from './veramo/setup.js'

async function main() {
  const identifiers = await agent.didManagerFind()

  console.log(`There are ${identifiers.length} identifiers`)

  if (identifiers.length > 0) {
    identifiers.map((id) => {
      console.log(id)
      console.log('..................')
    })
  }
}

main().catch(console.log)

Add the following code to ./src/create-identifier.ts

import { agent } from './veramo/setup.js'

async function main() {
  const identifier = await agent.didManagerCreate({ alias: 'default' })
  console.log(`New identifier created`)
  console.log(JSON.stringify(identifier, null, 2))
}

main().catch(console.log)

Add the following code to ./src/create-credential.ts

import { agent } from './veramo/setup.js'

async function main() {
  const identifier = await agent.didManagerGetByAlias({ alias: 'default' })

  const verifiableCredential = await agent.createVerifiableCredential({
    credential: {
      issuer: { id: identifier.did },
      credentialSubject: {
        id: 'did:web:example.com',
        you: 'Rock',
      },
    },
    proofFormat: 'jwt',
  })
  console.log(`New credential created`)
  console.log(JSON.stringify(verifiableCredential, null, 2))
}

main().catch(console.log)

Add the following code to ./src/verify-credential.ts

import { agent } from './veramo/setup.js'

async function main() {
  const result = await agent.verifyCredential({
    credential: {
      credentialSubject: {
        you: 'Rock',
        id: 'did:web:example.com',
      },
      issuer: {
        id: 'did:ethr:sepolia:0x0350eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c16',
      },
      type: ['VerifiableCredential'],
      '@context': ['https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1'],
      issuanceDate: '2022-10-28T11:54:22.000Z',
      proof: {
        type: 'JwtProof2020',
        jwt: 'eyJhbGciOiJFUzI1NksiLCJ0eXAiOiJKV1QifQ.eyJ2YyI6eyJAY29udGV4dCI6WyJodHRwczovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAxOC9jcmVkZW50aWFscy92MSJdLCJ0eXBlIjpbIlZlcmlmaWFibGVDcmVkZW50aWFsIl0sImNyZWRlbnRpYWxTdWJqZWN0Ijp7InlvdSI6IlJvY2sifX0sInN1YiI6ImRpZDp3ZWI6ZXhhbXBsZS5jb20iLCJuYmYiOjE2NjY5NTgwNjIsImlzcyI6ImRpZDpldGhyOmdvZXJsaToweDAzNTBlZWVlYTE0MTBjNWIxNTJmMWE4OGUwZmZlOGJiOGEwYmMzZGY4NjhiNzQwZWIyMzUyYjFkYmY5M2I1OWMxNiJ9.EPeuQBpkK13V9wu66SLg7u8ebY2OS8b2Biah2Vw-RI-Atui2rtujQkVc2t9m1Eqm4XQFECfysgQBdWwnSDvIjw',
      },
    },
  })
  console.log(`Credential verified`, result.verified)
}

main().catch(console.log)

List Identifiers

yarn ts-node --esm ./src/list-identifiers.ts

Expected output

$ ts-node ./src/list-identifiers
There are 0 identifiers

Create Identifier

yarn ts-node --esm ./src/create-identifier.ts

Expected output

$ ts-node --esm ./src/create-identifier.ts
New identifier created
{
  "did": "did:ethr:sepolia:0x0350eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c16",
  "controllerKeyId": "0450eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c1623b138f54e600141c5119f391eea730d3b1a089ed4ad35b25c2c646dee27a7bd",
  "keys": [
    {
      "type": "Secp256k1",
      "kid": "0450eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c1623b138f54e600141c5119f391eea730d3b1a089ed4ad35b25c2c646dee27a7bd",
      "publicKeyHex": "0450eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c1623b138f54e600141c5119f391eea730d3b1a089ed4ad35b25c2c646dee27a7bd",
      "meta": {
        "algorithms": [
          "ES256K",
          "ES256K-R",
          "eth_signTransaction",
          "eth_signTypedData",
          "eth_signMessage"
        ]
      },
      "kms": "local"
    }
  ],
  "services": [],
  "provider": "did:ethr:sepolia",
  "alias": "default"
}

Create credential

yarn ts-node --esm ./src/create-credential.ts

Expected output

$ ts-node --esm ./src/create-credential.ts
New credential created
{
  "credentialSubject": {
    "you": "Rock",
    "id": "did:web:example.com"
  },
  "issuer": {
    "id": "did:ethr:sepolia:0x0350eeeea1410c5b152f1a88e0ffe8bb8a0bc3df868b740eb2352b1dbf93b59c16"
  },
  "type": [
    "VerifiableCredential"
  ],
  "@context": [
    "https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1"
  ],
  "issuanceDate": "2022-10-28T11:54:22.000Z",
  "proof": {
    "type": "JwtProof2020",
    "jwt": "eyJhbGciOiJFUzI1NksiLCJ0eXAiOiJKV1QifQ.eyJ2YyI6eyJAY29udGV4dCI6WyJodHRwczovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAxOC9jcmVkZW50aWFscy92MSJdLCJ0eXBlIjpbIlZlcmlmaWFibGVDcmVkZW50aWFsIl0sImNyZWRlbnRpYWxTdWJqZWN0Ijp7InlvdSI6IlJvY2sifX0sInN1YiI6ImRpZDp3ZWI6ZXhhbXBsZS5jb20iLCJuYmYiOjE2NjY5NTgwNjIsImlzcyI6ImRpZDpldGhyOmdvZXJsaToweDAzNTBlZWVlYTE0MTBjNWIxNTJmMWE4OGUwZmZlOGJiOGEwYmMzZGY4NjhiNzQwZWIyMzUyYjFkYmY5M2I1OWMxNiJ9.EPeuQBpkK13V9wu66SLg7u8ebY2OS8b2Biah2Vw-RI-Atui2rtujQkVc2t9m1Eqm4XQFECfysgQBdWwnSDvIjw"
  }
}

Verify credential

yarn ts-node --esm ./src/verify-credential.ts

Expected output

$ ts-node --esm ./src/verify-credential.ts
Credential verified true

Congrats, You have set up the agent, created identifiers, created and verified a credential!

Note​

Prerequisites​

Bootstrap Veramo​

App Logic​

List Identifiers​

Create Identifier​

Create credential​

Verify credential​

Note

Prerequisites

Bootstrap Veramo

App Logic

List Identifiers

Create Identifier

Create credential

Verify credential