# Suspend or Unsuspend a Verifiable Credential
Users are also able to suspend Verifiable Credentials. The difference between revocation and suspension is that **suspended Credentials may be unsuspended at a future date**; whereas, **revoked credentials are permanently revoked**.
## Step 1: Locate the Credential Body or JWT to be suspended
It is best practice for issuers to keep a record of the Credentials they have issued, including the `"statusListIndex`" of the Credentials. From this record system, issuers should be able to fetch either the full Credential Body or the JWT proof of the Credential they want to suspend.
## Step 2: Decide whether to publish update to the ledger
When suspending a Credential, issuers can decide whether they want to publish an updated Status List on-ledger, with the suspended credential index updated in the bitstring. The parameter below can be changed to reflect this:
publish
* true (indicates the issuer wants to publish the updated Status List on ledger)
* false (indicates the issuer wants to manually publish a Status List update)
## Step 3: Paste the Credential Body or JWT into the API
Paste the Credential Body or JWT into the API below and execute the API to suspend the Credential.
## Suspend a Verifiable Credential.
> This endpoint suspends a given Verifiable Credential. As input, it can take the VC-JWT as a string or the entire credential itself.
```json
{"openapi":"3.0.0","info":{"title":"cheqd Studio API for cheqd network","version":"2.0.0"},"tags":[{"name":"Verifiable Credentials"}],"servers":[{"url":"https://studio-api.cheqd.net","description":"Main (production) server"},{"url":"https://studio-api-staging.cheqd.net","description":"Staging server for testing"},{"url":"http://localhost:3000","description":"Local server for testing"}],"security":[{"ApiKeyAuth":[]}],"components":{"securitySchemes":{"ApiKeyAuth":{"type":"apiKey","name":"x-api-key","in":"header"}},"schemas":{"CredentialRevokeRequest":{"type":"object","properties":{"credential":{"description":"Verifiable Credential to be revoked as a VC-JWT string or a JSON object.","oneOf":[{"type":"object"},{"type":"string"}]},"symmetricKey":{"description":"The symmetric key used to encrypt the StatusList2021 DID-Linked Resource. Required if the StatusList2021 DID-Linked Resource is encrypted.","type":"string"}}},"SuspensionResult":{"properties":{"suspended":{"type":"boolean"}}},"InvalidRequest":{"description":"A problem with the input fields has occurred. Additional state information plus metadata may be available in the response body.","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}},"UnauthorizedError":{"description":"Access token is missing or invalid","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}},"InternalError":{"description":"An internal error has occurred. Additional state information plus metadata may be available in the response body.","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}}}},"paths":{"/credential/suspend":{"post":{"tags":["Verifiable Credentials"],"summary":"Suspend a Verifiable Credential.","description":"This endpoint suspends a given Verifiable Credential. As input, it can take the VC-JWT as a string or the entire credential itself.","operationId":"suspend","parameters":[{"in":"query","name":"listType","description":"The type of Status List.","required":true,"schema":{"type":"string","enum":["StatusList2021","BitstringStatusList"]}},{"in":"query","name":"publish","description":"Set whether the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList resource should be published to the ledger or not. If set to `false`, the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList publisher should manually publish the resource.","schema":{"type":"boolean"}}],"requestBody":{"content":{"application/x-www-form-urlencoded":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/CredentialRevokeRequest"}},"application/json":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/CredentialRevokeRequest"}}}},"responses":{"200":{"description":"The request was successful.","content":{"application/json":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/SuspensionResult"}}}},"400":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/InvalidRequest"},"401":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/UnauthorizedError"},"500":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/InternalError"}}}}}}
```
## Unsuspend (reinstate) Verifiable Credentials
If a Credential has been suspended, and an Issuer wants to unsuspend the Credential to make it once again valid, the Issuer can **reinstate a suspended Credential**.
## Step 1: Locate the Credential Body or JWT to be unsuspended
It is best practice for issuers to keep a record of the Credentials they have issued, including the `"statusListIndex`" of the Credentials. From this record system, issuers should be able to fetch either the full Credential Body or the JWT proof of the Credential they want to unsuspend.
## Step 2: Decide whether to publish update to the ledger
When unsuspending or reinstating a Credential, issuers can decide whether they want to publish an updated Status List on-ledger, with the unsuspended credential index updated in the bitstring. The parameter below can be changed to reflect this:
publish
* true (indicates the issuer wants to publish the updated Status List on ledger)
* false (indicates the issuer wants to manually publish a Status List update)
## Step 3: Paste the Credential Body or JWT into the API
Paste the Credential Body or JWT into the API below and execute the API to unsuspend the Credential.
## Reinstate a suspended Verifiable Credential.
> Set whether the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList resource should be published to the ledger or not. If set to \`false\`, the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList publisher should manually publish the resource.
```json
{"openapi":"3.0.0","info":{"title":"cheqd Studio API for cheqd network","version":"2.0.0"},"tags":[{"name":"Verifiable Credentials"}],"servers":[{"url":"https://studio-api.cheqd.net","description":"Main (production) server"},{"url":"https://studio-api-staging.cheqd.net","description":"Staging server for testing"},{"url":"http://localhost:3000","description":"Local server for testing"}],"security":[{"ApiKeyAuth":[]}],"components":{"securitySchemes":{"ApiKeyAuth":{"type":"apiKey","name":"x-api-key","in":"header"}},"schemas":{"CredentialRevokeRequest":{"type":"object","properties":{"credential":{"description":"Verifiable Credential to be revoked as a VC-JWT string or a JSON object.","oneOf":[{"type":"object"},{"type":"string"}]},"symmetricKey":{"description":"The symmetric key used to encrypt the StatusList2021 DID-Linked Resource. Required if the StatusList2021 DID-Linked Resource is encrypted.","type":"string"}}},"UnsuspensionResult":{"properties":{"unsuspended":{"type":"boolean"}}},"InvalidRequest":{"description":"A problem with the input fields has occurred. Additional state information plus metadata may be available in the response body.","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}},"UnauthorizedError":{"description":"Access token is missing or invalid","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}},"InternalError":{"description":"An internal error has occurred. Additional state information plus metadata may be available in the response body.","type":"object","properties":{"error":{"type":"string"}}}}},"paths":{"/credential/reinstate":{"post":{"tags":["Verifiable Credentials"],"summary":"Reinstate a suspended Verifiable Credential.","description":"Set whether the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList resource should be published to the ledger or not. If set to `false`, the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList publisher should manually publish the resource.","operationId":"reinstate","parameters":[{"in":"query","name":"listType","description":"The type of Status List.","required":true,"schema":{"type":"string","enum":["StatusList2021","BitstringStatusList"]}},{"in":"query","name":"publish","description":"Set whether the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList resource should be published to the ledger or not. If set to `false`, the StatusList2021 or BitstringStatusList publisher should manually publish the resource.","schema":{"type":"boolean"}}],"requestBody":{"content":{"application/x-www-form-urlencoded":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/CredentialRevokeRequest"}},"application/json":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/CredentialRevokeRequest"}}}},"responses":{"200":{"description":"The request was successful.","content":{"application/json":{"schema":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/UnsuspensionResult"}}}},"400":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/InvalidRequest"},"401":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/UnauthorizedError"},"500":{"$ref":"#/components/schemas/InternalError"}}}}}}
```