Create a Subject DID
Create a 'Holder' or 'Subject' Decentralized Identifier (DID), of method did:key using cheqd Studio.
In decentralized identity systems, Holders (also referred to as Subjects) are the recipients of Verifiable Credentialsโtypically representing individuals, organisations, objects or devices.
To enable credential interactions such as receiving, presenting, and proving control over an identity, each Holder needs a unique cryptographic key pair. This key pair is used to create a Decentralized Identifier (DID) that represents their identity.
Use Cases for Holder Identity Keys
After generating a key pair using the API below, you can use it to:
โ Generate a
did:key
identifier, an off-ledger, self-contained DID that is ideal for lightweight identity use cases
Why Use did:key
for Holders?
did:key
for Holders?The did:key
method is a simple, deterministic DID method that embeds the Holderโs public key directly into the DID itself. It doesnโt require blockchain anchoring, making it:
โก Fast and lightweight โ no on-ledger operations required
๐ Privacy-preserving โ good for ephemeral or throwaway identifiers
๐งช Useful for testing and interoperability โ widely supported by wallets and agent frameworks
๐ง Ideal for Holder/Subject identities โ where the main role is to receive and present credentials rather than issue them
Many ecosystems choose did:key
for wallet-based identities, while keeping issuer DIDs on-ledger (e.g. did:cheqd
) to ensure resolvability and public trust.
Take a deeper look into the did:key
specification here:
Note that there are also perfectly valid use cases for using a did:cheqd
DID for a 'Holder' or 'Subject' DID as well, where it is valuable to have the 'Holder' / 'Subject' identifiable on-chain.
For example, AI Agents, Organisations or products in a supply chain are good use cases for using did:cheqd
.
This is because the 'Holder' / 'Subject' does not have Personally Identifiable Information (PII) associated with it.
Get Started
To create a did:key
DID, you can generate an identity key pair using the API below on cheqd Studio.
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