Setup ACA-Py Agent

Pre-requisites

Before you begin, ensure you have a DID registrar and resolver running.

• For testnet, you can use the Universal Registrar (with cheqd DID registrar driver) and a resolver.

• For mainnet, you must run your own cheqd DID registrar driver with the correct mnemonic configuration. Details are provided below.

Configuration

Cheqd DID Registrar Driver

To enable DID registration on Cheqd, you must deploy the Cheqd DID Registrar driver as a dedicated service. The fastest way to run the Cheqd Registrar driver is using the published docker image, for other options or to build your own container, check the .

Steps to deploy the Cheqd Registrar Driver

1. Add the following under services section of your docker-compose file.

2. Set the environment variables.

3. Run the driver.

Universal Registrar Setup

The Universal Registrar allows dynamic DID registration for multiple DID methods, including Cheqd. Setting it up ensures seamless DID creation without manual configurations for different DID methods. The fastest way to run the Universal Registrar is using the published docker container, for other options check the .

Steps to setup Universal Registrar for Cheqd

1. Add the following under services section of your docker-compose file.

2. Start the Universal Registrar Service.

3. Confirm that the Cheqd Driver properties are correct and matches your settings.

Cheqd DID Resolver

To run your own DID Resolver, the following settings must be added to your docker-compose file

Steps to deploy the Cheqd Resolver

1. Add the following under services section of your docker-compose file.

2. Run the resolver.

Plugin Configuration

Cheqd ACA-Py Plugin supports configuring the Universal Registrar and DID Resolver URLs via a plugin-config.yml file. These settings define how the agent interacts with the Cheqd network for DID operations.

Example plugin-config.yml:

Update the URLs if you have your hosted versions or using the Universal Resolver.

Wallet Compatibility

The Cheqd plugin only works with the askar-anoncreds wallet type. Askar-anoncreds is the preferred wallet due to its support for AnonCreds and enhanced security features.

Setting Up Askar Wallet in ACA-Py

When starting ACA-Py, ensure that the wallet-type is set to askar. Example:

Recommended Wallet Storage: PostgreSQL

Using PostgreSQL as a wallet storage backend is recommended for scalability and data persistence.

Setting Up PostgreSQL for ACA-Py

1. Install PostgreSQL and create a database for ACA-Py.

2. Configure ACA-Py to use PostgreSQL, add the following to ./configs/settings.yml:

3. Start ACA-Py with PostgreSQL-backed wallet storage.

Build the Agent and deploy

1. Example Dockerfile:

2. Build the ACA-Py Agent docker image with the plugin.

3. Deploy the agent. Sample docker-compose is below.

4. Where all the plugin settings are populated in

Next steps

Now that your ACA-Py agent is successfully set up to work with cheqd, try following our tutorials for creating a new DID or issuing Verifiable Credentials.