# decentralized-identifier

Source: https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/decentralized-identifier/
Last updated: 2026-08-29
License: content by Start with Identity. Cite the source URL.

---

A W3C standard identifier that a subject controls without a central registry, resolvable to a document with keys and endpoints. A building block of decentralized identity.

The point of a DID is that verification does not require calling the party that issued the identifier, which removes both a dependency and a surveillance channel. In practice the method matters more than the concept: did:web resolves through ordinary DNS and TLS and is easy to deploy but inherits domain control as its trust root, while ledger-anchored methods gain independence at the cost of operational weight. Most enterprise pilots start with did:web.

See also: [decentralized identifiers standard](https://startwithidentity.com/standards/decentralized-identifiers-did/), [DID method](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/did-method/), [verifiable credential](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/verifiable-credential/), [what is decentralized identity](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-decentralized-identity/)