# issuer-holder-verifier

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

---

The three roles in every decentralized identity exchange, often called the trust triangle. The issuer signs and grants a credential, the holder stores it in a wallet and controls presentation, and the verifier checks the signature and status without contacting the issuer in real time.

The triangle is what makes decentralized identity different from federation: the verifier checks a signature rather than calling the issuer, so the issuer does not learn where the credential is used. That removes a surveillance channel and a runtime dependency, and it moves two hard problems onto the verifier: deciding which issuers to trust, and checking revocation without reintroducing the phone-home the model was meant to remove.

See also: [verifiable credential](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/verifiable-credential/), [trust registry](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/trust-registry/), [revocation registry](https://startwithidentity.com/glossary/revocation-registry/), [what is decentralized identity](https://startwithidentity.com/guides/fundamentals/what-is-decentralized-identity/)