What is Attestation? Why is it considered a key infrastructure for real-world use cases in Web3?

The term "Attestation" is gradually appearing in the technical documentation or marketing materials of some Web3 projects. What does it mean? How does it differ from the concept of "Verification"? The ChainFeeds team introduces the impact of this concept on the industry in their newsletter here.

This article is compiled and translated. For any doubts, please refer to the original text.

Attestation

In real life, most things cannot be attested by just anyone

The blockchain industry emphasizes verification, as verified information is considered correct and true. For example, data availability ensures that transaction data can be verified at any time, and verifying ownership of NFTs, etc. Verification is based on a definitive method and can be repeatedly verified.

However, many scenarios require subjective attestation rather than verification. Attestation is more akin to "witnessing," "testimony," or "statement." An Attestor is subjectively accredited, and others cannot verify its accuracy through other means. For example, verifying the validity of a passport, verifying that an email address belongs to oneself, or proving one's educational background, etc.

According to Cornell Law School's dictionary, Attestation is similar to testimony: typically, when signing a contract, making a will, or signing other written documents, there needs to be a witness present, and the witness must also sign to attest to the authenticity of the content and signatures of the parties involved. This process can be summarized as "witnessing."

Attestation on-chain standards are a blockchain necessity

Understanding these differences helps to comprehend why many projects explain Attestation as a core concept. It is not about solving a technical or algorithmic problem but about solving a social consensus issue - how to integrate existing certifiers with Web3 infrastructure and features, and bring certification into Web3?

How can these events that can be witnessed and declared be defined according to a certain standard, store this data on the blockchain or implement more combinable logic through smart contracts? To better meet real needs?

As the demand for integrating off-chain information with the blockchain increases, the importance of certification mechanisms and related infrastructure also grows.

Web3 Projects Related to Attestation

Attestation is not a new concept, especially if you understand Ethereum's PoS consensus, where some steps are referred to as Attestation.

Although the concept of Attestation is still in its early stages of development, some projects have attracted widespread market attention. Teams like EAS, Smart Layer, EthSign, Verax, and PADO Labs emphasize their protocol layers and concepts related to Attestation.

These examples can provide a clearer understanding of the applications and use cases of "certification."

Ethereum

In the Ethereum consensus process, Attestation refers to validators' acknowledgment of the final state of the current block, similar to voting. If a validator is judged by other validators to have engaged in malicious behavior Surround Vote, been inactive, or disconnected during this process, they will be penalized by the consensus algorithm Slashing / Inactivity Leak.

From this, it can be understood that validators' participation in Ethereum network consensus through Attestation involves some subjectivity.

Ethereum Attestation Service EAS: General Certification

EAS is an open-source infrastructure project for providing proofs on-chain or off-chain. Using structured information digital signatures as a means to verify facts, prove authenticity, and establish trust in various online and on-chain interactions.

EAS operates through two smart contracts:

• Schema Registry Contract, used to register proof patterns: Its main function is to allow users to register proof templates, define the structure and format of proof data. Users first define a pattern, which is then submitted to the pattern registration contract for registration. Once the pattern is registered, the contract assigns a unique identifier (UID) to that pattern for future reference in proofs.
• Attestation Contract, used for proof submission and management: Users fill in specific content based on a previously registered template's defined format and digitally sign it on-chain or off-chain. This signed data along with the pattern's UID is submitted to the proof contract. The contract verifies the signature and UID. If the verification passes, the proof is recorded on the blockchain, and anyone can verify its authenticity.

If the status of a proof needs to change, it can be revoked. Revocation does not edit the proof itself but makes it no longer considered valid.

Proofs can be done on-chain or off-chain, with on-chain proofs stored directly on the Ethereum blockchain for immutable security. Off-chain proofs are stored outside the blockchain, usually on decentralized storage solutions like IPFS, for sharing on demand.

Smart Layer: Identity Verification

Smart Layer is a programmable blockchain service layer that allows existing tokens and smart contracts to have more executable logic without changing the contracts, referring to such tokens as smart tokens.

Recommended Read: What is Smart Layer? How to integrate Web3 with real-life scenarios?
Recommended for: An article introducing the principles and vision of Smart Layer, providing a more concrete understanding of how tokens can have more execution logic and use cases without changing contracts.

Smart Layer creates Executable Tokens based on TokenScript technology. Executable Tokens are NFTs or tokens with built-in executable code, enabling them to perform various functions beyond being static digital assets.

Smart Layer and the Devcon team collaborated to develop ticket proofs, offering NFT ticket certification to 20,000 developers attending Devcon 6 in Bogotá, EFDevconnect in Amsterdam, and EDCON 2023 events. Those with these event tickets can generate proof via the same email address to obtain a special pass called Smart Pass.

EthSign: Contract Signing Certification

EthSign is a blockchain-based signing protocol allowing users to sign documents, encrypt, and permanently store them in a decentralized, secure, and verifiable environment.

Signing with a private key is the best way to authenticate in the Web3 world.

EthSign allows users from different blockchain systems to sign files using their encryption keys. This means Bitcoin users can collaborate with Ethereum users and users from other blockchain ecosystems for tasks like contract signing.

EthSign uses the Arweave blockchain to permanently store signed certification data, with no cost to the users.

Verax: Developer Tools

Verax is a shared registry of on-chain proofs, providing a centralized place to store on-chain proofs and offering developers a universal, scalable tool to manage and utilize on-chain proofs. These proofs can confirm an entity's identity, rights to own digital assets, trust in a wallet, etc. They can be used to construct digital identities, trust systems, reputation protocols, etc.

Verax aims to enhance the composability of proofs, assisting developers in issuing Attestation compatible with other standards. Similar to a pipeline allowing different projects to store and retrieve on-chain proofs, other protocols, Dapps, or users can easily use and combine these proofs without worrying about compatibility between different standards.

PADO Labs: Privacy Protection for Proof Mechanisms

PADO is a cryptography-based infrastructure designed to allow users to prove their off-chain data in a truthful and privacy-protecting manner. For instance, proving oneself as a seasoned player in a Web2 game to GameFi protocols without revealing detailed personal information.

What sets PADO apart is its use of advanced cryptography techniques, including MPC-TLS and IZK, allowing provers to "blindly" prove data. This means that the prover cannot see the original data, including public and private user information, yet can still ensure the data's source is authenticated through cryptographic methods.

Attestation: An Important Infrastructure for Web3 Development

Whether it's RWA or any off-chain related applications, they will inevitably face a series of issues such as transparency audits, legal compliance, and regulation.

In this context, Attestation plays a significant role in promoting the widespread adoption of Web3. Attestation can provide verification of the relationship between on-chain and off-chain assets, enhance transparency, and provide confidence to investors and participants.

Attestation not only meets compliance review and regulatory requirements but also helps build trust links between Web2 and Web3.