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XID Learning Path

This document outlines a streamlined approach to teaching XIDs (eXtensible IDentifiers) through a combination of conceptual documentation and hands-on tutorials.

Core Principles

  1. Focus on XIDs as the Primary Subject

    • Introduce Gordian Envelope and DCBOR only as needed
    • Keep technical explanations minimal and directly relevant

  2. Learn by Doing

    • Each tutorial is primarily hands-on
    • Concepts are introduced through practical examples
    • Users should be typing commands and seeing results immediately

  3. Progressive Complexity

    • Start with the absolute minimum (creating a basic XID)
    • Each tutorial builds on skills from previous ones
    • Advanced features are introduced only after basics are mastered

  4. Narrative Continuity

    • Use consistent examples and characters throughout
    • Build a story that naturally introduces features when needed
    • Avoid abstract explanations disconnected from practical usage

  5. Testable Steps

    • Every command should work in an actual CLI environment
    • Each tutorial has validation steps to confirm success
    • Commands should be designed to be copy-paste friendly

Learning Components

Conceptual Documentation

The concepts guide explains the theoretical foundations. Read concepts before tutorials if you prefer understanding "why" before "how," or reference them as needed during hands-on work.

Hands-on Tutorials

The tutorials provide practical, step-by-step instructions for working with XIDs:

  1. Creating Your First XID - Generate and verify a basic XID
  2. Understanding XID Structure - Examine XID components and add assertions
  3. Self-Attestation with XIDs - Make verifiable claims about yourself
  4. Peer Endorsement with XIDs - Create and accept third-party endorsements
  5. Key Management with XIDs - Rotate keys while maintaining identity

Recommended Learning Approach

For the most effective learning experience:

  1. Concept First: Read the relevant concept document
  2. Hands-on Practice: Complete the related tutorial
  3. Reflection: Review the concept again with your new practical understanding
  4. Experimentation: Try the exercises at the end of each tutorial

Concept-Tutorial Mapping

Concept Related Tutorial
XID Tutorial 1: Creating Your First XID
Gordian Envelope Tutorial 1 & 2
Data Minimization Tutorial 2: Understanding XID Structure
Elision Cryptography Tutorial 2: Understanding XID Structure
Fair Witness Tutorial 3 & 4: Self-Attestation and Peer Endorsement
Attestation & Endorsement Model Tutorial 3 & 4: Self-Attestation and Peer Endorsement
Progressive Trust Tutorial 4: Peer Endorsement
Pseudonymous Trust Building Tutorial 3 & 4: Self-Attestation and Peer Endorsement
Public Participation Profiles Tutorial 3 & 4: Self-Attestation and Peer Endorsement
Key Management Tutorial 5: Key Management with XIDs

Learning Outcomes

By completing this learning path, developers will be able to:

  1. Create and manage XIDs for various identity purposes
  2. Implement secure authentication using XIDs
  3. Enable private, selectively disclosed identity information
  4. Build applications that leverage XID capabilities
  5. Design systems with strong identity and authentication
  6. Understand the relationship between XIDs and wider trust frameworks

Tutorial Structure

1. XID Essentials

Tutorial: Creating Your First XID

  • Installing the envelope CLI
  • Creating a simple XID with a name
  • Examining its structure
  • Extracting the identifier
  • Saving and loading an XID document

Tutorial: Understanding XID Structure

  • The relationship between keys and XIDs
  • Examining the parts of an XID
  • How XIDs maintain stable identity
  • Adding basic assertions to an XID

2. XID Identity Management

Tutorial: Self-Attestation with XIDs

  • Creating structured self-claims with proper context
  • Adding verifiable evidence to self-attestations
  • Building cryptographic commitments to evidence
  • Applying fair witness principles to self-claims
  • Linking to independently verifiable external sources

Tutorial: Peer Endorsement with XIDs

  • Creating structured endorsements of others
  • Evaluating and accepting endorsements from peers
  • Building a network of multiple perspectives
  • Implementing a formal endorsement acceptance model
  • Creating verifiable chains of trust through signatures

Tutorial: Key Management with XIDs

  • Adding and removing keys while maintaining identity
  • Setting permission boundaries for different keys
  • Implementing secure key rotation
  • Recovering from lost or compromised keys
  • Understanding how XIDs provide stable identity across key changes

Implementation Notes

  • Each tutorial should be completely self-contained
  • All code snippets must be tested in a real CLI environment
  • Examples should build on each other, not introduce disconnected concepts
  • Keep prerequisite knowledge minimal
  • Provide clear success criteria for each tutorial step
  • Focus on practical developer use cases, not theoretical explanations