Blockchain and Identity is a free, open-source project for developers and researchers who want to understand or build decentralized identity systems. Rather than one polished application, it gathers curated resources, research papers and reference ideas that connect blockchains with self-sovereign identity, a model where people control their own credentials instead of relying on a central provider. The project is released under the MIT license.
Before you start, note that the source repository was last updated on March 3, 2024. That is more than two years old as of 2026, so some links, papers and code may have gone stale. The project remains useful as a map of the field, but treat it as a reference rather than a maintained tool, and check its activity on GitHub before relying on any component.
What Is Self-Sovereign Identity and Why It Matters
Most online identity today is issued and controlled by companies. A social network, bank or email provider creates your account, stores your data and decides when you can sign in. Self-sovereign identity, often shortened to SSI, proposes a different arrangement in which you hold your own credentials and decide when to share them.
The idea matters because it changes who has to be trusted. Instead of trusting a single database, a verifier can check a cryptographic proof that a credential was issued and has not been tampered with. Decentralized identifiers, or DIDs, are one common building block for this approach, giving a person or organization a stable identifier that does not depend on any one platform.
For readers new to the field, the main value of this project is context. It shows how naming, login and key management have been approached across several blockchain communities, and why each design makes different trade-offs between privacy, convenience and control.
Who Blockchain and Identity Is For
The project is most useful to people who need a structured overview of decentralized identity research rather than a finished tool. A software architect comparing login options for a new product might use it to see how Namecoin-based naming differs from a DPKI proposal. A university team designing a credential system could read the ChainAnchor and CertCoin papers to frame its requirements.
Students and independent researchers form another group. The curated lists and weekly news references give a reading path through an area that changes quickly, and the MIT license allows anyone to study the code closely. Privacy-minded developers may also find the architectural papers useful for thinking about what should stay off a public ledger.
The project is less suited to people who want a supported application with a guided setup. Its last code update was in March 2024, so anyone building on it should plan to test carefully and update dependencies on their own schedule.
How Blockchain Names and Keys Connect to Login
Many designs in this area start from a simple problem: a name is easy to remember, but a public key is what software can actually verify. Several projects here try to bridge the two. A blockchain can record which public key belongs to a name, so anyone can look up that mapping without asking a central registrar.
NameID illustrates one path, connecting Namecoin identifiers to OpenID, a standard many websites already understand. CertCoin takes a similar idea further, proposing a public ledger of domains and keys that could support authentication. XDI.org and BitAlias explore the same mapping problem from different angles, with registries for names and payment addresses.
The trade-off is always governance and recovery. Someone must decide who can change a record, and users must be able to recover access if they lose a key. Reading these projects side by side is a good way to see how each one answers those questions.
Key features
Curated identity resource lists
Weekly identity news roundup
Namecoin foundations
NameID OpenID service
CertCoin authentication research
ChainAnchor architecture
Decentralized public key infrastructure proposal
XDI.org naming registry
uPort and ID.ee
BitAlias name registration
Supported coins
The project material references several networks and assets: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Stellar (XLM), Zcash (ZEC), Algorand, ERC-20 tokens, DigiByte and Namecoin. It also mentions the Ledger and Foundation Passport hardware wallets. These appear as examples of the ecosystem the project draws on, not as a list of features you can switch on inside the program, so check each network's own documentation before connecting real funds.
How to install Blockchain and Identity on Windows
- 1
Open the official repository
Go to the source code page at github.com/peacekeeper/blockchain-identity. Download only from the official website or the project's GitHub page. Avoid mirrors, forum uploads and file-sharing sites that offer a packaged copy.
- 2
Check for a release package
Look for a Releases section on the repository. If a packaged build is offered, use that instead of a copy from elsewhere. If no packaged files are available, you will work directly from the source code and follow the project's own build notes.
- 3
Verify the file before running it
Compare the SHA-256 checksum published with the release against the file on your disk. In PowerShell, the Get-FileHash command shows the value. If the project provides a signature, verify it as well. Do not run any file whose checksum does not match.
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Install or set up the project
Follow the README in the repository for installation. The project material mentions Windows among its platforms, but compatibility is not clearly confirmed. Test in a separate folder or a virtual machine first, so your main system stays untouched.
How to use Blockchain and Identity
Blockchain and Identity works best as a reading and research guide rather than a daily tool. The steps below show a practical way to get value from it.
- Start with the Decentralized-ID.com lists to find projects grouped by topic.
- Read recent issues of the Identosphere Weekly Identity Highlights to see what has changed in SSI and DID.
- Study the Namecoin material and the NameID documentation to understand how blockchain names can serve as login identifiers.
- Open the CertCoin and ChainAnchor papers side by side and note how each handles public keys and personal data.
- Compare the DPKI proposal with the XDI.org registry to see two different answers to the same registry problem.
- If you want to experiment, clone the repository into a separate folder, read the README, and test only on a test network.
- Keep a list of the links you used and recheck them, since many pages and projects may have moved since 2024.
Pros & cons
- Free and released under the MIT license
- Open source code that can be read, forked and studied
- Curated lists cover a broad range of self-sovereign identity topics
- Research papers explain architectures in detail
- Connects blockchain names, OpenID and decentralized key systems in one place
- Useful reading path for newcomers to the field
- Last code update was on March 3, 2024, more than two years before this page
- Windows support is unverified; the project only mentions Windows in its documentation
- Not a conventional desktop application with a guided setup
- Many items are papers and links that may be outdated
- Getting real value from it requires technical reading
Is Blockchain and Identity safe?
Blockchain and Identity is open source, but its code was last updated on March 3, 2024, so treat it as a snapshot rather than a supported release. Download only from the official GitHub repository or its Releases page, never from a mirror. Verify the SHA-256 checksum or signature before running anything, and review the code if you plan to use it with real credentials. Identity systems handle sensitive data, and a security flaw was reported in an Estonian blockchain ID system, which is a reminder to scrutinize designs carefully. Never enter a seed phrase on a third-party website. If you use a hardware wallet such as Ledger, keep your recovery phrase offline. Check the latest version on the official website before you start.
- Official source only. Download from github.com/peacekeeper/blockchain-identity. Ignore ads and lookalike domains.
- Check the SHA-256. Compare the installer hash with the value the developer publishes before running it.
- Never share your seed phrase. No developer, support agent or website — including CryptApps — will ever ask for it.
Alternatives
Blockchain and Identity differs from many entries in this catalog because it is a body of research and curated resources rather than a tool for building or running software. EthereumStudio is a standalone desktop IDE for writing code, AlgoKit is a command-line toolkit for Algorand projects, and Anchor is a framework for building Solana programs. Those tools produce working software. This project helps you decide which identity architecture to pursue and why, by mapping the designs, papers and standards around it. If you are writing an actual contract, pair the research with a development tool. If you are still choosing an approach, start here.
Specifications
- Price
- Free
- Type
- Open source
- License
- mit
- Latest version
- —
- Last update
- 3 Mar 2024
- Windows support
- Unverified (Windows mentioned in docs)
- Source code
- github.com/peacekeeper/blockchain-identity
Frequently asked questions
Yes. Blockchain and Identity is listed as free and released under the MIT license, which lets you read, copy, modify and redistribute the code as long as you keep the license notice. Free use does not mean active maintenance, and the last code update was on March 3, 2024.
It can be, if you take the standard precautions. Get files only from the official GitHub repository, verify the SHA-256 checksum or signature, and review what you run. Because the code is open source, it can be inspected, but its age means extra caution is sensible. The safety section covers the details.
The project documentation mentions Windows among its platforms, but Windows compatibility is not clearly confirmed. Test it in a separate folder or a virtual machine before relying on it, and check the repository for current notes on your setup.
Self-sovereign identity is an approach in which people hold and control their own digital credentials instead of depending on one provider to issue and store them. Decentralized identifiers, or DIDs, are a common building block. Many projects collected here explore how to prove who you are without giving a central company control.
The project material references Bitcoin, Ethereum, Stellar, Zcash, Algorand, ERC-20 tokens, DigiByte and Namecoin. These show the networks the field has explored. They are not a list of wallets you can use to hold those assets.
Namecoin is a blockchain designed from the start to register domain names, and it is the first fork of Bitcoin's software. Several identity designs in this project, including NameID and CertCoin, use Namecoin identifiers as a starting point for linking names to public keys.
Its last code update was on March 3, 2024, which is more than two years old as of 2026. The research papers and reference lists may still be valuable, but verify whether the code works with current tools before depending on it.
Verdict
Blockchain and Identity suits developers, students and researchers who want a structured map of decentralized identity research. It is free, MIT-licensed and rich in ideas, from Namecoin-based naming to DPKI proposals. It is less suited to anyone who wants a polished, actively supported application, given its last code update in March 2024 and unconfirmed Windows support. Read it for the concepts, verify anything you run, and treat it as a starting point rather than a finished product.