1. Platform Overview
EduCreds is a full-stack digital credential management platform enabling African higher education institutions to issue, manage, share, and verify academic credentials using W3C Verifiable Credential standards, decentralised identifiers (DIDs), and blockchain-anchored trust infrastructure. The platform connects three stakeholder groups — institutions (issuers), students (credential holders), and employers or verifying organisations (verifiers) — through a single, interoperable credential ecosystem. Built on seven Azure Container Apps microservices and deployed on Microsoft Azure, EduCreds provides an enterprise-grade, cloud-native credential operating system for Africa's education sector.
7
Microservices — All Deployed
3
Deployment Tiers (Workspace / Cloud / Enterprise)
2. Platform Workspaces
The EduCreds platform is structured around six purpose-built workspaces, each serving a distinct user role within the credential lifecycle.
| Workspace | Primary User | Core Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Institution Admin | University Registrar, IT Administrator | Manage institution profile, configure credential templates, bulk-issue credentials, manage student records, view audit logs |
| Credential Issuer | Academic Registry Officer | Issue individual or batch W3C VCs, sign with institution DID, anchor credential hash on-chain, manage issuance workflows |
| Student Wallet | Student / Graduate | Receive credentials to OID4VC-compatible wallet, share credentials with employers, view credential status, manage privacy settings via SD-JWT selective disclosure |
| Verifier Portal | Employer, HR Platform, Background Screener | Verify credentials via QR code or API, access EVF verification report, view PoIC Trust Score for issuing institution, query revocation status |
| Trust Governance | Platform Administrator, Governance Council | Manage institutional credibility registry, configure PoIC scoring parameters, manage DID registry, set revocation policies |
| API Console | Developer, Integration Partner | Access full REST API, generate API keys, view usage analytics, configure webhook integrations, test credential flows in sandbox |
3. Deployment Tiers
EduCreds offers three deployment configurations to match institutional size, budget, and technical capability.
| Tier | Name | Deployment Model | SIS Integration | Target Institution | Annual Price Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | Enterprise | On-premise or dedicated cloud (private Azure tenant) | Full Connector Agent — bidirectional SIS sync, custom schema | National universities, large private universities, government ministries | $8,400 – $15,000/yr (+ $50,000/yr verification) |
| Tier 2 | Cloud Connector | Managed cloud with dedicated connector instance | Connector Agent — standard SIS adapters (CSV, REST, SFTP) | Mid-size universities and colleges | $3,600 – $8,400/yr (+ $12,000/yr verification) |
| Tier 3 | Workspace | Managed cloud, shared infrastructure | Manual CSV upload or basic API import | Small colleges, TVET institutions, community colleges | $1,200 – $3,600/yr (+ $2,500/yr verification) |
4. Core Technology Stack
| Technology | Role in Platform | Standard Body |
|---|---|---|
| W3C Verifiable Credentials (VC) | Credential data model and cryptographic proof format for all issued credentials | W3C |
| Decentralised Identifiers (DID) — did:educreds | Unique, resolvable identifiers for institutions and credential subjects; EduCreds maintains its own DID method | W3C |
| EduCreds Verification Framework (EVF) | Independent 5-collector evidence framework for multi-source credential verification beyond cryptographic validity | EduCreds proprietary |
| Proof of Institutional Credibility (PoIC) | AI-powered Trust Agent scoring engine assessing issuing institution credibility across multiple dimensions | EduCreds proprietary |
| OID4VC (OpenID for Verifiable Credentials) | Wallet interoperability protocol enabling students to receive credentials in any OID4VC-compatible wallet | OpenID Foundation |
| SD-JWT (Selective Disclosure JWT) | Privacy-preserving credential sharing enabling students to disclose only required credential fields | IETF |
| EVM Smart Contracts (ERC-721) | On-chain anchoring of credential hashes, IIN identifiers, revocation status, and IPFS URIs | Ethereum Foundation |
5. Build Status (Factual as of August 2026)
Transparency Note: EduCreds has built a complete enterprise platform stack. The company is pre-revenue and currently completing production hardening before paid commercial deployment. All components listed below are built and functional.
| Component | Technology | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backend API | NestJS, Azure Container Apps | ✅ Built | Core platform REST API, deployed on Azure centralus |
| Frontend Dashboard | React + Vite | ✅ Built | Institution admin, issuer, verifier workspaces |
| Trust Agent (PoIC) | AI/NestJS | ✅ Built | Institutional credibility scoring, risk analysis |
| EduCreds Verification Framework (EVF) | NestJS | ✅ Built | 5-collector independent verification framework |
| Connector Agent | NestJS | ✅ Built | Institution-side SIS connector (Tier 1/2) |
| SD-JWT Adapter | NestJS | ✅ Built | Selective disclosure for privacy-preserving credential sharing |
| OID4VC Adapter | NestJS | ✅ Built | Wallet interoperability — issue credentials to any OID4VC wallet |
| Verifier Agent | NestJS | ✅ Built | Employer-side verification portal and API |
| EVM Smart Contracts | Solidity (ERC-721) | ✅ Built | IIN, Credential Issuer, PoIC Registry — deployed on testnet |
| First Working Prototype | Full stack | ✅ August 2025 | End-to-end credential issuance and verification demonstrated |
| Production Deployment | Azure Container Apps | ⏳ In Progress | Security hardening, load testing, and pilot institution onboarding pending Tranche 1 funding |
| Smart Contracts (Mainnet) | EVM | ⏳ Pending | Mainnet deployment pending production readiness and legal incorporation |
6. Key Differentiators
- Africa-first architecture: The only digital credential platform designed from the ground up for African institutional infrastructure, SIS diversity, and mobile-first access patterns. No credential that cannot be verified on a smartphone.
- PoIC Trust Agent: A proprietary AI-powered institutional credibility scoring engine that supplements cryptographic validity with real-world institutional trust signals — a capability unique to EduCreds with no equivalent in competing platforms.
- Full W3C/OID4VC standards compliance: Credentials issued on EduCreds are verifiable by any W3C-compatible verifier globally — EU Digital Wallet, Microsoft Entra ID, LinkedIn, or any future standards-compliant system — without EduCreds infrastructure dependency.
- Complete stack — no integration gaps: Issuance, wallet delivery, verification, revocation, governance, and blockchain anchoring in one platform. Institutions need one vendor, one contract, one integration.
- Selective disclosure (SD-JWT): Students control what credential data they share with each verifier — degree type without grades, graduation year without full academic record. This is a privacy capability that enterprise-grade HR platforms increasingly require and that none of the African-facing solutions provide.