The decentralised identity ecosystem continues to evolve as standards mature and the industry converges on production-ready solutions. The recent transition of did:dht to community ownership marks an important moment in this evolution.
The did:dht method was an experimental approach to creating decentralised identifiers without blockchains or centralised infrastructure. Developed by TBD (Block's decentralised identity division) as part of their Web5 initiative, it used the BitTorrent Distributed Hash Table (DHT) to resolve DID Documents.
The vision was to enable lightweight, permissionless identity resolution through peer-to-peer networking using proven BitTorrent protocols. This offered an alternative to both blockchain-based DIDs and centralised approaches like did:web.
In late 2024, Block transferred did:dht and other Web5 components to the Decentralized Identity Foundation (DIF), positioning this as a move toward open governance and community stewardship. This transfer marked the end of TBD's role as primary maintainer.
Since joining DIF, the project has entered a period of transition as the community determines its future direction. The repository now resides under the DIF organisation, awaiting new governance structures and development priorities.
As part of our regular platform optimisation, Vidos has updated our Universal Resolver to focus on DID methods with active enterprise adoption and clear regulatory alignment. This includes continued robust support for methods like did:web, did:ion, did:ebsi, and did:key that align with frameworks such as eIDAS 2.0 and EBSI requirements.
We remain committed to supporting the broadest range of production-ready DID methods that meet enterprise security, compliance, and performance requirements.
The decentralised identity space benefits from experimentation and diverse approaches. As the ecosystem matures, we're seeing natural consolidation around methods that balance innovation with practical enterprise requirements.
For organisations implementing decentralised identity today, the focus should be on selecting DID methods with strong ecosystem support, active development, and alignment with emerging regulatory standards.
Need help navigating DID methods for your enterprise identity strategy?
Contact us to discuss how Vidos can support your digital identity verification needs.
