FAQ

Is OLPN a blockchain?

No. OLPN has no ledger, no consensus, and no cryptographic signatures. It is a document-format protocol on top of HTTPS. Trust is grounded in domain control, not in a distributed ledger.

Is OLPN a Verifiable Credentials (VC) implementation?

No. W3C Verifiable Credentials are cryptographically signed and designed for offline verification. OLPN credentials are unsigned documents verified by fetching two URLs and comparing the content. The design goals are different: VC optimizes for portability of a signed artifact; OLPN optimizes for "implement the spec in an afternoon with files on a web server."

A protocol that bridges the two is possible and would be a natural place to build. It's not part of OLPN today.

Does OLPN replace LinkedIn?

Not directly. LinkedIn is a closed platform with a centralized directory, a feed, and a messaging system. OLPN is a protocol for a specific piece of what LinkedIn does: letting someone show a verifiable professional record at their own domain. Hosts like publish.law build LinkedIn-adjacent experiences on top of OLPN, but the protocol itself is narrower and more interoperable.

Who runs the resolver?

The reference resolver is at olpn.org. Anyone can run their own. A resolver has no special authority; it only fetches public documents and applies the back-link rules. Running your own is the right move if you don't trust the hosted one, need higher throughput, or want to layer additional policy (custom display, rate limiting, archiving).

How do I change my domain?

Your network ID is tied to your domain. Changing domains means changing your network ID. Steps:

1. Publish your olpn.json at the new domain.
2. 301 or 308 redirect https://{old-domain}/olpn.json to the new URL for as long as you can keep the old domain.
3. Contact every issuer that has issued you a credential and ask them to update olpn_entity_id in your credential documents to the new network ID.
4. Contact any property owners that have listed you in ownership[] and ask them to update.

There is no automatic migration. This is deliberate: the domain is the identity.

What happens if I lose my domain?

Whoever controls the domain controls the identity. If your domain lapses and someone else registers it, they can publish a different olpn.json and the resolver will verify theirs against any issuers that still have your old back-link. Renew your domains.

Can I issue credentials to someone without their permission?

Technically, yes. You can publish any credential document you want. The credential won't verify until the subject lists the credential ID in their own olpn.json, so an "unsolicited" credential has no public effect.

The question of whether you should (attributing someone to your firm without their consent, for example) is an editorial and legal one, not a protocol one.

Can I claim a credential I wasn't issued?

You can put anything in your credentials[] array. The claim won't verify unless the issuer has published a matching credential document with your network ID in olpn_entity_id. A resolver that sees a claimed-but-unverifiable credential will drop it from the verified list.

What licenses apply to the protocol?

The protocol documents and the reference resolver source are openly available. See Contribute for the exact license terms and the repository.

Where do I file a spec issue?

See Contribute. In short: the protocol is versioned, and breaking changes require a version bump. File issues against the canonical repo.