What are identity proofs?

Identity proofs let you cryptographically verify that you control specific resources—websites, domains, or accounts—and bind them to your AnchorID.

Once verified, these proofs are added to your canonical identity record and published in your resolver's sameAs field, creating a web of verified connections.

Why use proofs?

Reduce impersonation risk
Strengthen search and AI attribution
Provide machine-readable ownership signals
Build a verifiable web of identity across platforms

How proofs work

Claim a resource (website, domain, GitHub profile)
Publish proof at a specific location (TXT record, .well-known file, README)
Verify the claim through AnchorID
Verified resources appear in your canonical identity resolver

All verified proofs are publicly viewable at:

https://anchorid.net/claims/<UUID>

Available proof types

Website Proof Strong Signal

Prove you control a website by publishing a proof file at /.well-known/anchorid.txt

Good for:

Personal websites and blogs
Company websites
Project homepages

Proof location:

https://example.com/.well-known/anchorid.txt

File contents:

https://anchorid.net/resolve/<your-uuid>

View detailed guide →

DNS Proof (Domain Control) Strong Signal

Prove you control a domain by publishing a DNS TXT record.

Good for:

Organizations with domain control
Software projects tied to domains
Personal domains
Strongest signal when paired with website proof

DNS record:

Name:  _anchorid
Type:  TXT
Value: anchorid=urn:uuid:<your-uuid>

Example:

_anchorid.example.com  TXT  "anchorid=urn:uuid:4ff7ed97-..."

View detailed guide →

GitHub Proof Good Signal

Prove you control a GitHub account by adding your AnchorID to your profile README.

Good for:

Developers and open source contributors
Code attribution
Technical identity verification

Proof location:

https://github.com/username/username/README.md

Add to README:

Canonical identity: https://anchorid.net/resolve/<your-uuid>

View detailed guide →

Public Profile Proof Good Signal

Verify control of any public profile page by adding your AnchorID to your bio/description.

Works with any public HTTPS profile:

Social media (Mastodon, Fediverse, Bluesky, Medium)
Forums and community platforms
Professional networks (LinkedIn, etc.)
Personal sites with public bios

Special support for:

Fediverse handles: @user@instance.social

Add to your bio:

https://anchorid.net/resolve/<your-uuid>

View detailed guide →

Proof strength comparison

Proof Type	Signal Strength	Best For
DNS + Website	Strongest	Organizations, official projects
DNS only	Strong	Domain owners
Website only	Strong	Personal sites, blogs
GitHub	Good	Developers, technical work
Public Profile	Good	Any public profile page, social media, forums

Creating and verifying proofs

Via Web Interface (Recommended)

Go to /login and authenticate with your email or backup token
Scroll to the "Identity Claims" section on your edit page
Click "Add New Claim" and select the proof type (Website, GitHub, or DNS)
Enter the URL or domain name
Publish the proof at the required location (TXT record, .well-known file, or README)
Click "Verify" next to your claim to trigger verification

The web interface provides real-time feedback and displays the current status of all your claims.

Via API

Developers can manage proofs programmatically using your session token:

# Create a claim
POST https://anchorid.net/claim
Authorization: Bearer <your-session-token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "uuid": "<your-uuid>",
  "type": "dns",
  "url": "example.com"
}

# Verify a claim
POST https://anchorid.net/claim/verify
Authorization: Bearer <your-session-token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "uuid": "<your-uuid>",
  "claimId": "dns:_anchorid.example.com"
}

Your session token is the same token from your magic link. It's valid for the duration of your editing session.

Viewing your verified proofs

All verified proofs are publicly visible at your claims page:

https://anchorid.net/claims/<UUID>

Verified resources also appear in your resolver's sameAs field:

https://anchorid.net/resolve/<UUID>

Security and verification

Important:

Proofs demonstrate control, not legal identity
DNS and website proofs are stronger than social account proofs
Combine multiple proof types for strongest signal
Proofs can be re-verified at any time

Questions?

See the FAQ for common questions or consult the detailed proof guides linked above.