Our goal at Indicio is to make it as easy as possible to get started using verifiable credentials. One of the ways we do that is by providing superlative network services. Here we explain the what and the why of the Indicio Networks — and why it’s the best network to both start developing on and host your mission-critical solution.
By Lynn Bendixsen and James Schulte
Learn more from James and Lynn live March 8 2023 – Finding the best network for you
A decentralized network is a layer of cryptographic trust and a source of truth. You will always be able to know who wrote to the distributed ledger, who issued a credential, and that the information in the credential has not been tampered with — and you will be able to know this through cryptography and metadata only.
No personal data is written to a distributed network. The end user holds and has full control over their data, including who they share it with and how it is shared. Decentralized networks remove the need for personal data to be stored in siloed databases. In doing this, they provide a simple way to comply with data privacy law and remove the risk from data being stored in third-party databases.
Indicio has three publicly available networks for verifiable credential solutions, the TestNet, DemoNet, and MainNet, and can also provide private networks for internal testing or development. All networks are professionally staffed and cater to different use cases. In a nutshell:
The TestNet: As the name implies, the TestNet is an environment for testing. This is where the innovation happens, where projects can be incubated before they are ready to demo and become publicly available. The TestNet is reset on a quarterly basis and can be reset at short notice if something breaks, so it’s not a place to build and store long-term projects.
The great thing about the Indicio TestNet is that it is free to use; there is no limit on the number of ledger transactions. Why? Because Indicio believes that verifiable credential technology will drive the kind of digital transformation that will benefit everyone, and that it will do so faster if the entry point to developing solutions is as low as possible. It doesn’t get lower than free.
The DemoNet: Once you’ve tested your product to the point where you are ready for that all-important demonstration to internal stakeholders or customers, you move it to the DemoNet. This is a more robust and stable network than the TestNet — think of it as a stepping stone between the TestNet and the MainNet. The DemoNet is subject to an annual reset and it will be reset if something breaks, but the likelihood of resets is much lower than the TestNet The great thing about the DemoNet? It’s also free to use.
The MainNet: Once you’ve successfully demonstrated your solution, it’s time to release it to the world on the Indicio MainNet. This is a full-production network that delivers 100 percent uptime for enterprise-grade or mission-critical solutions. It’s not reset, meaning that it’s a stable, long-term home for your product or service. It also has a really simple, cost-effective pricing structure: all you can write to the ledger for a flat fee of $5,000 per year. The great thing about this besides the low cost is the simplicity: There is no risk of you accidentally running up massive fees through complex pricing structures that kick in over a certain threshold.
A Private Network (TempNet): Different use cases need different kinds of networks, and with a private network, only the people you designate will have access. Whether you’re interested in running temporarily for load testing, private tests of any kind, or using a private network long term as your own personal production network, we can build a private network to meet your needs. Rates vary depending on specifications.
Why innovators choose the Indicio Network
Indicio customers are building products and services for exchanging and verifying high value data in ways that seemed impossible only a few years ago — which is why they are making use of these extensive features. Immediately verifiable data is the new infrastructure for digital interaction and will fuel a wave of digital transformation.
The Indicio Networks currently supports a wide range of verifiable credential and decentralized identity solutions and use cases, including proving age, education, employment, health status, and travel documentation. One notable example of what decentralized identity technology can do comes from Bullet ID, which is using verifiable credentials to track ammunition, allowing law enforcement to take a bullet from a crime scene and trace its point of origin back through the supply chain to whoever purchased it.
When getting started with decentralized identity technology, take your time to consider the network you build on. This will be the backbone of your solution. Knowing that the network will be stable and that there is someone on call to fix a problem will save you a headache or several down the road. Indicio is dedicated to our customer’s success and offers several support packages that range from complimentary help for developers with responses within 24 hours to business critical responses in a matter of minutes.
If you want to learn more about how to get started on the Indicio Networks, contact us here.
If you want to keep up to date with this exciting and growing technology we highly encourage you to subscribe to the Indicio Newsletter or Identity Insights on YouTube, where we bring you the latest from this rapidly expanding space.
