The W3C Credentials Community Group

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Verifiable Credentials API Telecon

Minutes for 2021-10-19

Mike Prorock is scribing.

Topic: Introductions

Danielle: I'm from LER, been working with T3 Innovation Network and others in education space - working on a playbook for digital credentialling, open skills network, interested in open standards, etc
Manu calls on Tobias for a re-intro.
Tobias Looker: From mattr - working in and around VCs and DIDs for a while

Topic: Related News From IIW

Manu Sporny: Call for an VC-API related news from IIW
<brian_richter> would like to point out the ccg calendar invite has not been updated with new jitsi link
Mprorock -- @brian - yes, noted that and will correct
Adrian Gropper: Many, 6+ session on KERI at IIW
<manu_sporny> Key Event Receipt Infrastructure (KERI)
... relevant because discussion of protocol impacts of security handling
... would like to see discussion of capabilities at an API level, etc
... will start a thread around overall security of protocols for issuance, verification, and other operations
Manu Sporny: Thread on CCG main related to KERI and attempt to bring in a preso broader on KERI and learnings that can be applied
Adrian Gropper: Highly interested in that topic, potential to avoid security issues and turn conversation to one of capabilities and availability rather than one of security
Dimitri: iiw activity relate to WACI-PEX which can be complimentary to VC-API efforts
<mahmoud> a comparison of both and where the edges are would be wonderful
<brian_richter> I am a bit
Manu Sporny: Can we identify overlaps with WACI-PEX, etc
<brian_richter> definitely Brent
Dimitri: definitely engage with orie
Mike Prorock: +1 Brent is solid on the topic
... main diff is that PEX focuses on async model vs VC-API which assumes request response
... everything else is at a data model level
Adrian Gropper: Overwhelming impression at IIW was that DIDCOMM was foundational to all SSI work
... is that a safe assumption, or should we think more broadly
Mike Prorock: One of the CCG Main calls, brought WACI/PeX folks in, if they continue down path they're on, large portions of VC API are 100% compatible w/ what's happening w/ possibly some DIDComm stuff in them mix, that would be an end goal. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Mike Prorock: There is a goal toward preferably converging w/ VC API vs. diverging, good attitude to take. We do probably do need to think broadly about DIDcomm and understand how that interrelates with the work we're doing here. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Manu Sporny: Moving on to main agenda

Topic: VC API Renaming Complete

<agropper> please send out updated calendar invites
Manu Sporny: Primary name changes are complete - no objections to name change in
Mike Prorock: +1

Topic: VC API Prioritization Kick-off

<manu_sporny> * Focus on scenarios/flows?
<eric_schuh> Orie and Mike have contributed a lot to the flows as well
Manu Sporny: Test driven approach can be very helpful in identifying gaps
... revocation, refresh, auth, all key topics that can be discussed
Mike Prorock: Doing a quick reconciliation between work that Joe and Eric have been doing on use case side to then do gap analysis on what we're missing almost has to be first priority. We know there are certain use cases that are reasonably documented. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Mike Prorock: Can we map them over to method calls? Seems highly important, otherwise we're wasting/deferring a lot of that work we've done. We could then line up tests that go along with that. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Joe Andrieu: Flows in use cases, starting with chapi flow, then moving onto supply chain flow, then back to chapi - main output of that work is a shared vocab
... gives us a common ground to move forward on
Tobias Looker: How does the end to end flow work
... all the sec mechanisms for those flows starting witha user getting to a web site, getting issued a credential, etc work
... making sure we have the right patterns identified
Manu Sporny: Flow work could be used as a shared basis for actual flow and shared vocab for discussion of those flows - talk through those and how they align or not with how people are building systems
... look at a flow and the details involved and make concrete identifications from real systems to match how those align to the API as defined
... and if there are gaps add those in
Mike Prorock: What I'd like to see wrt. implementer, I want to make sure we're covering real world use cases we're already interop'ing on... Like mesur.io, transmute, mavennet -- system to system flows, do want to make sure we don't lose sight of that, we do need to document that and get broader group feedback in. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
<mahmoud> last i checked the usecases had one that covered it
Mike Prorock: Want to make sure that's covered. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Adrian Gropper: Does zero trust architecture come into play as part of these flows and reviews
Manu Sporny: Likely zero trust will come up as a part of discussions
... so question is what do we focus on first
... could be machine to machine, as those are simple to start with, no browser in the mix, etc
... then other flows such as chapi could flow out from that
Tobias Looker: Have had discussion in the past regarding self service use cases where issuance can occur based on a sites existing trust in an individual
... and in one sense the VC-API can be viewed as a backend API
... and then there is a layer possibly on top of that that is more user centric
Joe Andrieu: Trying to move beyond that framing where issuer controls issuance, verifier verification, etc, introduction of holder does bring user involved (in some capacity)
... for each wired connection we should know auth involved
Manu Sporny: Newer diagrams break down each of the components involved, and getting everyone on the same page from a language standpoint gives us a starting point
... question for joe is that do we have enough together to get started and all take a look at this stuff?
Manu Sporny: Making sure Tobias and others have theri concerns such as OIDC are covered by aflow diagram discussion
Tobias Looker: OIDC learnings could potentially apply to VC-API work
Joe Andrieu: Close to ready
... can put a PR together for a proposal for an architecture update to the spec
... think though that artifacts are ready enough to get engagement
... need to make sure that everyone is on same page
Joe Andrieu: Will get PR by next tuesday
Manu Sporny: Group stating that we will take a look at those diagrams etc and review over next few weeks, then try and translate that to test suite, then match to make sure that API matches what is actually possible with API
Joe Andrieu: Once we get shared language, we can split test suite work with conversation that checks what auth applies on each leg of communication - this may be saying that auth is out of scope for certain operations
Manu Sporny: Any objections to this general path
Mike Prorock: It feels a little slow given certain operations have been described, have use cases, guidance regarding other PRs that fill in gaps? Over course of next several weeks... supply chain flow, some things that could be attacked pretty quickly there to cover hard gaps. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Mike Prorock: But I don't want to push the group and cause confusion/difficulty. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
Mahmoud: earlier idea around translating use case to methods and make those action items that can be tested against - does not see any reasons not to have parallel streams
Joe Andrieu: Should not hold back on PRs waiting for discussion, as PRs can clarify discussion and conversation on broader topics
... struggle is that diagrams came out of confusing language - use cases as published may share some of that confusing langugage
Manu Sporny: By all means submit PRs to API and test cases, but be aware that that may change quite a bit
Eric Schuh: Status update for use case docs, moved to github repo, still work to be done
Mahmoud: question for use case docs - do not currently have a way to map use cases to method calls
... probably need to get a list of expected end points for each use case
... so that we can map between API and use case discussion
Joe Andrieu: Interesting suggestion, but concerned bc use cases should define endpoints and not the other way around
... current list of endpoints may or may not be correct
Mahmoud: clarify - would like to identify by existing use case that existing end points apply, and here are gaps or new endpoints that need to be definied
Joe Andrieu: Think it is valuable to see that alignment, but might be a stylistic difference, worried about existing endpoints shaping use cases, rather than other way around
Eric Schuh: Requirements section in use cases is yet to be filled in, maybe add something similar related to end points
<mahmoud> thats it
Joe Andrieu: :+1:
Manu Sporny: Next steps - joe to prep PR on diagrams - main topic for next week - hope is that that drives discussion around alignment
... open to folks adding to test suite
Mike Prorock: +1 Mahmoud
Manu Sporny: Will make sure we are keeping things moving well

Topic: Authorization and Test Suite

Manu Sporny: Random thought on authorization statements in spec - no current normative testable statement in spec - another approach that we could take in the test suite in endpoint provide type of auth that system understands
Justin Richer: Wants to separate test harness from specs, etc
<justin_richer> I still say OpenAPI is a tool, not a standard model.
Mike Prorock: Agree with generation suggestion, I'm concerned about anything that deviates us from OpenAPI as a standard, need to make sure we can point people at specs. [scribe assist by Manu Sporny]
<justin_richer> Specs are implemented by people not tools.
Manu Sporny: Thanks everyone for participating and looking forward to next week and diagrams and flows and all sorts of goodness