Cr3dentials System Architecture

Overview

Cr3dentials is a privacy-first credential verification platform that leverages zero-knowledge proofs and cryptographic attestations to verify credentials without ever storing or accessing sensitive user data. Our architecture ensures that we see nothing, store nothing, and know nothing about your private information while still enabling cryptographically verifiable proofs.

Privacy-First Design

Core Privacy Principles

  • Cr3dentials never sees your credentials - All verification happens through zero-knowledge proofs

  • Zero access to sensitive data - Our system only receives cryptographic proofs, not raw data

  • You control what gets disclosed - Choose exactly what information to reveal and what to keep private

Zero-Knowledge Proof Integration

Our system uses advanced cryptographic techniques to verify information without ever accessing the underlying data:

How It Works:

  1. Local Proof Generation: Zero-knowledge proofs are generated on your device

  2. Cryptographic Verification: We only receive mathematical proofs, never raw data

  3. Public Attestation: Verifiable claims are created without exposing private information

Selective Disclosure Control

Cr3dentials gives you granular control over what information to expose or hide:

Privacy Modes:

  • Full Privacy Mode: Generate proofs that only confirm "yes/no" requirements

    • Example: "Income > $50k" without revealing exact amount

    • Bank account ownership without showing balance details

  • Selective Disclosure Mode: Choose specific data points to reveal

    • Example: Show monthly income but hide account numbers

    • Reveal employment dates but keep employer name private

  • Full Transparency Mode: Optionally share complete verification details

    • Useful for comprehensive background checks

    • Still cryptographically secured and verifiable

System Architecture

High-Level Components

Client Layer

  • Web Application (React/Next.js)

  • Mobile Application

  • User's Wallet Integration

Privacy Gateway

  • Zero-Knowledge Proof Validator

  • Privacy Filter Layer

  • No PII Processing Zone

CR3Dentials Backend

  • Authentication (Privy Integration)

  • Verification Module (Data Blind)

  • Attestation Service

  • Queue System for Async Processing

External Integrations

  • Reclaim Protocol (Zero-Knowledge Engine)

  • Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS)

  • Blockchain Networks (Ethereum, L2s)

Data Flow

  1. User Initiates Verification: Request sent through encrypted channels

  2. Zero-Knowledge Proof Generation: Happens locally on user's device

  3. Proof Validation: Cr3dentials validates cryptographic proofs only

  4. Attestation Creation: Public, verifiable claims created on blockchain

  5. Verification Complete: Results available without exposing private data

Technology Stack

Backend Infrastructure

Framework: NestJS with Fastify

  • High-performance TypeScript framework

  • Built-in validation and security features

  • Comprehensive module system

Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM

  • No sensitive data storage

  • Only verification metadata and proofs

  • Automatic migrations and type safety

Authentication: Privy Web3 Authentication

  • Wallet-based authentication

  • Traditional auth fallback

  • JWT token management

Caching: Redis

  • Session management

  • Temporary proof storage

  • Queue processing

Frontend Applications

Web Application: React with Next.js

  • Server-side rendering

  • Progressive Web App capabilities

  • Responsive design

Mobile Application: React Native

  • Cross-platform compatibility

  • Native performance

  • Biometric authentication

Privacy Technologies

Zero-Knowledge Proofs

  • Mathematical privacy guarantees

  • Cryptographic verification without data exposure

  • Scalable proof systems

Reclaim Protocol Integration

  • Secure credential verification from external sources

  • TLS witnessing for data authenticity

  • No raw data transmission to CR3Dentials

Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS)

  • On-chain attestation creation

  • Public verifiability

  • Composable credential system

Privacy Guarantees

What We Never See

Never Accessed
Never Stored

Bank account numbers

Personal identifying information

Actual bank balances

Transaction histories

Social security numbers

Employment details

Credit scores

Healthcare records

Personal documents

Biometric data

What We Can Verify

Verifiable Claims
Privacy Level

Account ownership

Zero-knowledge proof

Income thresholds

Range verification

Employment status

Boolean confirmation

Age verification

Threshold proof

Identity claims

Cryptographic validation

Security Architecture

Cryptographic Security

Transport Security

  • TLS 1.3 encryption for all communications

  • Certificate pinning for API endpoints

  • Perfect forward secrecy

Proof Security

  • zk-SNARKs for zero-knowledge proofs

  • Digital signatures for authenticity

  • Cryptographic hashing for integrity

Blockchain Security

  • Ethereum network security

  • Audited smart contracts

  • Immutable attestation records

Attack Resistance

Privacy Attacks: Prevented by zero-knowledge cryptography Data Breaches: Nothing to breach - no sensitive data stored Man-in-the-Middle: TLS encryption + certificate pinning Replay Attacks: Cryptographic nonces and timestamps Impersonation: Digital signature verification required

Integration Guides

For Developers

Creating a Privacy-First Verification

// Example: Income Verification with Privacy Controls
const verification = await cr3dentials.createVerification({
  type: 'income',
  privacyLevel: 'threshold', // binary | threshold | selective | full
  requirements: {
    minIncome: 50000,
    period: '3months'
  },
  disclosure: {
    showAmount: false,        // Only show yes/no
    showSource: false,        // Hide employer name
    showPeriod: true         // Show verification period
  }
});

Generating Zero-Knowledge Proofs

// User generates proof locally - CR3Dentials never sees raw data
const proof = await reclaim.generateIncomeProof({
  requirements: verification.requirements,
  privacyLevel: verification.privacyLevel
});

// Only cryptographic proof is sent to CR3Dentials
const attestation = await cr3dentials.submitProof(proof);

API Endpoints

Authentication

POST /auth/login
POST /auth/verify
GET /auth/me

Verification Sessions

POST /verification/sessions/income
GET /verification/sessions/{id}
POST /verification/sessions/{id}/approve
POST /verification/sessions/{id}/reject

Proof Management

POST /verification/initiate-verification
POST /verification/submit-verification
GET /verification/steps/{stepId}

Compliance & Regulations

GDPR Compliance

Right to be Forgotten: User controls all data - nothing stored centrally Data Minimization: Only necessary proofs processed Consent Management: Granular permission controls Data Portability: Users own all their proofs

Financial Regulations

Privacy Protection: No storage of financial account data AML Compliance: Verified attestations for anti-money laundering KYC Requirements: Identity verification without data retention Banking Regulations: Compliance with financial privacy laws

Deployment Architecture

Production Environment

Load Balancing: Caddy reverse proxy with SSL termination Application Tier: Multiple API servers for redundancy Background Services: Queue workers for async processing Database Tier: PostgreSQL with read replicas Caching Layer: Redis cluster for session management Monitoring: Centralized logging and metrics collection

Scaling Considerations

Horizontal Scaling: Stateless API servers Database Scaling: Read replicas and connection pooling Cache Optimization: Distributed caching with Redis Queue Processing: Parallel worker processes CDN Integration: Static asset delivery

Monitoring & Observability

Metrics Collection

Application Metrics: Request latency, error rates, throughput Privacy Metrics: Proof generation success rates, verification times Infrastructure Metrics: CPU, memory, disk usage Business Metrics: Verification completion rates, user adoption

Logging Strategy

Security Logs: Authentication attempts, access patterns Privacy Logs: Proof validation events (no sensitive data) Error Logs: Application errors and exceptions Audit Logs: Verification requests and attestation creation

Roadmap & Future Enhancements

Advanced Privacy Features

Multi-Party Computation: Complex verifications across multiple parties Recursive Proofs: Improved scalability for large verification sets Quantum Resistance: Preparation for post-quantum cryptography

Enhanced Selective Disclosure

Attribute-Based Credentials: Fine-grained attribute control Anonymous Credentials: Zero-knowledge identity systems Privacy-Preserving ML: Machine learning on encrypted attestations

Cross-Chain Compatibility

Universal Attestations: Verification across multiple blockchains Interoperable Standards: Cross-platform privacy protocols Bridge Protocols: Secure attestation transfer between chains

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