Identity Assertion Protocol

An open protocol for declaring, verifying, and multiplexing digital identity.

@!alice              # assertion
@!alice.keys.dev     # multiplexed
@!alice@names.nro    # NRO-bound

Overview

What is atbang?

Where @ identifies, @! asserts. The atbang protocol introduces a symbolic identity assertion operator — a way to declare sovereign ownership of a digital identity with cryptographic proof.

An atbang assertion is a signed declaration that binds an identity to a public key. It is the primitive that makes self-sovereign identity composable, verifiable, and portable across systems.

Ecosystem

How atbang connects

selfmux

Self-sovereign identity multiplexing. A single identity operating across multiple contexts. selfmux uses atbang assertions as its foundation, enabling one identity to participate in many systems while maintaining cryptographic continuity.

NRO

Name Registry Operations — the human-readable layer. NRO maps atbang assertions to memorable names, providing DNS-like resolution for decentralized identity. Assertions bind to NRO-registered names, creating verifiable identity-to-name mappings.

Protocol

Specification

The atbang protocol defines four core operations for identity assertion.

Assert

Create a signed identity assertion binding a handle to a public key.

Verify

Validate an assertion's cryptographic proof and check revocation status.

Compose

Combine assertions for multi-context identity via selfmux composition.

Resolve

Map assertions to human-readable names through NRO resolution.

{
  "@!": "alice",
  "key": "did:key:z6Mkf5rGMoatrSj1f...T2psFt",
  "sig": "z58DAdFfa9SkqZMVPxAQpic7ndinQ...vGy",
  "ts":  1709331200,
  "nro": "names.example"
}

Getting Started

Quick start

Create an assertion

Generate a keypair and produce your first @! assertion.

atbang init --handle alice
atbang assert

Verify an assertion

Validate that an assertion is cryptographically sound and unrevoked.

atbang verify @!alice

Register with NRO

Bind your assertion to a human-readable name via Name Registry Operations.

atbang nro register --name alice@names.example

Community

Open source

atbang is open source under the MIT license. The protocol belongs to everyone.

GitHub Discussions atbang.com — managed offering