!!! Overview
[{$pagename}] ([DIDs]) are a new type of identifier for verifiable, "[Self-Sovereign Identity]". [{$pagename}] are fully under the control of the [DID Subject], independent from any [centralized registry|Registration Authority], [identity provider|Identity Provider (IDP)], or [certificate authority|Certificate Authority]. 

[{$pagename}] are [URLs] that relate a [DID Subject] to means for trustable interactions with that subject. DIDs resolve to DID Documents — simple documents that describe how to use that specific DID. Each [DID Document] contains at least three things: cryptographic material, authentication suites, and service endpoints. Cryptographic material combined with authentication suites provide a set of mechanisms to authenticate as the DID subject (e.g., public keys, pseudonymous biometric protocols, etc.). Service endpoints enable trusted interactions with the DID subject.
that does not require a centralized [Registration Authority] because it is registered with [Distributed Ledger Technology] or other form of [Decentralized system] network.Conventional [Identity Management Architectures] are based on centralized authorities such as corporate [Directory Services], [Certificate Authorities|Certificate Authority], or domain name registries. From the standpoint of [cryptographic] [trust] verification, each of these centralized authorities serves as its own [Trust Anchor]. To make [Identity Management Architectures] work across these systems requires implementing [Federated Identity Management].The emergence of [Distributed Ledger Technology] ([DLT]), sometimes referred to as blockchain technology, provides the opportunity to implement fully decentralized identity management. In this ecosystem, all participants with identities (called identity owners) share a common [Trust Anchor] in the form of a globally distributed ledger (or a decentralized [P2P] network that provides similar capabilities).Each identity owner can be identified on a ledger with a key-value pair. The index key is a [{$pagename}] and the value is its associated [DID descriptor object]. 
Together these form a [DID record]. 

Each [DID record] is [cryptographically|Cryptography] secured by [Private Keys] under the control of an identity owner (in the case of an owner-managed identity) or a [Custodian] (in the case of a [Custodian Managed Identity]). 
A corresponding [Public Key] is published in the [DID descriptor object] using a key description. 

A [DID descriptor object] may also contain a set of service [endpoints] for interacting with the identity owner. Following the dictums of [Privacy by Design], each identity owner may have as many [DID records] as necessary to respect the identity owner’s desired separation of identities, personas, and [contexts].

To use a [{$pagename}] with a particular distributed ledger or network requires defining a [DID method|DID method specification] specification.

This design eliminates dependence on centralized registries for identifiers as well as centralized [certificate authorities|Certificate Authority] for [Key Management]. With [DID records] on a distributed ledger, each identity owner may serve as its own [Trust Anchor]—an architecture referred to as [DPKI] ([Decentralized PKI|Decentralized Public Key Infrastructure]).
[{$pagename}]s resolve to [DDO]s ([DID descriptor objects]) prove ownership and control of a [{$pagename}]. 

Each [{$pagename}] uses a specific [{$pagename}] method, defined in a separate DID method specification, to define how the [{$pagename}] is registered, resolved, updated, and revoked on a specific [Distributed Ledger Technology] or network.

!! Motivations for [{$pagename}]s
The growing need for a [{$pagename}] has produced three specific requirements for a new type of [URI] that fits within the [URI]/[URL]/[URN] architecture, albeit in a less than traditional way: 
* A [URI] that is persistent like a [URN] yet can be resolved or de-referenced to locate a [resource] like a [URL]. In essence, a [DID] is a [URI] that serves both functions.
* A [URI] that does not require a [centralized authority|Administrative Identity] to register, resolve, update, or revoke. The overwhelming majority of [URIs] today are based on [DNS] names or [IP] addresses that depend on centralized authorities for registration and ultimate control. DIDs can be created and managed without any such authority.
* A [URI] whose ownership and associated metadata, including public keys, can be cryptographically verified. Control of DIDs and DDOs leverages the same [public Key]/[private Key] [cryptography] as [Distributed Ledger Technology].

!! [Sovrin] and [{$pagename}]
[Sovrin] defines [{$pagename}] as identifiers that are globally unique and resolvable (via a [Distributed Ledger Technology]) without requiring any centralized resolution authority. DIDs are specified in the [DID Data Model and Generic Syntax specification|https://github.com/WebOfTrustInfo/rebooting-the-web-of-trust-fall2016/blob/master/draft-documents/did-implementer-draft-10.md|target='_blank']!! More Information
There might be more information for this subject on one of the following:
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