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Glossary

The terms below are the ones the specification defines in §0. This page renders the same table from the same data; there is no second definition anywhere on the site. When a term is used in the docs without explanation, this is where it is defined.

Registry (Registration Authority)The operator that performs verification, holds the Case File and the customer relationship, and attests to the result under its own signature. Today: registry.aria.bar.

Authority (TLF)TrustLayer Foundation: stewards the specification, arbitrates namespace uniqueness, signs on the registry’s attestation. Never sees personal data.

Case FileThe append-only evidentiary record a registry keeps for every L1+ credential (EXP-01). Never in the AID.

FlagA recorded doubt on a Case File that blocks issuance or renewal until a human reviews it.

Authoritative SourceThe public register of the jurisdiction of incorporation against which an entity is confirmed.

Route A / Route BDirect query of the Authoritative Source (Class 1 jurisdictions) / documentary route with reinforced spot-check where no direct query exists (Class 2). Class 3 has no reliable source: ceiling L1.

ControllerWhoever holds the agent’s holder key and can publish the anchor TXT — normally the Account Admin acting for the Principal (§4). The party that performs the did:aria operations in §3.

Holder keyThe agent’s Ed25519 keypair (RFC 8032), generated by the controller on its own machine; the key that signs Intent Declarations and answers receiver challenges (§8). Distinct from the issuer’s composite key (§5).

Binding OfficerA natural person with proven power to bind the entity, evidenced by public instrument (L3).

Preview lineCredentials and texts labeled 1.0–1.2 between April and August 2026. No production adoption; distinguished by issuer DID; sunset at cutover.

Roles inside an organization — registrant, principal, account admin, controller — are walked through with a worked case in Who is who.