Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) vs Veramo Agents

Core strength: All attestations are anchored to a public blockchain (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Optimism, etc.). This provides immutable, globally-verifiable proofs without relying on a centralized service. This matters for high-stakes credentials (e.g., KYC, academic degrees, protocol governance) where censorship-resistance and permanent auditability are non-negotiable.

Core strength: A global, on-chain registry for attestation schemas (e.g., uint256 score, string email). This enables interoperability across applications—any dApp can read and trust the data format. This matters for building ecosystem-wide reputation systems (e.g., Gitcoin Passport, Optimism Attestations) where data consistency is critical.

Core strength: A pluggable, framework-agnostic TypeScript SDK. Developers can mix and match DID methods (ethr, did:key), data stores (SQL, ceramic), and messaging protocols. This matters for enterprise deployments needing custom workflows, private data storage, or integration with legacy IAM systems without being locked into a single blockchain.

Core strength: Native support for off-chain, encrypted JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) and selective disclosure. Data can be stored privately (e.g., in a user's cloud) and shared peer-to-peer. This matters for privacy-sensitive use cases like medical records, employment history, or confidential business credentials where not everything belongs on a public ledger.

Universal Schema Registry: All attestations are recorded on-chain with a public, immutable schema. This creates a shared truth layer for credentials, KYC proofs, and reputation scores across dApps like Optimism's AttestationStation and Gitcoin Passport. This matters for protocols needing public verifiability and composability.

Predictable, Low Gas Costs: Attestations on L2s (Optimism, Arbitrum, Base) cost <$0.01. No complex agent infrastructure to manage. This matters for projects with high-volume, simple attestations (e.g., event participation proofs, simple reviews) where operational overhead must be minimal.

Multi-Protocol Support: Agents can create and verify credentials across W3C Verifiable Credentials, EAS, and Ceramic from a single codebase. This matters for enterprises or applications that need flexibility across chains and standards without vendor lock-in.

Selective Disclosure & ZK Proofs: Agents enable private, off-chain credential exchanges using BBS+ signatures or Sparse Merkle Tree proofs. This matters for sensitive KYC/AML data, healthcare records, or private reputation systems where data minimization is critical.

All Data is Public: By default, attestation contents are on-chain. Adding privacy requires external ZK circuits (e.g., using Semaphore). Schema Rigidity: Once registered, schemas are immutable. This is a trade-off for projects needing dynamic data models or confidential attestations.

Agent Infrastructure Overhead: Requires running and securing a backend service (or using a managed provider). Higher Development Complexity: Integrating multiple DID methods (ethr, key, web) and credential formats has a steeper learning curve. This matters for small teams with limited DevOps resources.

Public, immutable registry: All attestations are anchored to Ethereum or its L2s (Optimism, Arbitrum, Base). This provides cryptographic proof of existence and non-revocation without relying on a centralized service. Critical for high-value credentials (KYC, academic degrees) and Sybil-resistant governance (Gitcoin Passport).

Native support for private, off-chain credentials: Issue W3C Verifiable Credentials stored in user-held wallets (e.g., SPA). Enables selective disclosure and privacy-preserving proofs (Zero-Knowledge). Essential for user-centric identity (login, healthcare data) where on-chain publishing is neither necessary nor desirable.

Transaction fees for every write: High-volume attestation workflows (e.g., micro-credentials, event check-ins) incur significant gas costs even on L2s. Requires managing blockchain RPCs, wallets, and nonces. A poor fit for high-frequency, low-value attestations or teams without blockchain DevOps expertise.

Self-hosted infrastructure responsibility: You must deploy, maintain, and secure your own Veramo agent servers and chosen plugins (database, messaging). Introduces devops burden and centralization points. Less suitable for lean teams or projects wanting a fully decentralized, hands-off attestation layer.