The short answer
Open Badges 2.0 checks a badge in one of two ways: a hosted file at a stable URL, or a signature. Open Badges 3.0 makes the badge a W3C Verifiable Credential and checks it by a cryptographic proof. The record called an “Assertion” in 2.0 is an OpenBadgeCredential in 3.0.
1EdTech released 3.0 publicly on May 29, 2024. Its release calls 3.0 “more tamper-proof and trustworthy” (1EdTech release). That is 1EdTech's description, not ours.
2.0 and 3.0 side by side
| Topic | Open Badges 2.0 | Open Badges 3.0 |
|---|---|---|
| Release | IMS Final Release issued 12 April 2018 (revision 21 May 2021). | Public release May 29, 2024. |
| How a badge is verified | Hosted: a JSON-LD file at a stable URL is the source of truth. Or Signed: a JWS checked against a key in the issuer profile. | By cryptographic proof. The credential is a W3C Verifiable Credential. |
| What the record is called | Assertion. | OpenBadgeCredential (alias AchievementCredential). |
| Issuer identifier | In practice, badges were trusted because their URLs shared the issuer's domain. | Issuer profile ids no longer have to be HTTP URLs, so that habit no longer applies. |
| Recipient identity | Plain or hashed, with an optional salt. | May be identified by a salted hash of the email rather than a plain identifier. |
| Revocation | Hosted: return HTTP 410 Gone. Signed: a revocation list. | The issuer updates a list of revoked credential IDs, noting the reason. |
| Endorsement | A separate object. | A credential type. |
| Baking an image | Exists, for PNG and SVG. | Credentials may be exchanged as PNG or SVG files with the credential encoded inside. |
One more difference: in 3.0 the API is defined in the main specification. Sources: 2.0 specification, 3.0 implementation guide §1.2, §1.6, §2.1, §3.1.3 and §3.10, 3.0 specification §3.12, §5.3.
Do I have to move?
1EdTech's Open Badges page lists 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0 side by side, with certification for each. It does not call 2.0 deprecated (1EdTech).
The 3.0 specification says an issuer “may also issue credentials following the previous version”. The implementation guide covers supporting both, and describes re-issuing a 2.0 badge as 3.0 as a use case (guide §6).
This page does not predict how any wallet or website treats older badges. If that matters to you, ask the people who run the places where your recipients will show their badges.
What changes in practice for an issuer
With a hosted 2.0 badge, the question is: is the file still there at its URL? With 3.0, the question is: does the signature check out against a published key?
That raises a new question for you: who holds the signing key, and where is the public key published? The 3.0 specification leaves out of scope how keys are minted and distributed. A verifier fetches the public key from a URL, and the specification only requires verifiers to support HTTP URLs. One method, did:web, turns an identifier into a web address that returns a document containing the key (specification §8.4, §8.5).
The implementation guide also notes that 3.0 no longer treats a shared domain as a reason to trust a badge. Ask every vendor those two questions.
How Incredify does it
- Incredify uses the Open Badges 3.0 data model and signs each badge as a W3C Verifiable Credential (VC-JWT, Ed25519).
- The issuer's key is published by Incredify on the issuer's behalf at
did:web:incredify.net:issuers:<slug>. It is not on your domain and cannot be moved there. - Incredify holds the signing keys. There is no key export.
- Revocation is checked at Incredify's public verify endpoint.
- Recipients need no account. They can download the credential as JSON and as a PNG with the credential baked in.
- Incredify is not 1EdTech certified.
- Incredify has no tool to convert or re-issue 2.0 badges as 3.0.
That means verifying a badge depends on incredify.net being available, because the key and the revocation check are both served from there.
The Free plan issues 100 badges a year with no credit card. Plans and prices are on the pricing page.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the main difference between Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0?
- In 2.0, a badge is checked either by fetching a hosted file at a stable URL or by verifying a signature (JWS). In 3.0, the badge is a W3C Verifiable Credential and is verified by a cryptographic proof. The 2.0 "Assertion" becomes an OpenBadgeCredential.
- Do I have to move from 2.0 to 3.0?
- 1EdTech lists 2.0, 2.1 and 3.0 side by side with certification for each, and does not call 2.0 deprecated. The 3.0 specification says an issuer may also issue credentials following the previous version. This page does not predict how any wallet or site treats older badges.
- Can a 2.0 badge be re-issued as 3.0?
- The 3.0 specification and implementation guide describe re-issuing a 2.0 badge as 3.0 as a use case. Incredify does not offer one.
- Is Incredify certified by 1EdTech?
- No. Incredify uses the Open Badges 3.0 data model and signs badges as W3C Verifiable Credentials, but it is not 1EdTech certified.
- What does Incredify cost?
- The Free plan issues 100 badges a year with no credit card. Paid plans are Starter at $29 a month or $276 a year, Pro at $79 a month or $756 a year, Enterprise at $249 a month or $2,388 a year. See the pricing page for what each includes.
Sources
All read November 2026.
- https://www.1edtech.org/1edtech-article/new-open-badges-30-standard-provides-enhanced-security-and-mobility/411060
- https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/ob/v2p0/
- https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/ob/v3p0/
- https://www.imsglobal.org/spec/ob/v3p0/impl/
- https://www.1edtech.org/standards/open-badges
The 3.0 specification is long and we read most, not all, of it. Spotted something out of date? Tell us through the contact page.