The W3C Decentralized Identifier Working Group is developing DID Resolution, a specification describing how a decentralised identifier is turned into a DID document and associated metadata. The goal is a shared client interface independent of a particular DID method or registry.

What is actually being resolved?

A DID document can provide information for cryptographically verifiable interactions: public keys, verification methods, and service endpoints. The draft defines inputs, results, metadata, errors, DID URL dereferencing, and an HTTP binding for remote resolvers.

Status matters. At publication time, the official W3C page lists DID Resolution v0.3 as a Working Draft dated 5 June 2026. The work is active and technically relevant, but its interface may still change. We could not confirm the claim that it became a Candidate Recommendation on 6 August in the W3C publication registry.

The Dimitrium view: decentralisation still needs a common language

Decentralised identity does not solve centralisation when every ecosystem requires a proprietary resolver. An open interface separating an identifier from a specific provider can support portable identities and competing implementations.

At the same time, “decentralised” is not synonymous with private or secure. The draft highlights requester profiling, remote JSON-LD context integrity, caching, and resolution cycles. A standard is useful precisely when it makes these risks visible and testable.

Source: W3C — Decentralized Identifier Resolution (DID Resolution) v0.3