Re: Understanding @contexts and credentialSchemas

Agreed -- both of Orie's notes on this are extremely helpful.  Thanks, Orie!

On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 11:14 AM Kim Hamilton <kimdhamilton@gmail.com>
wrote:

> FYI, Orie’s latest response should be elevated to a CCG FAQ entry, if we
> had such a thing. Having this handy would save a lot of time for folks
> (having seen this be a major point of confusion over several years).
>
> On Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 11:03 AM Kerri Lemoie <klemoie@concentricsky.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Thank you, Orie!
>>
>>
>> On Jun 11, 2021, at 9:43 AM, Orie Steele <orie@transmute.industries>
>> wrote:
>>
>> a context describes semantics, a schema describes data shape... There is
>> a right tool for each job, but sometimes you need both.
>>
>> `@context` can only help you define JSON-LD semantics.
>>
>> `credentialSchema` is much more flexible and can help you define JSON
>> Schema, SHACL, CustomProprietarySchema, or any other schema technology you
>> want to use.
>>
>> I would not recommend using `@context` for schemas related to data shape
>> or `credentialSchema` for semantics... but JSON-LD is a lot of rope and it
>> does let you define some data-shape like behaviors.... My experience with
>> it is that there is always a better solution than using JSON-LD "data
>> shape" features like @container...
>>
>> A concrete example, "@type": "@json" <- this is JSON-LD for the JSON
>> Schema  "type": "oneOf <number, null, object, string, array, etc...>
>>
>> This can be very useful when your JSON data has no well defined
>> semantics, or where its semantics are rapidly changing, or externally
>> owned...
>>
>> For example: https://spec.smarthealth.cards/credential-modeling/
>>
>> "@context": [ "https://www.w3.org/2018/credentials/v1", { "@vocab": "
>> https://smarthealth.cards# <https://smarthealth.cards/#>", "fhirBundle":
>> { "@id": "https://smarthealth.cards#fhirBundle
>> <https://smarthealth.cards/#fhirBundle>", "@type": "@json" } } ]
>>
>> In this case, all we know about "fhirBundle" is that it's JSON... this
>> documentation is incomplete... because what version of FHIR is it?
>>
>> fhirVersion needs to be defined, and used to answer that, but together
>> they can allow you to "define only the semantics you need"... in this case,
>> FHIR.
>>
>> It's worth noting that there are lots of valid FHIR I could put in
>> "fhirBundle" that could cause explosions... that's where a schema language
>> like JSON Schema would be valuable.
>>
>> Working together, they could help both producers and consumers agree to
>> be as specific as is helpful for the VC type, and not "overly pedantic /
>> specific" in ways that are beyond the point of diminishing returns.
>>
>> One version of being as specific as is necessary is to say: "this payload
>> is json"... I personally think that is harmful laziness, but you could also
>> see it as a reflection of a lack of certainty regarding what is actually
>> getting signed... and a need to allow anything... regardless of what it
>> is... to be signed.
>>
>> When answering the question of "what am I signing or verifying" JSON-LD
>> and JSON Schema (for example) give you different additional confidence...
>> Omitting both is the equivalent of saying you are either highly unconfident
>> in the content you are or will be signing in the future, or you feel that
>> the security benefits of typing and input validation are not relevant to
>> your credential... I would call credentials that lack semantic
>> disambiguation and schema / data shape fundamentally LESS SECURE.
>>
>> Consider:
>>
>> https://owasp.org/www-project-top-ten/
>>
>> Of the top 10, the following are mitigated with stricter semantics and
>> data shape constraints:
>>
>> - Injection
>> - Sensitive Data Exposure
>> - Insecure Deserialization
>>
>> A credential that lacks semantics and datashape is like a food product
>> with no labeling or a mobile phone built with parts that might have been
>> developed with poor labor practices... the point is that you don't really
>> know, because the issuer chose not to meet those bars, when they decided to
>> sign.
>>
>> OS
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jun 10, 2021 at 2:28 PM Kerri Lemoie <klemoie@concentricsky.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> This is helpful, Orie.
>>>
>>> While VC has this credentialSchema property, I assume it would still be
>>> acceptable for a context to reference schema(s) directly?
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> K
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Jun 10, 2021, at 10:09 AM, Orie Steele <orie@transmute.industries>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> This won't be a complete answer, but at the time of publication I
>>> believe that field was used in 2 ways.
>>>
>>> 1. with json schema, see this for example -
>>> https://w3c-ccg.github.io/vc-json-schemas/
>>> 2. with hyperledger indy zkp-cl signature vc's
>>>
>>> In both cases, "credentialSchemas" was more about the VC data shape and
>>> type, whereas contexts and JSON-LD are best used only for semantics.
>>>
>>> There are other tools like SHACL that can help do linked data shape
>>> constraints, perhaps someone might use them with credentialSchemas in the
>>> future.
>>>
>>> but AFAIK, "credentialSchemas" is focused on the credential data shape.
>>> and "@context" is focused on the semantics and term definitions used in the
>>> credential.
>>>
>>> OS
>>>
>>> On Wed, Jun 9, 2021 at 5:15 PM Kerri Lemoie <klemoie@concentricsky.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Hello all,
>>>>
>>>> I’m reviewing this: https://www.w3.org/TR/vc-data-model/#data-schemas
>>>>
>>>> Could folks please explain to me the uses of credentialSchemas in
>>>> comparison to @context files in JSON-LD? Is it that @context files name the
>>>> attributes and credentialSchemas provide the information about how to
>>>> validate the data/semantics?
>>>>
>>>> Can you provide some real-world examples? Bonus points for human
>>>> centered examples such as identity,  education, &  workforce. :)
>>>>
>>>> Thanks!
>>>>
>>>> Kerri
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --------
>>>> Kerri Lemoie, PhD
>>>> Director, Digital Credentials Research & Innovation
>>>> badgr.com <https://info.badgr.com/> | concentricsky.com
>>>> she/her/hers
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> *ORIE STEELE*
>>> Chief Technical Officer
>>> www.transmute.industries
>>>
>>> <https://www.transmute.industries/>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> --
>> *ORIE STEELE*
>> Chief Technical Officer
>> www.transmute.industries
>>
>> <https://www.transmute.industries/>
>>
>>
>>

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