Re: New Work Item Proposal: Data Integrity BIP340 Cryptosuite

ne 3. 8. 2025 v 20:40 odesílatel Manu Sporny <msporny@digitalbazaar.com>
napsal:

> On Sun, Aug 3, 2025 at 2:28 PM Christopher Allen
> <ChristopherA@lifewithalacrity.com> wrote:
> > However, I believe that both Multikey and Multihash suffer from a
> significant architectural flaw: they bind type to encoding, violating
> proper layering principles.
>
> I don't think this is true?
>
> Multikey is a binary format. So is Multihash. Both consist of a binary
> header that states how to interpret the remaining bytes. They are
> completely independent of the base-encoding format.
>
> The Data Integrity specs do tend to make a choice when base-encoding,
> because we had folks threatening to formally object if we didn't lock
> down the base-encoding format... but to say that Multikey and
> Multihash bind key/hash type to encoding is not correct. Both are
> binary formats... base-encoding layers on top of them.
>
> Can you see what I'm missing, Christopher? I'm definitely missing
> something, or your understanding of Multikey/Mulithash isn't correct.
>

Multikey doesn’t just encode bytes, it conflates key type with encoding,
and then packages that into a self-describing identifier. That may be
helpful for some use cases, but it creates tight coupling between what
should be independent layers:

Semantic type (e.g., “secp256k1”, “ed25519”)

Encoding format (e.g., hex, base64, base58, Bech32)

Transport and interpretation (e.g., in a DID Document, QR, message, or
proof)

This conflation limits flexibility and makes it harder to swap out
encodings or types independently. That’s the architectural flaw: by
embedding type info directly in the encoded string, you make cross-domain
reuse brittle and harder to adapt to new contexts.

In contrast, many systems (Bitcoin, Nostr, DNSSEC, etc.) keep type and
encoding orthogonal. That enables layering, composability, and protocol
re-use, exactly what the raw hex preference in did:nostr aims to preserve.


>
> -- manu
>
> --
> Manu Sporny - https://www.linkedin.com/in/manusporny/
> Founder/CEO - Digital Bazaar, Inc.
> https://www.digitalbazaar.com/
>
>