--- title: "Getting Started" description: "Learn how to issue digital credentials via OID4VCI using the walt.id Issuer2 API." stack: "Community Stack (open source) — version 0.21.0" stack_version: "0.21.0" stack_comparison: https://docs.walt.id/community-vs-enterprise.md canonical_url: https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/getting-started generated: 2026-07-20 --- # Getting Started **Issuer2** is an open-source HTTP API service for creating, signing, and distributing verifiable digital credentials. It implements the [OID4VCI v1.0](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/data-exchange-protocols.md) specification and introduces a profile-based architecture for streamlined credential issuance. Supported credential formats include [W3C VC](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/verifiable-credentials-w3c.md), [SD-JWT VC (IETF)](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/sd-jwt-vc.md), and [ISO 18013-5 mDL](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/mdoc-mdl-iso.md). **Note:** The original issuer service, which supports Draft 11/13 of the OID4VCI specification, remains available for existing projects. For new projects, we recommend using **Issuer2** with its profile-based architecture and OID4VCI v1.0 support. **Note:** **Coming from the original Issuer (v1)?** The biggest change is that each credential type must be declared ahead of time as a **profile** in a config file — including a default issuer key and credential data — and the service must be restarted to pick up new or changed profiles. You no longer need to supply a signing key or credential data with every issuance request, though you can still override either (and more) per-offer at request time via [`runtimeOverrides`](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-offers/create-offer.md#runtime-overrides). See [Core Concepts](#core-concepts) below. ## Supported Standards | | | |:-------------------------|:-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | **Credential Formats:** | [SD-JWT VC (IETF)](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/sd-jwt-vc.md), [W3C VC (v1.1+, v2.0)](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/verifiable-credentials-w3c.md), [ISO 18013-5 mDL](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/digital-credentials/mdoc-mdl-iso.md) | | **Credential Exchange:** | [OID4VCI](https://docs.walt.id/concepts/data-exchange-protocols.md) (v1.0) | | **Signing Algorithms:** | ed25519, secp256k1, secp256r1, RSA | ## Setup If you are new to the stack, the **Docker Compose quick start** is the fastest way to get running — it spins up the Issuer, Verifier, and Wallet together in one command, which mirrors a real issuance flow. Once running, the API is available at `http://localhost:7005`. **Note:** When running via Docker Compose, the original Issuer (v1) runs on port `7002` and Issuer2 runs on port `7005` to avoid conflicts. When running Issuer2 standalone with Docker, it uses the default port `7002`. - [Docker Compose quick start](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/home.md#quick-start) - Spin up the issuer API locally together with the other services. _(Recommended for first-time users)_ - [Run standalone with Docker](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/setup.md) - Pull and run the issuer container in isolation using the [walt.id identity repo](https://github.com/walt-id/waltid-identity.git). See the [configuration reference](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/configurations/feature-manager.md) for available config options. - [Full API reference](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/full-api-reference.md) - Explore all available endpoints via Swagger. ## Core Concepts ### Profile-Based Issuance Issuer2 introduces a **profile-based architecture** that simplifies credential issuance: - **Credential Profiles** – Define reusable configurations for each credential type, including issuer keys, credential data templates, selective disclosure settings, and notification webhooks. - **Credential Offers** – Create offers from profiles with optional runtime overrides, supporting both pre-authorized and authorization code flows. ### Credential Exchange The Issuer2 API supports credential exchange protocols based on: - **OID4VCI v1.0:** Flows such as Pre-Authorized Code Flow (with or without PIN/Transaction Code) and Authorization Code Flow (with external authorization servers like Keycloak). - **mDoc Issuance:** Remote issuance of Mobile Driver's Licenses (mDL) and other ISO 18013-5 credentials via OID4VCI (ISO 18013-7). ### Credential Data Collection Flexible data collection options allow populating credentials before or after an offer has been created: - **Before Credential Offer Creation** – Provide all subject data upfront when creating the profile or offer. - **After Credential Offer Creation & Before Credential Signing** – Enrich credentials dynamically using [data functions](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/data-functions.md) such as webhooks or timestamps. - **During User Authentication** – When using the authorization code flow, the subject can authenticate against an external IdP and the retrieved claims are mapped to credential fields via `idTokenClaimsMapping`. ## Features - [Credential Profiles](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-profiles/overview.md) - Create and manage reusable credential configurations. - [Credential Offers](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-offers/overview.md) - Create credential offers from profiles with runtime overrides. - [Data Functions](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/data-functions.md) - Populate credentials with dynamic data at claim time. - [Notifications](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/notifications.md) - Configure webhook notifications to stay informed about on the issuance. ## Start Issuing Choose the credential type that matches your use case: - [SD-JWT VC Issuance](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-issuance/sd-jwt-vc.md) - Issue IETF SD-JWT Credentials. - [W3C VC Issuance](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-issuance/w3c-vc.md) - Issue W3C Verifiable Credentials with JWT signatures. - [mDL Issuance](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/issuer2/credential-issuance/mdl.md) - Issue ISO 18013-5 Mobile Driver's Licenses.