---
title: "Credential Lifecycle"
description: "How the Community Stack Verifier checks credential status, expiration, and validity using standard status lists and verification policies."
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/verifier/capabilities/credential-lifecycle
generated: 2026-07-20
---
# Credential Lifecycle

The Community Stack Verifier API validates credential lifecycle states—whether a credential is active, revoked, suspended, or expired—using globally adopted status mechanisms and validity timestamps. 

**Note:**

The Verifier doesn't manage credential status itself—it verifies status by checking issuer-hosted status lists and credential validity fields during presentation verification.

## What's included

The Verifier capability supports lifecycle checks through dedicated verification policies:

#### Status list verification

Check whether a credential has been revoked or suspended by fetching and validating its entry in the issuer's status list.

**This means:**
- Verifiers automatically fetch status credentials from issuer-hosted locations (web servers, S3, Azure Blob, etc.)
- Supports industry-standard formats: Bitstring Status List v1.0, TokenStatusList, StatusList2021, RevocationList2020
- Works across credential types: W3C VC, SD-JWT VC, ISO mdoc
- Verifiers can check revocation, suspension, or custom status purposes

#### Validity window verification

Verify that credentials are being used within their intended validity period by checking `validFrom` (or `notBefore`) and `validUntil` (or `expiresAt`) timestamps.

**This means:**
- Prevents use of credentials before their activation date
- Rejects expired credentials automatically
- No external status list required—validity timestamps are embedded in the credential itself
- Verifiers can enforce strict temporal policies per use case

## FAQs

- **Which status list formats are supported?** — The Verifier supports W3C Bitstring Status List v1.0, TokenStatusList (IETF), StatusList2021, and RevocationList2020, covering all major standards.

- **Can I verify credentials offline?** — Validity timestamps can be verified offline, but status list checks require network access to fetch the current status credential. For offline scenarios, verifiers need a cached copy of the status list.

## Get Started

- **[Credential status verification policy](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/verifier/credential-verification/policies/parameterized-verification-policies.md#credential-status)** – Learn how to verify credential status using status list policies.
- **[Expiration & validity verification policies](https://docs.walt.id/community-stack/verifier/credential-verification/policies/static-verification-policies.md#expiredn)** – Learn about built-in policies for expiration and validity checks.