Open Badges 2.0 & 3.0: The Digital Credential Standard
Open Badges is the international technical standard for digital credentials maintained by 1EdTech. It defines how badges are created, issued, displayed, and verified across platforms. IssueBadge supports both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0.
What Is the Open Badges Standard?
Open Badges is an open technical standard that defines how digital badges are structured, issued, and verified. Maintained by 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global), the standard ensures that badges issued by one platform can be recognized, displayed, and verified by any other compliant platform. This interoperability means earners are not locked into a single vendor — their credentials are portable across the digital credential ecosystem.
Why Standards Matter
Without a standard, digital badges would be proprietary images with no way to verify their authenticity across platforms. The Open Badges standard provides a common language for credential data, making badges machine-readable, portable, and verifiable regardless of which platform issued them.
Open Badges 2.0
Open Badges 2.0 is the widely adopted version of the standard. It defines three core components: the Badge Class (the template defining the credential), the Assertion (the specific issuance to a recipient), and the Issuer Profile (the organization issuing the badge). Badge metadata is structured as JSON-LD and includes the badge name, description, criteria URL, issuer details, and skills tags.
Hosted Verification in 2.0
In Open Badges 2.0, verification works by hosting the badge assertion at a URL on the issuing platform. When someone wants to verify a badge, they access this URL to retrieve the assertion data and confirm the badge was genuinely issued. IssueBadge hosts these assertion endpoints for every badge issued.
Badge Baking
Badge baking is the process of embedding Open Badges metadata directly into the badge image file (PNG or SVG). This means the badge image itself carries all the credential data. When the image is uploaded to a badge backpack or verification tool, the embedded metadata can be extracted and verified.
Open Badges 3.0
Open Badges 3.0 aligns the badge standard with W3C Verifiable Credentials, expanding interoperability beyond the badge ecosystem into the broader digital identity space. Version 3.0 supports cryptographic verification, comprehensive learner records (CLR), and tighter integration with institutional systems.
Verifiable Credentials
Open Badges 3.0 badges are W3C Verifiable Credentials. This means they can be issued, held, and verified using the same infrastructure as other digital identity credentials, opening up integration with wallets, institutional databases, and government systems.
IssueBadge Open Badges Compliance
IssueBadge implements both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 specifications. When you issue a badge through IssueBadge, the badge metadata is automatically structured according to the standard. Issuer profiles, badge classes, and assertions are hosted on the platform and accessible via standard endpoints. This means badges issued through IssueBadge can be verified by any Open Badges-compliant tool.
Choosing an Open Badges Platform
When selecting a digital badge platform, Open Badges compliance ensures your credentials are portable and verifiable across the ecosystem. Key factors to consider: which versions of the standard are supported, whether badge baking is available, the verification experience for third parties, and integration capabilities with your existing tools.
Frequently Asked Questions
Open Badges 2.0 is the widely adopted version of the open standard for digital credentials. It defines how badge metadata is structured, how badges are issued, and how they are verified through hosted assertions.
Open Badges 3.0 extends the standard to align with W3C Verifiable Credentials, enabling cryptographic verification and broader interoperability with digital identity systems beyond the badge ecosystem.
Yes. IssueBadge supports both Open Badges 2.0 and 3.0 specifications. Badge metadata is automatically structured according to the standard when badges are issued.
Badge baking embeds the Open Badges metadata directly into the badge image file (PNG or SVG). This means the image itself carries all credential data and can be verified by extracting the embedded metadata.
Yes. The Open Badges standard is specifically designed for interoperability. Badges issued by one compliant platform can be recognized and verified by any other compliant platform or badge backpack.
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Related guides on digital credentialing.
Digital Badges
Digital badges are verified digital credentials that represent skills, achievements, or competencies. They contain embedded metadata including issuer details, criteria, and verification links following the Open Badges standard.
Credential Verification
Credential verification is the process of confirming that a digital badge or certificate is authentic and was issued by a legitimate organization. IssueBadge provides public verification pages, QR codes, and Open Badges compliance for instant credential validation.
White Label Credentialing
Run IssueBadge under your own brand with white label support. Manage multiple organizations, partner directories, and team access from a single panel. Scale your credentialing program across departments, clients, or partner networks.
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