Loading vLEI.wiki
Fetching knowledge base...
Fetching knowledge base...
This comprehensive explanation has been generated from 169 GitHub source documents. All source documents are searchable here.
Last updated: October 7, 2025
This content is meant to be consumed by AI agents via MCP. Click here to get the MCP configuration.
Note: In rare cases it may contain LLM hallucinations.
For authoritative documentation, please consult the official GLEIF vLEI trainings and the ToIP Glossary.
An instance of a KEL (Key Event Log) for an AID (Autonomic Identifier) in which at least one event is unique between two instances of the KEL, indicating different states or histories of the same identifier.
In KERI, a version refers to a distinct instance of a KEL (Key Event Log) for a given AID (Autonomic Identifier) where at least one event differs from another instance of that KEL. This definition establishes that two KEL instances represent different versions when they contain unique events, even if they share the same identifier.
A version is formally defined as: an instance of a KEL for an AID in which at least one event is unique between two instances of the KEL. This means version differentiation occurs at the granularity of individual events—a single unique event between two KEL instances is sufficient to constitute different versions.
Versioning in KERI is fundamental to understanding duplicity detection and identifier state management. When validators encounter different KEL instances for the same AID, the presence of unique events between instances indicates they are examining different versions of that identifier's event history.
The version concept enables:
While the existence of multiple versions doesn't automatically indicate malicious behavior, it is a prerequisite for . When a controller creates multiple versions of a KEL for the same AID with conflicting events, this represents duplicitous behavior that KERI's infrastructure is designed to detect.
Implementations must be able to:
When multiple versions are detected:
Version comparison requires:
In KERI's event-based architecture, each key event represents a state-changing operation in the identifier's lifecycle. Versions represent different possible histories or states of that identifier. The ability to identify and distinguish versions is inherent to KERI's design as a verifiable data structure.
The version definition assumes that:
This precision is important for KERI's event-based architecture, where validators must determine whether they are observing the same or different versions of an identifier's history.