Introducing KID: A Permanent Identity Layer for kinetic

[saifmukhtar]

The Problem: libp2p gives us PeerId---a cryptographic identity for a node. But a PeerId is tied to a specific machine. If that node goes away, the identity goes with it. Applications need a permanent identity that can outlive any single node.

The Solution: I've been building KID (Kinetic Identity Document) ---a permanent, cryptographic identity that sits on top of libp2p.

Core idea: Name ≠ Identity

• Human-readable names (example.kin) are ephemeral aliases
• KIDs (did:kin:ed25519-abc...) are permanent cryptographic anchors

How it works:

1. KID stored securely on your personal computer
2. KID signs a Capability Manifest listing services
3. Manifest points to ephemeral PeerId on a disposable VPS
4. If VPS is compromised, update Manifest -> name repoints instantly

Use case: Your PC holds the permanent identity. Your VPS holds only an ephemeral PeerId and serves content. No private keys on the VPS.

I'd love feedback:

· Does this align with libp2p's vision?
· Would this be useful for applications building on libp2p?

Full spec: https://github.com/saifmukhtar/kinetic/blob/main/whitepaper/Kinetic-kid.md
Repo: https://github.com/saifmukhtar/kinetic