Editor / far@Centreless
X(Twitter)@Tocentreles
On May 24th, Solana announced on its official website that the Solana Identity Group, in collaboration with the Solana Foundation, has launched the Solana Attestation Service (SAS) on the mainnet—an open, permissionless verifiable credentials protocol. SAS allows trusted issuers to associate off-chain information (such as KYC checks, geographic eligibility, Clip membership, or certification status) with users' wallets. These certifications are signed, verifiable, and can be reused across applications without exposing sensitive data on-chain or repeating verification steps.
By providing a neutral and permissionless proof layer, SAS enables compliance, access control, reputation systems, and programmable identity throughout the Solana ecosystem. This brings a higher quality and more convenient experience for end-users and builders.
Attestation Service and Oracles are both mechanisms for bringing off-chain information on-chain, but they differ significantly in positioning, purpose, trust models, and working methods. Let's do a systematic comparison:
✅ A Table to Understand Attestation Service vs Oracles:
Item | Attestation Service | Oracle |
|---|---|---|
Primary Purpose | Transform off-chain "subjective or static information about identity, status, behavior" into on-chain credentials | Feed off-chain "objective, dynamic data" to the chain (such as prices, weather, etc.) |
Data Type | Subjective/Event-based: Over 18, verified, member of an organization | Numerical/Fact-based: BTC price, off-chain API data, weather data |
Data Structure | Reusable, wallet-bound certification "seal" (claim) | Data used in real-time transactions (such as price feed) |
Trust Source | Signed and certified by a "trusted publisher" (such as KYC institution, DAO, device manufacturer) | From multiple data sources, aggregated and published by oracle network |
Update Frequency | Infrequent, often generated once and valid for a long time | High-frequency updates, such as price updates every minute |
Composability and Reusability | Yes, one certification can be reused across multiple applications (e.g., KYC proof for a wallet) | No, price data is mainly an input for a specific transaction |
Privacy Handling | Strong privacy protection, only verifying "whether passed" without revealing detailed information | Usually not involving user identity privacy |
Representative Projects/Technologies | Solana Attestation Service, Ethereum Attestation Service (EAS) | Chainlink, Pyth, Band Protocol |
? A Comparative Example
Attestation Service Use Case: You complete "real-name verification" on a Web3 platform and obtain an on-chain certification seal of "I am of legal age". This seal exists in your wallet, and any future dApp can verify it without you submitting identity documents each time. Oracle Use Case: A DeFi protocol needs to know the current ETH price to determine liquidation conditions. It will read the real-time ETH/USD price through an oracle (such as Chainlink).
? Core Difference Summarized in One Sentence:
Oracles are a mechanism for "feeding data", focusing on off-chain "objective facts"; while Attestation Service is a mechanism for "certifying identity or status", focusing on off-chain "subjective or conditional trust".
They are complementary, not substitutes.
