We are VERY excited about all the features landing in the next release! However, we’re also introducing one big breaking change—and that’s the purpose of this post. WE ENCOURAGE EVERYONE USING BADGEFED TO CREATE A DATABASE BACKUP BEFORE UPGRADING.

(GO, do it now, we will wait for you and then continue reading this post.)

Don’t worry: if you forget, chances are you won’t lose data, but recovery may be trickier. If you can, please back up first.

Summary (read before upgrading)

• Database filenames now match your domain, for example: mydomain.db. The previous single default filename is no longer used by default.
• Back up your existing SQLite file NOW. You can also download a backup from the admin portal: Admin > Database > Download Backup.
• After upgrading to 0.1.1, the app uses a per-domain database. Use the import utility to migrate from your backup—or copy your backup into the data directory and rename it to the domain-based filename.
• Prefer one shared database? Set the environment variable SQLITE_DB_PATH to your desired (or current) filename (for example, badgefed.db).

If you already upgraded without preparing

• Your previous database was not replaced or deleted. Locate your old badgefed.db (or backup), copy it to the data directory, and rename it to the new domain-based filename.

The 0.1.1 release and full release notes are coming soon!

Badge up!

You can read the article "BadgeFed 0.1.1 — Breaking change: per-domain database filenames" by @mapachehere as well.

Hey Fediverse! 👋

We’ve been quiet… but not idle. Forget waiting for long blog posts, time for micro updates.

Today’s news:

We’ve got a few BadgeFed instances live and federating! 🏅

To make it happen, we did a hardcore backend rewrite to support multiple domains on a single machine.
For most, it’s a niche cost-saving move, but it might be useful for others too. Under the hood: each domain runs its own SQLite DB, with backups in place.

But this isn’t just about the tech, the fun part is seeing multiple BadgeFed servers talking to each other (!!). Follow them, check the thread, boost it, and watch for more as they come online!

You can read the article "BadgeFed Update: Multiple Instances Online!" by @mapachehere as well.

Hey Fediverse! 👋

We’ve been quiet… but not idle. Forget waiting for long blog posts, time for micro updates.

Today’s news:

We’ve got a few BadgeFed instances live and federating! 🏅

To make it happen, we did a hardcore backend rewrite to support multiple domains on a single machine.
For most, it’s a niche cost-saving move, but it might be useful for others too. Under the hood: each domain runs its own SQLite DB, with backups in place.

But this isn’t just about the tech, the fun part is seeing multiple BadgeFed servers talking to each other (!!). Follow them, check the thread, boost it, and watch for more as they come online!

You can read the article "BadgeFed Update: Multiple Instances Online!" by @mapachehere as well.

@zkat just brainstorming a bit here, and in no way experienced with the cryptography concepts involved. So maybe just silly thoughts..

I always wondered why #OpenBadges are so often associated with the narrow field of education. They have broad applicability. Maybe bending them a bit for different use cases as the ones you think about may be possible? Have that technology base as starting point. There's an #ActivityPub fedi project called @badgefed too.

https://openbadges.org

I'm nearly ready to launch a public invite-only #BadgeFed instance. I'm offering free access to nonprofit and volunteer organizations in exchange for a few months of feedback. I am looking probably 2-3 organizations.

If your group wants to test Open Badges (aka open credentials, badges, verification) issuance, help shape early features, and influence a community‑focused/fediverse enabled credentialing platform, please reply or reach out!

Thanks for boosting to increase reach!

- @badgefed
#OpenBadges#NonprofitTech#AskFedi#BadgeFed

I'm nearly ready to launch a public invite-only #BadgeFed instance. I'm offering free access to nonprofit and volunteer organizations in exchange for a few months of feedback. I am looking probably 2-3 organizations.

If your group wants to test Open Badges (aka open credentials, badges, verification) issuance, help shape early features, and influence a community‑focused/fediverse enabled credentialing platform, please reply or reach out!

Thanks for boosting to increase reach!

- @badgefed
#OpenBadges#NonprofitTech#AskFedi#BadgeFed

After a few rough weeks where I did not know if I would be still employed afterwards, I survived, and it is shitty and everything, but I got some energy for my personal projects.

I started today with addressing feedback from @andypiper to embed badges from #badgefed into your own sites.

#openbadges #opensource #badgefed #activitypub

After a few rough weeks where I did not know if I would be still employed afterwards, I survived, and it is shitty and everything, but I got some energy for my personal projects.

I started today with addressing feedback from @andypiper to embed badges from #badgefed into your own sites.

#openbadges #opensource #badgefed #activitypub

Hey Fediverse! 👋

We just wrapped up an amazing FediForum June 2025 a week ago, and BadgeFed was right in the thick of it! Here’s a recap of what we did, what we learned, and what’s next for decentralized badges.

BadgeFed at FediForum: Unconferences & Speed Demos

BadgeFed had the honor of presenting and hosting two unconference sessions and showing off our work in one speed demo slots (watch the demo). The energy was fantastic; lots of curiosity, sharp questions, and a real hunger for open standards in the credentialing space.

Community Feedback: Standards, Docs, and Openness

A big theme at FediForum was specs and open standards. We’re right there with you! That’s why we’ve enhanced our technical documentation to explain exactly how BadgeFed uses ActivityPub and OpenBadges together:

• Issuers are ActivityPub actors, each instance can federate and follow others.
• Badges are ActivityPub Notes with OpenBadge 2.1 attachments for maximum compatibility and verifiability.
• Strict linking between issuer and badge, and between badge and recipient, to prevent spoofing.
• Signature validation for both ActivityPub and OpenBadge data.
• Federation: badges propagate via follows, and a special announcer actor helps with discoverability.
• Comments and interactions: badges can be discussed and shared across the Fediverse.

Read more in our DETAILS.md.

Making BadgeFed Easier to Try

We heard you: people want to try BadgeFed! Right now, it’s a solo setup (one admin, one Docker container), but we’re working hard to make it easier for others to deploy, configure, and even federate their own instances. Stay tuned for updates on multi-admin support and streamlined onboarding.

Feedback: Discoverability vs. Spam

One of the most important pieces of feedback we received was about badge discoverability vs. timeline spam (see the issue). We want badges to be easy to find and share, but we also don’t want to flood the Fediverse with unwanted posts. This is now our top priority, we’re rethinking how verbose BadgeFed should be, and exploring opt-in/opt-out models for badge visibility and hashtag use.

What’s Next: Embedding & Profile Badges

We’re also working on ways to let you embed badges in your blog or add them to your Mastodon profile. More news on that soon!

FediForum was a fantastic experience, huge thanks to everyone who attended, gave feedback, and showed interest in decentralized credentials. Let’s keep building a more open, verifiable, and user-empowered Fediverse!

Badge up, and see you in the timeline! 🏅

You can read the article "BadgeFed @ FediForum June 2025: Unconferences, Demos, and Community Feedback" by @mapachehere as well.

Hey Fediverse! 👋

We just wrapped up an amazing FediForum June 2025 a week ago, and BadgeFed was right in the thick of it! Here’s a recap of what we did, what we learned, and what’s next for decentralized badges.

BadgeFed at FediForum: Unconferences & Speed Demos

BadgeFed had the honor of presenting and hosting two unconference sessions and showing off our work in one speed demo slots (watch the demo). The energy was fantastic; lots of curiosity, sharp questions, and a real hunger for open standards in the credentialing space.

Community Feedback: Standards, Docs, and Openness

A big theme at FediForum was specs and open standards. We’re right there with you! That’s why we’ve enhanced our technical documentation to explain exactly how BadgeFed uses ActivityPub and OpenBadges together:

• Issuers are ActivityPub actors, each instance can federate and follow others.
• Badges are ActivityPub Notes with OpenBadge 2.1 attachments for maximum compatibility and verifiability.
• Strict linking between issuer and badge, and between badge and recipient, to prevent spoofing.
• Signature validation for both ActivityPub and OpenBadge data.
• Federation: badges propagate via follows, and a special announcer actor helps with discoverability.
• Comments and interactions: badges can be discussed and shared across the Fediverse.

Read more in our DETAILS.md.

Making BadgeFed Easier to Try

We heard you: people want to try BadgeFed! Right now, it’s a solo setup (one admin, one Docker container), but we’re working hard to make it easier for others to deploy, configure, and even federate their own instances. Stay tuned for updates on multi-admin support and streamlined onboarding.

Feedback: Discoverability vs. Spam

One of the most important pieces of feedback we received was about badge discoverability vs. timeline spam (see the issue). We want badges to be easy to find and share, but we also don’t want to flood the Fediverse with unwanted posts. This is now our top priority, we’re rethinking how verbose BadgeFed should be, and exploring opt-in/opt-out models for badge visibility and hashtag use.

What’s Next: Embedding & Profile Badges

We’re also working on ways to let you embed badges in your blog or add them to your Mastodon profile. More news on that soon!

FediForum was a fantastic experience, huge thanks to everyone who attended, gave feedback, and showed interest in decentralized credentials. Let’s keep building a more open, verifiable, and user-empowered Fediverse!

Badge up, and see you in the timeline! 🏅

You can read the article "BadgeFed @ FediForum June 2025: Unconferences, Demos, and Community Feedback" by @mapachehere as well.

BadgeFed Unconference Participant – FediForum June 2025

The verified Badge was issued to @Tim Chambers

This badge recognizes active participation in the BadgeFed Unconference session held during FediForum's June 2025 event. BadgeFed is an initiative dedicated to exploring and advancing decentralized digital credentials within the Fediverse. This session brought together innovators, educators, enthusiasts, curious raccoons, and technologists to collaboratively shape the future of open badges and verifiable credentials in decentralized networks.

Earning Criteria: To earn this badge, participants must have: * Attended the BadgeFed Unconference session at FediForum June 2025. * Actively engaging by asking questions, commenting, leading discussions, or engaging meaningfully in collaborative activities. * Demonstrated a commitment to advancing decentralized credentialing systems within the open social web..
Issued on: 06/09/2025 20:49:45
Accepted On: 06/09/2025 23:08:13

Verify the Badge here.

#badgefed #openbadges

BadgeFed Unconference Participant – FediForum June 2025

The verified Badge was issued to @Tim Chambers

This badge recognizes active participation in the BadgeFed Unconference session held during FediForum's June 2025 event. BadgeFed is an initiative dedicated to exploring and advancing decentralized digital credentials within the Fediverse. This session brought together innovators, educators, enthusiasts, curious raccoons, and technologists to collaboratively shape the future of open badges and verifiable credentials in decentralized networks.

Earning Criteria: To earn this badge, participants must have: * Attended the BadgeFed Unconference session at FediForum June 2025. * Actively engaging by asking questions, commenting, leading discussions, or engaging meaningfully in collaborative activities. * Demonstrated a commitment to advancing decentralized credentialing systems within the open social web..
Issued on: 06/09/2025 20:49:45
Accepted On: 06/09/2025 23:08:13

Verify the Badge here.

#badgefed #openbadges

Okay, okay then 😜

Inspired by @dajb I will use 'Social verifiable credentials' as the category for #BadgeFed in the new taxonomy I am creating for delightful-fediverse-apps curated list. Which I am in the process of giving a complete makeover and revitalization. Hope to have it live soon

https://delightful.coding.social/delightful_fediverse_apps

PS. Was also talking badges & credentials with @RyunoKi today, regarding #Keyoxide roadmap.

#ActivityPub#OpenBadges#SocialVerifiableCredentials

Nice, I hope so too. PS. On fedi there's also @dajb who is an absolute expert on the subject of #OpenBadges and related subject matter and use cases.

BadgeFed Unconference Participant – FediForum June 2025

The verified Badge was issued to @Johannes Ernst

This badge recognizes active participation in the BadgeFed Unconference session held during FediForum's June 2025 event. BadgeFed is an initiative dedicated to exploring and advancing decentralized digital credentials within the Fediverse. This session brought together innovators, educators, enthusiasts, curious raccoons, and technologists to collaboratively shape the future of open badges and verifiable credentials in decentralized networks.

Earning Criteria: To earn this badge, participants must have: * Attended the BadgeFed Unconference session at FediForum June 2025. * Actively engaging by asking questions, commenting, leading discussions, or engaging meaningfully in collaborative activities. * Demonstrated a commitment to advancing decentralized credentialing systems within the open social web..
Issued on: 06/07/2025 20:23:27
Accepted On: 06/08/2025 04:26:28

Verify the Badge here.

#badgefed #openbadges #fediforum #fediverse #activitypub

As far as I can tell, there are zero Open Source implementations of OpenBadges v3 for PHP or Python (and only a few outdated/broken ones for v2).

Looks like there's only one for npm (which, to be fair, looks comprehensive).

#OpenBadges#PHP#Python