--- sidebar_position: 1 --- # Why We Exist EAS is an infrastructure public good for making attestations onchain or offchain about anything. It's the base layer for attesting. Seems abstract right? That's because it is. It might not be obvious why this is valuable, so it's helpful to learn why EAS was built. ## It's helpful to know the origin. ### We all expect more from decentralization. When Ethereum first came out, there were all these grand visions to build a decentralized future for everything. Digital identities, reputation, land registries, supply chain provenance, voting, schools, and so much more. We wanted to decentralize it all. Yet, nearly a decade in, we've done amazing in financial sectors like Defi, but we've stumbled elsewhere. Especially in the quest to unravel digital identity. ### The ecosystem is fragmented. Imagine you have thousands of puzzle pieces scattered across the table. Each piece holds a tiny portion of the larger image. This is the current state of digital identity: fragmented, scattered, and often confusing. With so many protocols and platforms, each holding a bit of our identity, it's hard to see the complete picture. We need to bring these pieces together in a universal way. The quest for digital identity has been relentless and challenging. This ignited a fundamental question in us: What, at its core, is identity? ### Rethinking identity. Identity isn't about documents, cards, or credentials. It's a story. To break this complex topic down we asked... What was your first identity? At one point in your life you didn't have an identity and then you did. So what happened? We realized that when you're born, your mother named you. You can say, she attested to your name. From then on, life became a series of attestations— the doctor attested to your date of birth, the government attests to your passport, you go to school and the teacher attests to your grades, you attest to the friends that you like and the pizza you love most, you graduate and the university attests to your degree, your employer attests to your employment, and the list goes on. At every step of our lives, from our birth to our careers, there are attestations: statements made about us and that we make about others that shape our identity. It's these small threads, these attestations, that weave the fabric of our identity. ### Building the Base Layer What we need is a foundational layer for these attestations and puzzle pieces to come together. A protocol that allows for verifying anything and everything. And from this aggregation of attestations, we can naturally and elegantly derive our digital identity and much more. ### We need to be able to attest about anything. Digital identities as a collection of attestations — it almost seems so obvious. But it doesn't end at people. Every interaction, every transaction, every trust placed is underpinned by an attestation, many yet to be digitized. Anytime an entity needs to attest or assert the truth about something, attestations will play a role. Think: Compliance, Proof of X, Verifications, Voting, Reviews, Knowledge Graphs, Oracles, Provenance, Ownership, Prediction Markets, Authenticity of Content, and more. ### Give people choice. Let's face it, everyone has a preference. Trust varies; it's deeply personal and nuanced. A casual assurance from a friend might be all some need, while others seek endless evidence. True trustworthiness, then, needs to be adaptable, transparent, and inclusive. As we strive for a decentralized world, the bedrock of our efforts should be a solid foundation of trust. Ethereum, with its inherent qualities of decentralization, immutability, authenticity, and verifiable timestamps, emerges as this very foundation. But to truly empower individuals and entities with choice, we need a unified method for attestations—one that helps bring clarity and options to the table. Consider a simple loan example. An IOU scribbled on a napkin between friends could hold as much weight as a bank's meticulous documentation. Both avenues lead to the same end—a loan—but the journey there is molded by the level of trust between the parties. This accentuates the crucial need for a dependable layer of trust. ## Where we're heading. ### A more trustful online & onchain world. In our new world, identity is no longer a jigsaw puzzle scattered across platforms. It is an organized, verified, and respected aggregate of attestations. EAS brings us a future where identity and verification move beyond just people. Everything, from art and content to events and products, has a clear, verifiable story. EAS ensures that every piece of information, every attestation, finds its rightful place in the digital realm. It's about shaping a future that is transparent, trusted, and truly interconnected. ### Why this matters to devs. Developers are the architects of our digital world. But constructing in a fragmented landscape is challenging. EAS offers devs a unified protocol, simplifying the complexities around structured and verifiable data. Instead of navigating through an endless list of solutions, developers now have a reliable, credibly neutral, and flexible infrastructure, making integration and scalability simpler. With EAS, they have the tools to create a more interconnected, trustworthy, and efficient digital space. ### Why this matters to product & non-technical builders. For those shaping products and solutions, understanding attestations is crucial. EAS offers an intuitive way to harness the power of attestations. EAS provides a consistent foundation to build upon, ensuring that products are not just user-friendly but also robust in managing and verifying digital identities. It paves the way for innovative solutions that were previously unimaginable, making the digital experience richer and more authentic for users.