Project Health

Hyperledger Aries is healthy, seeing lots of activity overall, especially in all of the Aries communities, including Aries Framework JavaScript, Aries Bifold (mobile wallet), Aries Cloud Agent Python, Aries VCX and Aries Framework Go. Lots of progress being made on all of those efforts!

Questions/Issues for the TOC

None.

Releases

The following Aries releases occurred in the last quarter:

• Aries Cloud Agent Python – 0.8.1, 0.8.2, 0.9.0
• Aries Framework JavaScript – v0.4.0, v0.4.1alpha.1-20
• Aries Askar – v0.2.9
• [Aries VCX Releases] – v0.54.0-v0.57.1
• Aries Framework Go – v0.2.0, v0.3.0, v0.3.1,v0.3.2
• Aries Bifold – v0.0.0 - v0.1.0-alpha.53

Interoperability status can be seen here: https://aries-interop.info.

Overall Activity in the Past Quarter

Per the Aries Activity Dashboard for the months of April-June 2023, Aries codebases had 387 PRs (down 12%) from 70 contributors (down 13%).

• There was a lot of activity towards integrating Hyperledger AnonCreds into all of the Aries Frameworks to enable ledger-agnostic implementations, with the Aries Framework JavaScript 0.4.0 as the biggest milestone. Aries Framework JavaScript 0.4.0 includes Aries Askar and the shared components, including Hyperledger AnonCreds, fully integrated, and initial support for OpenID4VCs protocols.
  • Aries Bifold using AFJ 0.4.0 was deployed by adopters with existing implementations built on Aries Framework JavaScript, including push the apps to Apple and Google stores. In the process, existing Mobile Wallets were updated on the fly from using the Indy SDK to using Askar.
  • Instances of Aries Framework JavaScript using non-Indy ledgers were deployed and are being used in live use cases.
  • The Aries Framework JavaScript Team put on a workshop to cover all the new capabilities in Aries Framework JavaScript 0.4.0.
• The move away from the Indy SDK accelerated over the quarter buoyed by the knowledge of the improvements and fixes made in the AnonCreds CL Signatures implementation now that it has been removed from Ursa and moved to AnonCreds. Three of the four Aries implementations (Aries Cloud Agent Python, Aries Framework JavaScript and most recently, Aries VCX) have integrated the shared components in place of the Indy SDK. Aries Framework Go has never supported Indy ledgers.
• Motivated by the deprecation of the Indy SDK, there was maintainer engagement across three of the Aries implementations (Aries Cloud Agent Python, Aries Framework JavaScript and Aries VCX) to increase reusability, maintain interoperability, and expand efforts at eliminating the Indy SDK.
• A new repository — aries-socketdock — will be a key component of a fully scalable Aries mediator deployment. The work by Indicio is a substantial improvement over the current strategy for managing mediator to Mobile Wallet connections using websockets. Next up is using SocketDock in a full mediator deployment.
• The Overlays Capture Architecture (OCA) Aries RFC (“OCA for Aries”) was merged and deployment of the feature expanded to include its use in production apps.

Aries Framework Reports

Aries VCX

• Interop compatibility improvements
  • Initial did-exchange implementation, working interop with aca-py
• Implementation of new components:
  • did_doc - build and work DID documents
  • did_resolver - infrastructure for resolving arbitrary did methods
  • did_parser - parse and build DIDs
  • did_sov, did_web, did:peer - did:sov, did:web, did:peer resolvers
  • indy_ledger_response_parser - data model for indy ledger responses
• Complete transition for anoncreds operations from libindy to credx
• Additional features for indy-vdr integration
  • Pluggable txn submitter (indy-vdr, indy-vdr-proxy, …)
  • Pluggable txn response caching
  • Pluggable txn signing
• 2 projects LFX mentorship program in progress:
  • aries-vcx based mediator service
  • uniffi based mobile wrapper

Aries Framework JavaScript

Aries Framework JavaScript release 0.4.0 was (as noted above) a major milestone. The smooth deployment of AFJ 0.4.0 into Aries Bifold was impressive, especially the seamless upgrade of Mobile Wallets from [Indy SDK ]to Aries Askar storage. The addition of OpenID4VCs exchange protocols expands the use cases for Aries Framework JavaScript. The maintainers of the Aries Framework JavaScript library are looking to coordinate efforts to support the EU’s EUDI/ARF efforts in at least Aries Framework JavaScript and, ideally, all Aries implementations.

Aries Cloud Agent Python

Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py) Release 0.9.0 was an important upgrade that changes the dependency on the now archived Hyperledger Ursa project to its updated, improved replacement, AnonCreds CL Signatures. ACA-Py users are strongly encouraged to use Aries Askar for all deployments, and to eliminate the use of the Indy SDK. An Indy SDK to Askar migration document has been added to the aca-py.org documentation site, and a deprecation warning added to the ACA-Py startup.

Aries Framework Go

There was a significant uptick in activity around Aries Framework Go this quarter. The focus has been on adding support for the proposed SD-JWT verifiable credential approach, as well as updates to the DIF Presentation Exchange implementation, and VC Data Integrity Specification handling.

Current Plans

• Completing the work on eliminating the use of the Indy SDK in favor of the Aries Askar/[Indy VDR]/Hyperledger AnonCreds across frameworks and deployments of those frameworks.
• Continued expansion of features in Aries Bifold mobile wallet apps, including building on the wallet-to-wallet support added in Q1, and expanding support for OCA to enable beautifully displayed credentials.
• Defining and executing a Community Coordinated Update to convert the use of Unqualified DIDs to use did:peer DIDs.
• Explore and implement features aligned with the EUDI/ARF guidelines.

Maintainer Diversity

There are currently 62 people on the 48 Hyperledger Aries teams representing at least 19 organizations.

Contributor Diversity

In 2023Q2 there were contributions from 70 individuals representing at least 18 organizations.

Additional Information

None