Open Badge 3.0 (OB3) Credentials

Time to read: 6 minutes

Overview

Open Badge 3.0 (OB3) is a global open standard for digital credentials published by 1EdTech (formerly IMS Global). When OB3 is enabled for your organization, every credential you issue can be downloaded as a cryptographically signed OB3 credential — a portable, machine-verifiable file that recipients can share with employers, LinkedIn, and badge platforms.

What recipients get: A .jwt file containing a signed credential that proves their credential is authentic and was issued by your organization. The credential can be verified with any OB3-compatible tool.

Requires: Pro plan

How It Works

1. A Pro admin enables OB3 in Settings → Customization
2. Optionally, a criteria narrative is added per credential category
3. Recipients visit your public verify page for any credential
4. An "Download OB3 Badge" button appears — clicking it downloads a signed .jwt file
5. Recipients can verify the credential with online tools or share it on compatible platforms

Part 1: Enable OB3 for Your Organization

Requires: Admin role and Pro plan

1. Go to Settings → Customization (or https://app.certlister.com/settings?tab=customization)
2. Scroll to the Open Badge (OB3) section
3. Toggle Enable Open Badge 3.0 credentials to on
4. Save your settings

Once enabled, the OB3 download button appears automatically on every credential's verify page. No other configuration is required.

Note: If your organization is on a Free or Basic plan, the OB3 toggle is locked. Upgrade at https://app.certlister.com/billing to access this feature.

Part 2: Add Criteria Narrative per Category (Optional)

The criteria narrative describes what a recipient must have done to earn a credential in a given category. It is embedded in the OB3 credential and visible to verifiers on badge platforms.

Example criteria: "Recipients of this badge have successfully completed the Python Training program delivered by Acme Corp and demonstrated proficiency in Python programming fundamentals."

How to Add a Criteria Narrative

1. Go to Categories in the left navigation
2. Click Edit on the category you want to update
3. The Open Badge Criteria section appears at the bottom of the dialog (only visible when OB3 is enabled for your org)
4. Choose a preset to auto-fill a template, or write your own narrative
5. Click Save

Preset templates are available for common scenarios. Presets use {category} and {org} as placeholders that are automatically filled with your category name and organization name when you select them. You can edit the text after selecting a preset.

If no criteria narrative is set for a category, the credential is still valid — the criteria field will simply be omitted from the badge.

Part 3: Recipients — Downloading an OB3 Badge

Recipients do not need a CertLister account. They can download their OB3 badge directly from the public verify page.

1. Visit the credential's verify page (e.g., https://certlister.com/verify/your-org/?cert=CERT-001)
2. Click Download OB3 Badge in the footer area of the page
3. A .jwt file downloads automatically
4. The file can be shared with employers, uploaded to badge platforms, or verified with online tools

Part 4: Verifying an OB3 Credential

Online — vc.1ed.tech (Recommended)

The official 1EdTech validator supports OB3 JWT credentials directly.

1. Go to https://vc.1ed.tech
2. Select Upload file and choose the .jwt file
3. The validator checks the cryptographic signature, issuer DID, and credential structure
4. A green result confirms the credential is valid and untampered

Other Verification Tools

Credential Format

CertLister OB3 credentials are:

• Format: JWT (JSON Web Token), signed with RS256
• Standard: Open Badges 3.0 (1EdTech)
• DID: did:web:app.certlister.com:api:v1:public:organizations:{orgId}
• File extension: .jwt

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between an OB3 badge and a PDF credential?

A: The PDF credential is a printable document for formal use (framing, printing, email attachment). The OB3 badge is a machine-readable digital credential — a cryptographically signed file that proves authenticity and can be verified programmatically or submitted to badge platforms.

Q: jwt.io shows "Unable to retrieve public key from issuer" — is the credential broken?

A: No. jwt.io expects the iss (issuer) field to be a standard HTTPS URL pointing to an OIDC discovery endpoint. CertLister uses a did:web DID as the issuer, which is the correct OB3 format but not what jwt.io expects. Use vc.1ed.tech to properly validate OB3 credentials — it supports DID-based issuers natively.

Q: Can recipients add the badge to LinkedIn?

A: LinkedIn's native "Add to Profile" badge flow requires a Credly or Acclaim issuer integration. CertLister OB3 credentials are not currently integrated with LinkedIn's badge import. Recipients can link to their verify page on LinkedIn manually.

Q: Can recipients add the badge to a mobile wallet app?

A: Not currently. Mobile wallet apps like the Learner Credential Wallet (LCW) require OID4VCI QR code scanning or JSON-LD format for import. CertLister issues JWT-VC format credentials which are not compatible with LCW's file import or paste options. Wallet claiming via QR code is planned for a future release.

Q: Does every credential get an OB3 badge automatically?

A: Yes — once OB3 is enabled for your organization, the download button appears on the verify page for all credentials, including ones issued before you enabled OB3.

Q: What happens to OB3 badges if I downgrade from Pro?

A: The OB3 toggle is disabled on non-Pro plans. The download button will no longer appear on the verify page. Previously issued .jwt files that recipients have already downloaded remain valid — they are cryptographically signed and do not expire.

Q: Can I customize what appears in the OB3 credential?

A: The credential includes your organization's name, logo URL, credential title, recipient name, issue date, expiry date (if set), and the criteria narrative (if set on the category). The credential format follows the OB3 standard — the fields are fixed by the specification.

Q: Is the criteria narrative required?

A: No. It is optional. If no criteria narrative is set for a category, the credential is still generated and fully valid. Adding a criteria narrative makes the badge more meaningful to verifiers and badge platforms that display criteria.

Troubleshooting

The OB3 download button does not appear on the verify page

Check:

1. Your organization is on the Pro plan
2. OB3 is enabled in Settings → Customization — the toggle must be on
3. Hard-refresh the verify page (Ctrl+Shift+R or Cmd+Shift+R) to clear any cached page

The OB3 toggle in Settings is locked

Cause: Your organization is on the Free or Basic plan.

Solution: Upgrade at https://app.certlister.com/billing

vc.1ed.tech shows the credential as invalid

Possible causes:

The criteria narrative is not visible in the category dialog

Cause: OB3 is not enabled for your organization. The criteria narrative section only appears in the category dialog when OB3 is on.

Solution: Enable OB3 in Settings → Customization first.