A full-stack dApp for issuing, managing, and verifying academic credentials as Soulbound Tokens (ERC-5192) on Ethereum.

credencea/
├── contract/     # Hardhat project — Solidity smart contract
└── frontend/     # Vite + React + TypeScript dApp

• Node.js >= 18
• An Alchemy or Infura API key (for Sepolia)
• A funded Sepolia wallet (get ETH from https://sepoliafaucet.com)

cd contract
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Fill in .env with your PRIVATE_KEY and ALCHEMY_API_KEY

npx hardhat compile

npx hardhat test

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.ts --network sepolia

Copy the deployed contract address into frontend/.env.

• Node.js >= 18
• A Reown (WalletConnect) Project ID — get one free at https://cloud.reown.com
• A Pinata API key — get one at https://pinata.cloud
• Deployed contract address from above

cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Fill in all values in .env

npm run dev

npm run build

• Public institution application form: /onboard
• Application status lookup: /onboard/status
• Owner review queue: /admin/applications

The onboarding API lives under frontend/api/onboard/*.

• POST /api/onboard accepts public institution applications.
• GET /api/onboard?wallet=0x... returns the application status history for a wallet.
• GET /api/onboard returns the queue consumed by the admin panel.
• POST /api/onboard/review records approvals and rejections.

Approval security:

• Approvals are only recorded after the API verifies a successful on-chain addInstitution(...) transaction from the current contract owner.
• Rejections require an owner wallet signature.

Persistence:

• If CREDENCEA_REST_API_KV_REST_API_URL and CREDENCEA_REST_API_KV_REST_API_TOKEN are set, the API stores applications in the configured Vercel KV / Upstash Redis instance.
• Otherwise it falls back to a local JSON file in /tmp, which is useful for local development but not durable across serverless cold starts.

• ERC-5192 Soulbound Tokens — non-transferable, permanently tied to student wallets
• Multi-institution — owner whitelists authorized issuer institutions
• Self-serve institution onboarding — institutions apply from a public form, the owner reviews a queue, then activates approved wallets on-chain
• IPFS metadata — certificate data stored on IPFS via Pinata, hash on-chain
• QR code verification — every certificate gets a verifiable QR link
• Revocation — institutions can revoke certificates (e.g. on misconduct)
• Mobile-friendly — responsive UI with Tailwind CSS v4 + shadcn/ui
• Wallet connect — ReownAppKit supports MetaMask, WalletConnect, Coinbase Wallet