Traction

Traction Overview

Traction is comprised of plugins layered on top of Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent Python (ACA-Py) and streamlines the process of sending and receiving digital credentials for governments and organizations. Its open source foundation makes it easy to integrate digital trust technology into existing lines of business applications.

Traction front-end and back-end architecture diagram, with roles for Developer, Business and Admin

Benefits and Characteristics

Traction makes it easier to integrate digital trust technology into existing line of business applications.

  • API-first Architecture: Traction is designed with an API-first architecture, this RESTful API allows for integration into existing line-of-business applications already being used by organizations, the Tenant user interface is built on this API to enable adoption prior to integration and for low-use functions.
  • Enhanced Interoperability: Hyperledger Aries makes Traction more broadly compatible with existing technologies used by governments and organizations around the world.
  • Multi-tenancy: Rather than having multiple digital tools to integrate with organizations, one scalable instance of Traction can be used to participate in the digital trust ecosystem, control all connections, and more easily share data.
  • Higher Scalability: Traction is open-source technology, encouraging collaborative refinement, faster release, and higher scalability of the technology.

Open-Source Software

Traction is built using open-source software, maximizing the technology’s potential applications. EMDT chose Hyperledger Aries and Hyperledger Indy to best support self-sovereign identity solutions for business applications.

Hyperledger ACA-Py

Hyperledger Aries Cloud Agent-Python (ACA-Py) is an open source software from the Hyperledger Foundation used to build technology that enables the exchange of digital credentials.

  • Broader Interoperability: Aries is a widely used protocol in digital trust technology. Since any two tools using the same protocol can easily connect, Aries makes Traction highly interoperable with the technological solutions of companies and organizations around the world.
  • Multi-tenant Capacity: ACA-Py is implemented on a cloud-based server, making it possible to manage multiple wallets while using only one Traction instance.
  • Collaborative Refinement: Traction is open-source technology, encouraging collaborative refinement, faster release, and higher scalability of the technology.

Hyperledger Indy

Hyperledger Indy is the distributed ledger technology (DLT) that Hyperledger Aries runs on. DLT is a highly secure distributed database that collects data, information, and transactions.

  • Safer Data Exchange: Blockchain is deliberately designed to be tamper-proof. This means that Hyperledger Indy provides an authoritative source of data (about issuers and schemas, not the Verifiable Credentials themselves) that can be trusted by all participants.

Developer starting points

Visit the Traction repository on GitHub to learn more about Traction and its development.

How Traction enables Sustainability Reporting

Energy & Mines Digital Trust (EMDT) uses Traction to make it easier, safer, and more efficient to share and receive sustainability data, certifications, and credentials via a digital trust ecosystem.  
Initiated by the Government of B.C. in November 2020, EMDT is coordinating several pilots to demonstrate how sustainability reporting can be made more efficient and trustworthy in a digital trust ecosystem. 
 
Learn more about how Traction is used to enable sustainability reporting practices by exploring the EMDT case study.