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HeartBadge docs

How It Works

The badge carries its own proof. No server required. Verify offline in under 500ms.

From the outside, HeartBadge is simple: scan, verify, go. No internet needed.

The reason it's simple is because the complexity moved from "ask a server" to "carry the proof." Every badge carries everything the reader needs to verify it. No round trip. No API latency. No network dependency. This page walks through how that works, and links out to the places where each step is documented in detail.

Step 1

Badge Carries Proof

Your badge includes a BEEF payload — the transaction, its history, its proofs, its headers. Everything needed to verify validity.

Step 2

Reader Verifies Locally

The reader checks the block header chain, verifies a Merkle proof, confirms data validity. All locally, no server call.

Step 3

Access Granted

Sub-500ms verification. No "try again." No network dependency. Just access.

Why This Matters

Works Everywhere

Festivals, transit, venues, packed crowds. Places where the internet fails. HeartBadge still works.

The Breakthrough: SPV + BEEF

Most systems ask. HeartBadge proves. Here's the technical foundation:

  • SPV (Simplified Payment Verification). Instead of running a full blockchain node, the reader verifies your badge using just the header chain and a Merkle proof. This is how Bitcoin payments work. We applied it to identity.
  • BEEF Payloads. Your badge doesn't ask for proof — it contains the proof. The BEEF payload includes the transaction, its history, its proofs, and its headers. Everything needed to verify it is bundled with the badge.
  • No Trust Required. The reader doesn't trust you, the badge, or a server. Cryptographic verification is what allows access.

Why This Matters in the Real World

Ticketing systems, transit access, event entry — all break the same way: when there's congestion or no signal. HeartBadge doesn't.

  • 50,000 people at a festival. Network can't handle the load. HeartBadge verifies offline. You get in.
  • 5,000 people at a subway station. Sub-second latency is non-negotiable. HeartBadge verifies in under 500ms. You move through.
  • Venue with bad Wi-Fi. Signal drops during the show. HeartBadge still works. You stay in.
  • Remote area, no signal at all. HeartBadge works offline by design. You're verified.

What the badge carries

The badge holds five registers. Each one is a different piece of proof:

  • Identity. A 20-digit, Luhn-checksummed identifier. Safe to share. Verifiable offline. See Badge Identifier.
  • Ownership. Proof that you own this badge, derived from your identity key. Verified by the reader.
  • Status. Your multiplier — the product of when you arrived and how often you show up. Determines your earning potential. See What Is HRTB.
  • Proofs. Attestations that you were at an event, completed a quest, or co-signed presence with another member. Travel with the badge. Verifiable offline. See SPV and Offline.
  • Communication Surface. Your badge identity is your messagebox identity. Members can reach you via authenticated messages. See Horizon.

After verification

Once you're verified, the normal flow begins. You participate, accumulate rewards, watch your status rise. The badge compound. Cards frame, wristbands fray. Badges stay.

And because the proof travels with the badge, that history is always verifiable — offline, anywhere, years later.

Next steps