Specific technical standards

Specific implementations of OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect 1.0 are used to facilitate an ecosystem in which parties can interact with previously unknown parties. Pre-registration, therefore, is not a prerequisite and this requires alterations to the official standards. Also, for the authentication of parties within an iSHARE (data spaces/network) context, it uses PKI and digital certificates relating to all participating parties.

Technical standards used in iSHARE and configuration aspects

The iSHARE Trust Framework also prescribes various general interface specifications described in the corresponding topic pages. More information on the technical standards can be found in the Knowledge Base.

Technical standard	Character	Description
PKI	Architectural principle	For interoperability on a European scale, all trusted roots under the eIDAS regulation will be trusted within data spaces/iSHARE network.
OAuth 2.0	Open standard for authentication	The OAuth 2.0 subpage describes the generic Authentication flow.
OpenID Connect 1.0	Open standard for authentication of humans	Functions as an additional layer on top of the OAuth 2.0 protocol.
HTTP(S)	Communication protocol	An overview of relevant iSHARE HTTP response codes can be found here.
TLS	Cryptographic protocol	Within data spaces/iSHARE network, TLS 1.2 MUST be used for securing all HTTP communications.
JSON Web Token (JWT)	Open standard for definition of access tokens	A JSON Web Token (JWT) is used in data spaces/ iSHARE network when non-repudiation between parties is required.
XACML 3.0	Access control policy language	Within data spaces/ iSHARE network, a JSON port of XACML 3.0 is used to enable parties to communicate delegation evidence.
Caching	Temporary data storage	In iSHARE, caching is used to optimise API interactions by reducing latency and load on services while ensuring data consistency and security.
DID	Identifier	A Decentralised Identifier (DID) is assigned to legal entities during onboarding in compliance with the iSHARE framework using the did:ishare method.
UTC	Time Format	All dates and times in iSHARE must be communicated in UTC and formatted as Unix timestamps.
X.509	Cryptographic protocol	In iSHARE, X.509 certificates are used for secure identity verification, authentication, and encryption