User Identity & Profiles

Status: 🗓️ Planned · Priority: High · Created: 2026-03-16 · Tags: identity, profiles

Overview

Users need a persistent identity without a centralized account system. Each user generates a cryptographic keypair locally. Their public key serves as their unique ID. Users can edit their profile (name, bio, tags).

Design

Identity: Ed25519 keypair generated via Web Crypto API, stored in IndexedDB
User ID: Base58-encoded public key (short, URL-safe)
Profile fields: name (display name), bio (short text), tags (array of categorized tags)
Tags structure: { category: string, value: string } — e.g. { category: "location", value: "Berlin" }, { category: "expertise", value: "UX Design" }
Tag categories: location, interest, expertise (extensible)
Signing: Profile updates are signed with private key (used for server writes; P2P messages use connection identity)
Storage: Profile stored locally in IndexedDB; shared with peers on connect
Discovery: Deferred. Tags are stored locally and exchanged with peers, but there is no directory server for searching users by tag yet. When added, profiles will already have the right structure (see archived spec 007)

Profile Schema

interface UserProfile {
  id: string;           // base58(publicKey)
  name: string;
  bio: string;
  tags: Tag[];
  updatedAt: number;    // timestamp
  signature: string;    // signed(hash(profile), privateKey)
}

interface Tag {
  category: 'location' | 'interest' | 'expertise' | string;
  value: string;
}

Plan

Implement keypair generation + storage in IndexedDB
Create profile store (Svelte store backed by IndexedDB)
Build profile edit page (name, bio, tag management)
Implement tag CRUD with category selector
Add profile signing/verification utilities
Profile exchange on peer connect

Test

Keypair persists across page reloads
Profile updates are saved and signed
Tags can be added/removed by category
Profile signature verification works