Keybase
Popularized proving your accounts with a key.
Acquired by Zoom in 2020 and left to stagnate. Proofs are tied to keybase.io.
RealHandles vs Keybase and Keyoxide
If you remember Keybase, this is the idea done in a way that outlives any one company. Prove your accounts with a key only you hold, no PGP required.
Keyoxide
The open, decentralized successor. PGP and no-PGP (ASP) profiles.
Built for people who already think in key fingerprints.
A platform badge
The blue tick, granted by the platform.
Can be bought, can be revoked, and it does not travel.
RealHandles keeps Keybase's ease of use and Keyoxide's durability: a readable handle and a public directory instead of a key fingerprint, one-click OAuth verification, and avatars. Then it adds the parts that were missing.
- An Emergency Kit you set up in advance, so losing your key is survivable.
- Key rotation that carries your identity forward.
- A hash-linked history timestamped into Bitcoin, so nothing can be rewritten or backdated, including by us.
| RealHandles | Keybase | Keyoxide | Platform badge | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Actively developed | Yes | Acquired by Zoom in 2020, unmaintained | Yes, open source | Yes |
| Your key is the identity | Ed25519, made in your browser | Yes | Yes, PGP or ASP key | The platform owns it |
| Works if the service shuts down | Your proof is a portable signed file | Proofs live on keybase.io | Proofs live in your key | Tied to the platform |
| Easy setup, one-click OAuth | OAuth plus bio or post tokens | Was beginner-friendly | ASP needs no PGP; proofs are manual, no OAuth | Nothing to set up |
| Verify many account types | OAuth, post, bio, and domains | OAuth and posts | Manual claims in your key | The platform decides |
| Host your proof anywhere | Any URL you control | Only on keybase.io | Keyserver or profile page | No portable proof |
| Recover a lost key | An Emergency Kit you set up in advance | Depended on Keybase | Lose the key, lose the profile | The platform decides |
| Rotate your key, keep the identity | Old key signs the handoff | No | Manual, via a new key | Not applicable |
| Tamper-evident, dated history | Hash-linked chain, timestamped into Bitcoin | Sigchain, but hosted by Keybase | No history | No |
| Standard DID (did:key / did:web) | Yes | No | No | No |
| Public directory and trust score | Yes | Had a directory | No | No |
| Cost | Free | Free | Free | Often paid |