Academic Certificate Verification using Blockchain Technology

Abstract

Verifying certificates is essential for ensuring the authenticity and integrity of academic credentials. Traditional systems are prone to vulnerabilities, including data misuse and forgery, necessitating the adoption of more secure digital solutions. This project leverages blockchain technology on the Ethereum platform, chosen for its secure smart contracts and widespread adoption, and the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to provide a decentralized and tamper-proof framework for certificate validation. Blockchain-based hashing techniques are employed to confirm the legitimacy of certificates, while IPFS enables secure off-chain storage of large certificate files. This hybrid approach reduces storage requirements by storing only certificate hashes on-chain while using IPFS for storing large files, ensuring efficiency. The system stores certificate data on IPFS, generating a unique hash recorded on the Ethereum blockchain. By combining Ethereum’s decentralized ledger with IPFS’s distributed file storage, the proposed solution enhances transparency, reduces the risk of forgery, and offers a scalable and efficient method for verifying academic certificates.