---
title: "pallet-identity Reference"
description: "The People Chain identity record associated with a PoP account — what it stores, how it relates to aliases, and how a Product reads from it."
categories: "Apps, Reference"
url: "https://developers.polkadot.com/reference/apps/infrastructure/pop/pallet-identity/"
word_count: 529
token_estimate: 913
version_hash: "sha256:5ed066b7411249984e3b194a7b2ea3d482f7ef5f5e48878e0b311c86411635ab"
last_updated: "2026-11-13T11:04:04+00:00"
---

# `pallet-identity`

## Introduction

`pallet-identity` is the People Chain pallet that holds the on-chain identity record associated with an account. It is not part of the alias machinery (aliases live in `pallet-people`); it is the place where a verified account's _direct_ identity — the fields associated with the account itself, not its per-context pseudonyms — lives.

For Product developers, the distinction matters: most personhood-gated flows reach for aliases (`under_alias`, `getAnonymousAlias`) because aliases preserve unlinkability. `pallet-identity` is the relevant pallet when the Product genuinely needs to read or write the user's _direct_ identity record — for example, to display a username the user has explicitly set on their account.

:::caution[Provisional]
The exact dispatch surface of `pallet-identity` on the current build — the supported identity fields, the extrinsics that set them, and the verification rules — is still being finalized. This page documents the conceptual responsibilities; per-extrinsic specifics will be added once confirmed.
:::

## What the Pallet Records

An identity record typically contains:

- **A username**: The human-readable name the user has set on their account, useful for display in cases where the user has opted in to a public-facing handle.
- **Display fields**: Additional administrative or display-oriented fields the user has chosen to associate with their account on-chain.
- **Verification metadata**: Markers indicating which of the fields have been verified by an authorized verifier, if applicable.

The fields are public — anyone reading chain state can see them. The user is the only party that can write to their own record (subject to the standard signing model).

## Identity vs. Aliases

A useful framing for picking the right pallet:

| You need to…                                                                    | Use…                                                                  |
|:--------------------------------------------------------------------------------|:----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Recognize "the same real person" in your Product without revealing who they are | An _alias_ from `pallet-people`                                       |
| Display a username the user has chosen publicly                                 | `pallet-identity`'s username field                                    |
| Check whether a user is a verified person (yes/no, not who)                     | A Ring-VRF proof from `pallet-people`                                 |
| Display the user's verified display name in a public context                    | `pallet-identity` fields                                              |
| Gate access on personhood                                                       | `under_alias` against a PoP pallet                                    |
| Gate access on the specific user behind an alias                                | This is what aliases _cannot_ do — that link is intentionally severed |

## When to Use From a Product

A Product reaches for `pallet-identity` rarely. Most Products preserve unlinkability and never touch the user's direct identity. The pallet is the right tool when:

- The user has opted in to a public-facing presence in your Product context (a profile name, a public display name, a verified-handle badge), and you want to read or set that.
- Your Product bridges to off-chain identity systems that need the user's direct identity rather than a per-Product alias.

When in doubt, prefer aliases — they preserve the privacy default.

## Where to Go Next

<div class="grid cards">

- **pallet-people**

    ---

    The pallet that issues aliases — the unlinkable alternative to direct identity that most Products should prefer.

    [→ Reference](/reference/apps/infrastructure/pop/pallet-people/)

- **Ring-VRF and Aliases**

    ---

    The mechanism that makes aliases unlinkable and why most Product use cases prefer aliases over direct identity reads.

    [→ Reference](/reference/apps/infrastructure/pop/ring-vrf-and-aliases/)

</div>