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Version: v3.x.x

Use Cases

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Developers can leverage the Lit Network to build decentralized applications with programmable keys at their core. Possible use cases include:

Decentralized Access Control

The Lit Network can be used to introduce private and permissioned data to the open web through threshold encryption, addressing the “public-by-default” nature of blockchains and public storage networks like IPFS.

Encrypting your data with Lit is simple and a completely client-side operation. In order to decrypt, users have to meet the (access control conditions) you set. Some possible use cases for decentralized access control include:

  1. Encrypted wallet-based messaging: Secure wallet-to-wallet communication. Examples.

  2. User-owned social and identity graphs (“self-sovereign data”): Empower users with full control over how their data is managed on the Web. Examples.

  3. Credential-gated spaces: Use token and credential ownership as “keys” to accessing exclusive spaces, content, and experiences. Examples.

  4. Mempool encryption: This technique can be used to conceal transaction data from Searchers and Block Builders and mitigate the negative externalities of MEV.

  5. Private NFTs: Release NFTs with private embedded content that can only be accessed by the NFT owner themselves.

  6. Open data marketplaces: Open data marketplaces facilitate the exchange of data between individuals and organizations, allowing users to buy, sell, or share information in a permissioned yet transparent manner. These systems promote data-driven innovation by making diverse datasets accessible to researchers, developers, and businesses, while also providing data creators with full control over how their data is used and managed. Examples.

Programmable Signing and User Wallets

Interrelated but distinct from Lit’s decentralized encryption capabilities is the ability to generate programmable keys for non-custodial user onboarding and serverless signing. Some potential use cases include:

  1. Event listening and condition-based transaction execution: Automate transactions with condition-based execution, enabling use cases such as on-chain limit orders, recurring payments, and more. Example.

  2. Native cross-chain messaging and swaps: Transfer assets and data across blockchain networks without relying on a trusted intermediary or centralized asset bridge. Example.

  3. Seed-phraseless user onboarding and web2 authentication flows (such as SMS, Discord oAuth, Passkeys): Create easier onboarding experiences for non-crypto native users using familiar sign-on methods and session keys, while providing the full web3 capabilities of an EOA. Examples.

  4. Automated verifiable credential issuance: Automate credential issuance with prgrammable signing. Example.

  5. Enterprise signed data applications: There are numerous use cases for cryptographically-verifiable “signed data” in institutional and enterprise environments, such as using digital signatures to authenticate and track goods in physical supply chains. Generating signed proofs over arbitrary Web data: Using digital signatures to verify the provenance and integrity of data sourced from various locations on the open web. Example.

  6. Backup, recovery, and progressive self custody for account abstraction (AA): Use Lit to configure robust backup and recovery solutions for AA wallets (such as multi-factor authentication or social recovery methods), helping users avoid the loss of access to their assets due to lost or compromised keys. Get started.

Additional Resources

You can find even more examples, ideas, and resources here.

Have an idea for a project? Get in touch!