PoAP

PoAP, short for Proof of Attendance Protocol, is a protocol and platform used to issue verifiable digital badges to attendees of events, primarily within the Ethereum ecosystem. The badges are minted as tokens on an Ethereum-compatible blockchain and are intended to serve as a portable, verifiable record of attendance that can be displayed in wallets and other interfaces.

In operation, event organizers create a PoAP event on the PoAP platform, providing details such as the event name, date, and description. Attendees participate by connecting a blockchain wallet and proving attendance, after which a unique badge NFT is minted and assigned to the attendee’s address. The token’s metadata typically includes event information and a badge image, with assets commonly stored on decentralized storage services such as IPFS.

PoAP badges are designed to be non-financial and, in many cases, non-transferable by design, preserving their status as attendance proofs rather than tradable assets. The system emphasizes verifiability and provenance; tokens are publicly visible on the blockchain, and issuing organizers can audit who received a badge.

Usage and impact: PoAP has been adopted by numerous conferences, meetups, hackathons, and online events in the Ethereum and broader blockchain community. The badges provide a low-friction way to recognize participation and to enable communities to build long-term reputational signals. Potential considerations include privacy, centralization risk in the issuing platform, and the evolving discussion around non-transferability and governance.