NuID is an authentication company that lets websites and applications verify users without ever storing their passwords. It replaces the central password database with zero-knowledge proofs, so a breach of the login system has no password hashes to give away.
Its customers are businesses that authenticate customers or employees and want to stop holding credentials, and individuals who want control over which identifying data they share online.
At A Glance
| Vendor | NuID, Inc. |
|---|---|
| Category | Zero-knowledge, passwordless and decentralised authentication |
| Identities covered | Customer and employee user credentials |
| Deployment | SaaS API with client libraries |
| Founded | 2017 |
| Market classification | Identity Verification |
What NuID Does
A database of password hashes is one of the most valuable things an attacker can steal. NuID treats a password as a secret that should not be shared with anyone, NuID included: the user’s device proves knowledge of it, and the service checks the proof. Neither the application nor NuID has to be trusted with the secret.
The approach sits inside existing identity and access management systems, so users keep signing in the way they always have. The public output of each credential is written to a distributed ledger rather than a vendor database.
Products
Trustless Authentication
This is NuID’s main business product, an authentication API sold on subscription that sits behind an organisation’s existing login box. It suits teams that want to stop holding password hashes without rebuilding their sign-in experience.
- The NuID API handles credential registration, challenges and verification
- A customisable login box offers password, email and WebAuthn sign-in
Developer SDKs
Developers integrate NuID through open libraries. An open source Go SDK exposes CredentialCreate, CredentialGet, ChallengeGet and ChallengeVerify, and the @nuid/zk npm package generates verified credentials and proofs in JavaScript. An examples repository shows the integration in several client and server frameworks.
Nu Identity Ecosystem
The ecosystem is aimed at individuals rather than businesses. It carries NuID’s longer-term aim of tying identity to the individual rather than to a particular device. It lets users “choose what identifying data they want to share on the web, and to whom they share it.” It runs on the Kii utility token, which holders use to register authentication credentials on a public blockchain and to issue attestations about their data.
How It Works
| Component | What it does |
|---|---|
| Registration | During sign-up the client turns the password into a verified credential and sends only that to the server, which registers a NuID and stores it with the user record. |
| Challenge | At login the client asks the server for a challenge for that user, reads the claims in the challenge JWT and uses the password locally to generate a zero-knowledge proof. |
| Verification | The client returns the challenge JWT and the proof, and the server verifies both with the NuID API. |
| Ledger | Ethereum is the default ledger, with the design intended to work on other ledgers, and the protocol was reviewed by cryptographer Matthew Franklin of UC Davis. |
Identities And Systems Covered
| Human users | Login credentials for customers and employees |
|---|---|
| Authentication factors | Passwords converted into zero-knowledge credentials, plus WebAuthn |
| Identity systems | Enterprise identity and access management platforms |
Integrations
| Area | Integrations |
|---|---|
| Client frameworks | React, React Native |
| Server frameworks | Node.js, Clojure Ring, Go, Ruby on Rails |
| Packages | @nuid/zk (npm), Go SDK |
Company Background
| Founded | Early 2017, by Locke Brown and Nolan Smith |
|---|---|
| Leadership | Locke Brown, Co-Founder and CEO; Nolan Smith, Co-Founder and CTO |
| Funding | A $2.5 million round in 2018 led by Jemison Investment, with 8VC taking part; Spencer Lacy of Jemison Investment joined the board |
| Patents | A reported 57 patented claims in the US covering the approach |
Note: This overview is compiled from NuID’s publicly available information as of 3 November 2026. It is provided for information only. NHI Mgmt Group does not endorse any vendor, and nothing on this page represents the opinions of NHI Mgmt Group.