Documentation

Technical reference for SBIX Certify

Overview

Check

Visual content analysis. Upload an image and SBIX compares it against its index to detect copies, near-duplicates, and propagation across platforms.

  • Returns a decision: EXACT / COPY / SIMILAR / CLEAN
  • Includes a Trust Index (0–100) and a decision_reason
  • Does not create a legal proof
Certify

Proof creation. Upload any file and SBIX generates a cryptographic, timestamped, blockchain-anchored certificate of existence.

  • Returns a proof_id, certificate, and public verify link
  • Anchored on Tezos Mainnet and Aleph Cloud
  • eIDAS-qualified timestamp on Legal plan (court-admissible, 27 EU states)
Key distinction: Check tells you what exists. Certify creates verifiable priority. They serve different purposes and can be used independently.

How It Works

Check — 3 steps
1
Upload content

Send an image file or URL via the web UI or POST /api/v1/check.

2
Match against SBIX index

SBIX compares against 4M+ indexed images across Teia, Objkt, Wikipedia, and more.

3
Receive analysis signals

Get a structured response: decision, verdict, trust score, top match, and reason.

Certify — 3 steps
1
Upload a file or send a hash

Via the dashboard or POST /api/certify. Your file is never stored — only its SHA-256 hash.

2
Generate cryptographic proof

Hash → Merkle tree → eIDAS timestamp → HMAC signature → blockchain anchoring (Tezos + Aleph).

3
Get certificate and verify link

Download PDF certificate or full Evidence Pack. Share the public verify URL — no account required to verify.

Certify Pipeline
Input
Hash or file
→
SHA-256
Fingerprint
→
Merkle Tree
N items → 1 root
→
eIDAS TSA
RFC-3161
→
HMAC
Integrity
→
Blockchain
Tezos + Aleph

What a Proof Includes

Every proof returned by POST /api/certify contains:

Field Description Plan
proof_id Unique identifier for the proof All
timestamp UTC datetime the proof was created All
file_hash SHA-256 fingerprint of the input All
certificate_url Downloadable PDF certificate All
verify_url Public verification link (no auth required) All
Tezos anchor Block reference on Tezos Mainnet All
Aleph anchor Decentralized storage reference All
eIDAS timestamp RFC-3161 qualified timestamp from QTSA.eu — court-admissible in 27 EU states (Art. 41 eIDAS) Legal

Evidence Pack

A standalone ZIP archive containing 8 files. Works offline, without an SBIX account, permanently. Available on Pro and Legal plans.

certificate.pdf Digitally signed, human-readable certificate
proof.json Machine-readable proof with all metadata
timestamp.tsr Raw RFC-3161 timestamp token
anchors.json Tezos and Aleph blockchain references
verify.sh Shell script — offline verification
verify.py Python script — offline verification
verify.md Step-by-step manual verification guide
sha256sums.txt Integrity checksums for all files

Download via API: GET /api/v1/certificates/{proof_id}/evidence-pack

Tech Notes

Are files stored?

No. Your original file is never stored. SBIX processes only the SHA-256 cryptographic fingerprint. What is anchored on-chain is the hash, not the content.

Can I certify videos?

Yes. Certification works on any file type — images, videos, documents, code, binaries. The proof process is identical: a hash of the file is generated and anchored.

What is the legal value?

A certificate proves the content existed in this exact form at this exact time. On the Legal plan, the eIDAS-qualified timestamp carries a legal presumption of accuracy under EU Regulation 910/2014, Art. 41 — admissible in all 27 EU member states. Admissibility in other jurisdictions is not guaranteed; consult legal counsel.

Check vs Certify — which do I need?

Use Check to analyze whether copies of your content exist. Use Certify to create a timestamped proof of existence. They are independent products. Check does not create legal proof. Certify does not detect copies.

Can verification happen without SBIX?

Yes. Every proof has a public URL at certify.sbix.io/verify/{proof_id} — no account required. The Evidence Pack also includes offline scripts (verify.sh, verify.py) that verify authenticity using only standard cryptographic tools and public blockchain explorers.