How are OpenAttestation documents distributed?

The distribution of OpenAttestation documents falls into two broad categories:

1. By link

   • Sharing a URL/scanning a QR code

2. By document transmission

   • Sending the original OpenAttestation document (OA document)
   • Sending an HTML page (with an OA document embedded)
   • Sending the document as a PDF with a QR code for verification

Below are the pros and cons of each approach.

Method	Pros	Cons
Sharing a URL/scanning a QR code	The URL is lightweight and it does not require any local file storage. Easy to share e.g. via email, messages, or social media The user can click and view it in one step. The URL can be converted into QR code if required.	It needs an additional step to save the document after viewing. It requires hosting of the certificate.
Sending the original OA document	The OA document follows a structured schema, which makes it machine-readable. The OA document is more lightweight than an HTML or a PDF file, thus requires less storage.	The user can’t open OA documents directly. It requires the user to upload the OA document to a verifier for viewing. The user needs instructions on what to do with an OA document, which makes it difficult for adoption.
Sending an HTML page (with an OA document embedded)	The user can open HTML on most devices without installing any application. The HTML page takes up more storage than the OA document, but less than the PDF file.	The HTML page requires an extra step from the user to visit a URL. The user can be confused by having to load an HTML page and then opening it in a viewer. There is a limit to the size of the embedded OA document in the HTML page.
Sending the document as a PDF with a QR code for verification	The user can open the PDF file on most devices without installing any application. The PDF file is a common document format to users.	The user is likely to take the document in PDF at it appears, without any proper verification. It requires hosting of the certificate. The PDF file requires the most storage among all listed methods. The PDF file is not machine-readable.