> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://opencred.gitbook.io/docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://opencred.gitbook.io/docs/desktop-app/desktop.md).

# Desktop overview

The OpenCred Desktop Client is an Electron application for issuing and verifying W3C Verifiable Credentials. It is the primary OpenCred product: fully local, offline-capable, and signing always happens on the user's machine. The issuer's private key never leaves the device.

> **Open source, available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.** OpenCred Desktop is MIT-licensed; source and issues live at [github.com/nfh-trust-labs/opencred](https://github.com/nfh-trust-labs/opencred). On first launch macOS shows a one-time security prompt — [Installation → macOS first launch](/docs/desktop-app/installation.md#macos-first-launch) walks through the approval step. **Support:** [open an issue](https://github.com/nfh-trust-labs/opencred/issues).

## Pages in this section

* [Installation](/docs/desktop-app/installation.md) — supported platforms, downloading, and installing
* [Getting started](/docs/desktop-app/getting-started.md) — first launch, the onboarding wizard
* [Key management](/docs/desktop-app/key-management.md) — software keys, hardware tokens, OS cert store, generated keys
* [Issuing credentials](/docs/desktop-app/issuing-credentials.md) — single and batch issuance, schemas, proof formats, exports
* [Verifying credentials](/docs/desktop-app/verifying-credentials.md) — verification flow, offline mode
* [Settings and logging](/docs/desktop-app/settings-and-logging.md) — preferences, logging, redaction, bug reports, auto-updater

## Quick navigation

| Want to...                                | Go to                                                                                                               |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Install on macOS, Windows, or Linux       | [Installation](/docs/desktop-app/installation.md)                                                                   |
| Import an existing PFX/PEM key            | [Key management — Importing a software key file](/docs/desktop-app/key-management.md#importing-a-software-key-file) |
| Use a YubiKey or smart card               | [Key management — Connecting a hardware token](/docs/desktop-app/key-management.md#connecting-a-hardware-token)     |
| Generate a fresh key for did:web          | [Key management — Generating a key](/docs/desktop-app/key-management.md#generating-a-key)                           |
| Issue a single credential from a template | [Issuing credentials — Single issuance](/docs/desktop-app/issuing-credentials.md#single-credential-issuance)        |
| Issue 1,000 credentials from a CSV        | [Issuing credentials — Batch issuance](/docs/desktop-app/issuing-credentials.md#batch-issuance)                     |
| Verify a credential                       | [Verifying credentials](/docs/desktop-app/verifying-credentials.md)                                                 |
| Find log files for a bug report           | [Settings and logging — Logging](/docs/desktop-app/settings-and-logging.md#logging)                                 |

## How OpenCred Desktop is built

The Desktop Client is an Electron app split between a **main process** (Node.js) and a **renderer process** (React). All cryptographic operations — key import, signing, verification, native cert store calls — run in the main process. The renderer never sees private key material; it interacts with the main process over a typed IPC bridge defined in `apps/desktop/src/shared/ipc-types.ts`.

| Layer        | Location                           | Responsibility                                                   |
| ------------ | ---------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Main process | `apps/desktop/src/main/`           | IPC handlers, key import, signing, verification, native bindings |
| Preload      | `apps/desktop/src/main/preload.ts` | exposes the IPC API to the renderer via contextBridge            |
| Renderer     | `apps/desktop/src/renderer/`       | React UI: pages, components, schemas                             |
| Shared       | `apps/desktop/src/shared/`         | TypeScript types shared by both sides of the IPC boundary        |

The main process consumes the same `@opencred/*` workspace packages that the Docker server uses, so the issuance and verification logic is identical across the two interfaces.

## Related documentation

* [Concepts](/docs/concepts/concepts.md) — what VCs and DIDs are
* [Security model](/docs/security/security.md) — what OpenCred protects against
* [Docker operator guide](/docs/docker-image/docker.md) — the headless variant for cloud and CI/CD


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