Academic Certificate Verification: A Practical Comparison between Centralized and Blockchain-Based Systems

Digitizing the internal services of higher education institutions (HEIs) for generating and verifying academic credentials is crucial for society, as it helps prevent the misuse of diplomas. Although many solutions have been proposed, there is still no unified platform that addresses the limitations of HEIs’ outdated systems. Blockchain technology is often seen as an ideal solution for this purpose, but practical applications are challenging to implement. This article outlines the key features of the DIAR prototype system, a blockchain-based solution for diploma generation and verification, and compares it with other solutions from state-of-the-art. The DIAR system offers a potential solution with its blockchain-based, multi-level secure architecture that emphasizes immutability, identity preservation, traceability, and cryptographic mechanisms. Further, we evaluate and compare the implementation of DIAR and centralized systems.