BlockCreds – Empowering Education with Decentralized Trust

A Secure and Scalable Blockchain-Based Academic Credential Verification System

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Overview

BlockCreds is a decentralized academic credential verification platform that ensures trust, transparency, and security in the issuance and verification of academic certificates.

Built on Polygon Amoy Testnet, BlockCreds leverages:

• IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) for decentralized storage
• Smart Contracts for on-chain validation
• Django Framework for a secure and responsive web application

This solution significantly reduces transaction costs, verification time, and eliminates fraudulent certificates.

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Tech Stack

• Blockchain: Polygon (Amoy Testnet)
• Storage: IPFS via Pinata API
• Smart Contracts: Solidity
• Backend: Django, Web3.py
• Frontend: Bootstrap, Tailwind CSS
• Database: SQLite (can be extended to PostgreSQL/MySQL)

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Key Features

✅ Decentralized & Tamper-Proof Certificates stored on IPFS
✅ Smart Contract Integration on Polygon for on-chain trust
✅ Bulk Certificate Issuance via CSV upload
✅ Integrated Revocation Mechanism for invalidating certificates
✅ Real-Time Verification via QR Code
✅ Modern & Responsive UI (Bootstrap + Tailwind CSS)

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System Workflow

1. Admin Issues Certificate(s) through dashboard
2. Certificate file is uploaded to IPFS → IPFS returns a unique hash (CID)
3. IPFS hash is stored on Polygon blockchain using a smart contract
4. QR code & PDF are generated for the certificate
5. Verification can be done via QR scanning → Fetches IPFS hash from blockchain

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Project Folder Structure

blockcreds/
│
├── blockchain/
│   └── abi/
│       ├── Cert.abi.json
│       └── Cert.sol
│
├── blockcreds/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── asgi.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
│
├── core/
│   ├── management/
│   ├── migrations/
│   │   ├── 0001_initial.py
│   │   └── __init__.py
│   │
│   ├── static/core/
│   │   ├── css/
│   │   │   ├── forms.css
│   │   │   ├── styles.css
│   │   │   └── verify.css
│   │   ├── images/
│   │   │   ├── admin_login_images/
│   │   │   │   ├── 1.jpg
│   │   │   │   ├── 2.jpg
│   │   │   │   └── 3.jpg
│   │   │   ├── index_bg/
│   │   │   │   ├── 1.jpg
│   │   │   │   └── 2.jpg
│   │   │   ├── logo.png
│   │   │   └── signature.png
│   │   └── js/
│   │       ├── dashboard.js
│   │       ├── qr-scanner.js
│   │       ├── verifier.js
│   │       └── verify_admin.js
│   │
│   ├── templates/core/
│   │   ├── admin_login.html
│   │   ├── base.html
│   │   ├── dashboard.html
│   │   ├── email_template.html
│   │   ├── index.html
│   │   ├── issue_certificate.html
│   │   ├── revoke_certificate.html
│   │   ├── verifier_base.html
│   │   ├── verifier_dashboard.html
│   │   ├── verifier_result.html
│   │   ├── verify_certificate.html
│   │   └── verify_result.html
│   │
│   ├── utils/
│   │   ├── blockchain.py
│   │   ├── certificate_utils.py
│   │   ├── email_sender.py
│   │   ├── hashing.py
│   │   ├── ipfs.py
│   │   ├── pdf_generator.py
│   │   ├── pinata.py
│   │   └── qr_generator.py
│   │
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── forms.py
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── sync_events.py
│   ├── tests.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── views.py
│
├── media/
│   ├── certificates/
│   └── qr/
│
├── scripts/
│   ├── pinata_upload_test.py
│   ├── test_chain_connect.py
│   ├── test_issue.py
│   └── test_verify.py
│
├── .env
├── .gitignore
├── db.sqlite3
├── manage.py
├── README.md
└── requirements.txt

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Smart Contract

File: blockchain/abi/Cert.sol
Language: Solidity

Features:
✅ Issue Certificates
✅ Verify Certificates
✅ Revoke Certificates

Deployed on: Polygon Amoy Testnet (using POL tokens)

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Installation Guide

1. Create Virtual Environment & Install Dependencies

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate    # Linux/Mac
venv\Scripts\activate       # Windows
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Configure Environment Variables in .env

SECRET_KEY=your_django_secret_key
DEBUG=True
PINATA_API_KEY=your_pinata_api_key
PINATA_SECRET_KEY=your_pinata_secret_key
PINATA_JWT=your_pinata_jwt
POLYGON_PRIVATE_KEY=your_wallet_private_key
POLYGON_RPC_URL=https://rpc-amoy.polygon.technology
CONTRACT_ADDRESS=your_deployed_contract_address
# Email Settings (for student notifications)
EMAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
EMAIL_PORT=587
EMAIL_USE_TLS=True
EMAIL_HOST_USER=your@gmail.com
EMAIL_HOST_PASSWORD=PASSWORD

3. Run Migrations & Start Server

python manage.py migrate
python manage.py runserver

Access the application at:
👉 http://127.0.0.1:8000/

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Usage Guide

Admin Login

• Navigate to the Admin Login page.
• Enter your admin email and password.
• Click Login to access the dashboard.

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Admin Dashboard

• Get Info about issued, revoked certificates.
• Navigate to the issue certificate page.
• Navigate to the Verify certificate page.
• Navigate to the Revoke certificate page.

1. Issue Certificate

• Go to Issue Certificate from the dashboard.
• Fill in Student Details, Course Name, and other fields.
• Click Generate Certificate.

The system will:

• Generate PDF & QR Code
• Upload PDF to IPFS
• Store IPFS Hash on Polygon Smart Contract
• Send Email to student

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2. Verify Certificate

• Scan the QR Code or visit the Verify Certificate page.
• Enter the Certificate Hash.
• Click Verify to check authenticity.

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4. Revoke Certificate

• Navigate to Revoke Certificate page.
• Select the certificate and click Revoke.
• Blockchain updates status to Revoked.

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Smart Contract Details

• Language: Solidity
• Deployed On: Polygon Amoy Testnet
• Features: Issue, Verify, and Revoke certificates
• Tools: Remix for deployment

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✍️ Developed By

• Nagulapally Bhargavi - https://github.com/bhargavi852004