§15Lesson · Going Deeper

Hands-On Object Lab

Build physical objects that map to federation concepts

20 min readLast reviewed 2026-06-05Going Deeper

Build physical objects that map to every core federation concept. Each object is a tangible metaphor you can hold, manipulate, and use to explain federation to anyone.

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The ID Card
Entity Configuration (Section 3.1)

Materials

Index card, pen, personal stamp/sticker

Build Steps

  1. Write your entity name on the front (= iss/sub, they're the same)
  2. List your abilities/services (= metadata)
  3. Draw a unique symbol (= jwks — your public key)
  4. On the back: write who vouches for you (= authority_hints)
  5. Stamp it with your personal stamp (= self-signature)
  6. Write today's date and expiry (= iat/exp)

Physical → Digital Mapping

Card = JWT, Name = iss/sub, Abilities = metadata, Symbol = jwks, Stamp = signature, Dates = iat/exp

Try This!

Make a second card with a different stamp. Notice how you can tell it's a forgery — the stamp doesn't match the registered one.

Further reading