Embeddable verification badge

Publish a live proof status next to the content it protects, without turning your site into an ExistBefore integration project.

One line of HTML. Add a live ExistBefore badge to any website, blog, portfolio or article. The badge reflects the current public proof level (T0 -> T1 -> T2) and falls back to a normal proof link if JavaScript or the network is unavailable. Nothing about your visitors is sent to ExistBefore: the script fetches only the public attestation ID you put in the markup.

Publishing contract

Live

Shows current T-level

The badge reads the public status endpoint on view, so T1/T2 upgrades appear where the original article, portfolio item or report lives.

Private

No visitor tracking

No cookies, no storage, no analytics identifiers, no page-content read. The only network input is the attestation ID already visible in the link.

Honest

Link first, script second

If the script is blocked by CSP, Markdown, privacy tools or a CMS, the anchor still opens the canonical proof status page.

Quick start

Replace att_REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ID with your own attestation ID. The anchor stays a clean proof link if the badge script fails to load.

HTML embed

<a href="https://existbefore.com/proof/att_REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ID"
   class="existbefore-badge"
   data-att="att_REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ID">ExistBefore certified</a>
<script async src="https://existbefore.com/embed.js"></script>

Live preview

Below is a real, live example badge for att_28525. It is preview content only; use your own ID in published markup.

ExistBefore certified

What readers should understand

What the badge can show

  • The public attestation ID exists and has a current proof level.
  • The proof may have progressed from T0 to T1 or T2 since publication.
  • The reader can open the canonical proof page for details.

What it cannot claim

  • It does not prove authorship, ownership, copyright or novelty.
  • It does not inspect or certify the host page content.
  • It does not make a private proof public beyond the ID you embed.

Why use it

Security and privacy contract

Recommended host CSP additions:

CSP additions

script-src 'self' https://existbefore.com;
connect-src 'self' https://existbefore.com;
style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';

The badge injects one static style block. If your host page forbids inline styles, use the static badge templates instead.

Customisation

The badge inherits font-family from the host page and respects prefers-color-scheme. To override the visual style, override the CSS rules scoped to .existbefore-badge in your own stylesheet — they have low specificity and will lose to host rules. Themes, sizes, and a Markdown/README-friendly SVG endpoint are planned for a future release.

Attribution

By default the badge advertises its provenance to assistive technologies via aria-label / title (the visible label is unchanged). The text appended is “ · Powered by CertiSigma”. To opt out, set data-attribution="hidden" on the anchor:

Attribution opt-out

<a href="https://existbefore.com/proof/att_REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ID"
   class="existbefore-badge"
   data-att="att_REPLACE_WITH_YOUR_ID"
   data-attribution="hidden">ExistBefore certified</a>

The opt-out is purely cosmetic for screen readers — it never disables the live status check, never changes the visible badge, and never adds extra DOM nodes.

Why no nested link to CertiSigma in the badge: <a> inside <a> is invalid HTML and breaks keyboard / screen-reader navigation. The CertiSigma CTA lives below on this page instead.

Want unlimited attestations and SLAs?

The free badge proxies to the public read-only ExistBefore API. To attest your own content programmatically — at any volume, with SLAs, dedicated keys and webhook notifications — sign up for a CertiSigma developer account.

Get a CertiSigma API key →

FAQ

Does the badge work on Markdown / GitHub READMEs?

The live JavaScript badge above does not — Markdown parsers strip <script> tags. For those destinations use the static badge templates instead: copy-paste HTML, Markdown, reStructuredText, BBCode, or plain link, all pointing at the static badge SVG and your proof page.

Does the badge cost anything?

No. ExistBefore is a free public service operated by CertiSigma.

Can I run multiple badges on the same page?

Yes. Each .existbefore-badge[data-att] element triggers one independent fetch. The script is idempotent: loading it twice does not re-render.

What happens if my attestation ID is invalid?

The badge renders an "Invalid badge ID" fallback that links to /verify. No network call is made.