Common questions.
What is Machine Identity?
A machine identity is a cryptographically verifiable credential, such as an X.509 certificate, a public/private key pair, or a platform-attested token, that proves the identity of a non-human entity such as an AI agent, a container, or a VM.
Why does Machine Identity matter for AI agents?
Machine identities are more robust than shared secrets and enable zero-trust enforcement in agent-to-service communication.
Which terms are related to Machine Identity?
Closely related concepts include SPIFFE (Secure Production Identity Framework for Everyone), Workload Identity, Trust Chain, Non-Human Identity (NHI). Each is defined in the Prefactor glossary.