# Overview ### Actors and actions in Holonym At a high level, the Holonym system can be understood in terms of the following *actors* and *actions*. #### **Actors** * **User.** Someone who receives credentials and prove facts about themselves, often for the purpose of fulfilling requirements set by an *organization*. * **Issuer.** A party that issues credentials to users. In the process of issuing credentials, an issuer may use 3rd party identity providers to verify users' identities. * **Consumer.** A party that modifies its users' access or actions based on the facts its users have proven about themselves using. For example, an organization may require its users to reside in a certain country in order to vote on certain proposals. #### **Actions** 1. Issuer issues a credential to a user. In the user flow, this step is called "issuance". 2. User proves facts about themselves using their credentials. In the user flow, this step is called "proving". 3. Consumer allows a user to access something or to perform an action, depending on what the user has proven. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.holonym.id/architecture/overview.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.