Badgr allows users to issue and manage a standardized type of digital badges called Open Badges. A digital badge is a visual symbol of accomplishment. They can be awarded for any definable achievement and earned in many learning environments, games, or the workplace. An Open Badge is a specialized type of digital badge that contains verifiable metadata about achievements according to a common data format, the Open Badges specification. Because they follow an open standard, recipients can combine badges from many different sources into common collections, and when they share them, these badges may be verified by any compatible system to ensure that they are trustworthy representations of their earner's experiences.

Much of the visioning and initial groundwork in the early phases of Open Badges was completed by OpenBadges.org; a volunteer community of developers who, working alongside IMS Global,  provided the vision and continue to promote Open Badge adoption and steer the development of the Open Badges specification.

If you ever have an issue uploading a badge to your Backpack, there is a possibility it does not meet the Open Badge standard. Run it through badgecheck.io or contact support@badgr.com to check this. 

• interest and engagement
  
• participation or attendance
  
• membership
  
• knowledge or dispositions
  
• formal certification (degrees, certificates)
  
• proficiency, competency, or skill
  

Digital badges can be awarded in a variety of educational contexts across informal and formal learning, by educational institutions, individuals, and employers. These badges can aggregate and shed light on the interests, capabilities, and accomplishments of learners. Badges can serve as the stepping stones on a learning pathway. Badges are organized in badge systems and learning pathways to represent the skills and experiences that are valued in communities. 

An Open Badge achievement is represented by a visual symbol, but it also carries detailed metadata, including a name, description, link to detailed criteria, and information about its issuer. When this badge is awarded to a recipient, the portable image contains all the aforementioned verifiable data, and "bakes" it into the image so that it may be displayed in any Open Badges-compatible application. The ingredients of Open Badges (name, description, criteria, and recipient) are much like that of a cake, once baked, individual ingredients cannot be removed of the badge. This allows for greater portability; badges are meant to be shared (also like cake).  

Badgr enables a badge earner to store their Open Badges not only in Badgr, but in any backpack service, like Mozilla Backpack. Conversely, Badgr allows any Open Badge to be stored in its backpack, not just Badgr Open Badges.