# Federation KIT ## 1. Purpose The [Discovery](/bdi-public-documentation/readme/trust-kit/discovery.md) mechanism supports an open and loose model without a centralized register that could be searched for all existing BDI Associations. In theory, a large number of independent BDI Associations could co-exist without further governance. Identification, discovery, authentication, trust assessment and authorization in such a perimeter-less network on a global scale requires functions to deal with previously unknown parties. The reality of business networks is that there is an inherent tension between interoperability on one hand and competition/innovation on the other hand. Standardization lowers costs, but differentiation creates value and competitive advantages: a dynamic trade-off, shifting over time. Federation has to acknowledge this tradeoff. In practice it is expected that BDI Associations will form federations and voluntarily agree upon common standards, roles and semantics over a group of Associations. It is expected that a number of frameworks for controlled data sharing wil co-exist. A minimal level of interoperability that reduces unnecessary costs is desirable. --- # 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://bdi.gitbook.io/bdi-public-documentation/readme/federation-kit.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.