Virtual SubHandles are identical to root Handles and NFT SubHandles in terms of how they function, in that it is a name in human-readable format that resolves a Wallet Address. However, Virtual SubHandles deviate in their Ownership, Duration, and Operation from Handle and NFT-Based SubHandles.
Unlike with root Handles and NFT SubHandles, Virtual SubHandles remain in control and under the ownership of the wallet that minted them, regardless of what Wallet Address they are set to resolve.
Virtual SubHandles are also temporary. They are minted with an expiration date of one year and will be burned if not renewed before the expiration date. If the owner wishes to extend the date, they can do so from their personalization settings.
Virtual SubHandles are able to have these features since they are not NFTs. They are instead a new implementation of the Handle Standard, designed to expand the security of SubHandle ownership. Virtual SubHandles, as self-contained smart contracts that exist on the blockchain, can be set to remotely resolve any wallet address. This allows root Handle owners the ability to create and assign virtual SubHandles without fear of losing the SubHandle forever since the ownership never changes, merely the wallet address it resolves to.
Virtual SubHandles are minted the same as NFT SubHandles through the admin minting portal, or if the root Handle enabled OAuth minting and added the minting interface to their portal, then they can also be minted publicly.
Virtual SubHandles minted through the public minting portal are flagged in the datum as "Public". Public Virtual SubHandles cannot be revoked or reassigned to a different address by the root Handle owner until the expiration date. See Minting SubHandles for a detailed walkthrough of how to mint.
"Private" Virtual SubHandles are ones that the root Handle owner minted themselves, signing with the key of the address where their root Handle resides. Root Handle owners can directly issue, edit, revoke, or extend Private Virtual SubHandles from Handle.me's user-friendly control panel.
The root Handle owner cannot edit or revoke the wallet address of a Public Virtual SubHandle. However, the user who minted it can edit or revoke it by selecting their virtual SubHandle from the Select Handle Dropdown on Handle.me and navigating to personalization settings. At the top of the header, the user will see the option to "Manage SubHandle".
Due to their temporary nature, Virtual SubHandles are ideal for short-term use cases. For example, a company could mint a Virtual SubHandle for a specific event, or a user could mint a Virtual SubHandle for a specific project. Once the event or project is over, the Virtual SubHandle could expire or be burned. A company could also mint a Virtual SubHandle for an employee to use for their wallet, and extend the expiration date until the employee leaves and then revoke it.