In this paper, we study an implicit version of the sweeping process. Based on methods of convex analysis, we prove the equivalence of the implicit sweeping process with a differential equation, which enables us to show the existence and uniqueness of the solution to the implicit sweeping process in a very general framework. Moreover, this equivalence allows us to give a characterization of nonsmooth Lyapunov pairs and invariance for implicit sweeping processes. The results of the paper are illustrated with two applications to quasistatic evolution variational inequalities and electrical circuits.