Ordinals
Ordinals inscribe data directly onto individual satoshis — numbering them in mined order and attaching images, text, or code — creating Bitcoin-native NFTs
Ordinals inscribe data directly onto individual satoshis — numbering them in mined order and attaching images, text, or code — creating Bitcoin-native NFTs without any sidechain. Enabled by Taproot and SegWit discount mechanics, they exploded in 2023.
Why it matters
Ordinals reopened Bitcoin’s culture war: purists call them spam bloating the chain; builders call them fee revenue securing mining post-subsidy. Whatever your view, they proved demand for Bitcoin block space beyond payments — and forced everyone to price what “spam” is worth when fees pay for security.
Inscriptions: how they work
An inscription writes arbitrary data (image, text, code, even BRC-20 token operations) into a transaction’s witness section, permanently attaching it to a specific satoshi. The sat’s ordinal number orders it; explorers index it; wallets trade it. No smart contract involved — Bitcoin’s base layer simply carries the bytes forever, which is exactly why critics call it chain bloat and supporters call it permissionless publishing.