ERC-721

ERC-721 is the standard for one-of-a-kind tokens on Ethereum: each token ID is unique with its own metadata and owner. CryptoPunks, Bored Apes, ENS names —

ERC-721 is the standard for one-of-a-kind tokens on Ethereum: each token ID is unique with its own metadata and owner. CryptoPunks, Bored Apes, ENS names — every “classic” NFT is an ERC-721 (or its multi-edition sibling ERC-1155).

Why it matters

The standard is what makes NFTs portable property instead of platform captives: any wallet shows them, any marketplace lists them, any game could read them. When evaluating an NFT project, the contract standard matters less than who controls minting, royalties, and the metadata servers the images actually live on.

Related terms

NFT · ERC-20 ·
smart contract

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