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
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