Address
An identifier for an account or smart contract on a blockchain. An address alone does not identify a person.
Related / wallet · contract address/ Field notes
Glossary.
Plain-language definitions for the systems you are taking apart. A definition is a starting point—not a substitute for following the evidence.
Browse all sources →Approval
ERC-721 authorization allowing another address to transfer a token, either individually or as an operator.
Related / transferable · recorded ownerSourceEIP-721: Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Authenticity
A judgment that an object or claim is genuine. Blockchain records may support that judgment without settling it alone.
Related / provenance · oracleAuthority
The power to define, change, enforce, recognize, or override a rule or claim. Different systems can hold different kinds.
Related / issuer · smart contractBlockchain
A shared record whose updates are grouped, ordered, and agreed through a network protocol.
Related / transaction · on-chainSourceTechnical introduction to Ethereum↗Burn / burnable
Additional contract behavior that removes a token from circulation. ERC-721 does not require a public burn function.
Related / smart contract · authoritySourceEIP-721: Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Contract address
The blockchain address where a smart contract is deployed and can be called.
Related / address · smart contractCopyright
A set of legal rights in an original work. Control of a token and copyright in an associated work are separate questions.
Related / license · authorityERC-721
An Ethereum interface for non-fungible tokens, including ownership, transfer, and approval functions. Metadata is an optional extension.
Related / NFT · approval · tokenURISourceEIP-721: Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Ethereum
A blockchain network that runs smart contracts and records their state.
Related / smart contract · addressSourceIntroduction to smart contracts↗Hash
A fixed-length digital fingerprint calculated from data. Matching hashes strongly indicate matching input data, but a hash does not reveal or preserve the data by itself.
Related / on-chain · metadataIPFS
A distributed system for addressing and retrieving files by their content. Some token projects use it for metadata or media; not every token does.
Related / metadata · off-chainIssuer
The person or organization responsible for creating or distributing a token or claim. Its powers depend on the system.
Related / authority · provenanceLicense
Permission to use something in specified ways without necessarily receiving full ownership or copyright.
Related / copyright · authorityMetadata
Descriptive information associated with a token, often reached through a URI and frequently stored outside the blockchain.
Related / tokenURI · off-chainNFT
A non-fungible token: a token identified individually rather than treated as interchangeable with every other unit.
Related / token · ERC-721SourceERC-721 Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Off-chain
Stored, decided, or operated outside blockchain consensus, even when referenced by an on-chain record.
Related / on-chain · metadataOn-chain
Recorded in blockchain state or transaction history and available through the network.
Related / off-chain · transactionOracle
A person, device, or service that supplies a blockchain application with information from outside its own consensus.
Related / off-chain · authenticityOwner / recorded owner
The address the token contract reports as controlling a token. This technical status does not automatically convey copyright or every legal right.
Related / wallet · authoritySourceEIP-721: Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Provenance
A traceable history of origin or custody. It is evidence to evaluate, not automatic proof of authenticity.
Related / authenticity · transactionRedeemable
Additional application behavior that lets a token be exchanged for access, an item, or another benefit under defined rules.
Related / token · issuerSmart contract
A program deployed at a blockchain address that executes defined rules when called.
Related / contract address · authoritySourceIntroduction to smart contracts↗Token
A record managed by a smart contract. Its practical behavior depends on the contract and surrounding systems.
Related / NFT · ERC-721tokenURI
The ERC-721 metadata function that can return a URI for a token’s descriptive data when the optional metadata extension is implemented.
Related / metadata · ERC-721SourceEIP-721: Non-Fungible Token Standard↗Transaction
A signed request that can change blockchain state and become part of the network’s ordered record.
Related / address · on-chainTransferable
Able to move between addresses under the contract’s current rules and authorizations.
Related / approval · recorded ownerWallet
Software or hardware that helps a person manage keys and interact with blockchain addresses.
Related / address · recorded owner