EthOrdinal

Now on Base! Mint, inscribe, and start selling! See Inscribe Hints below to get started.

Brief How-To Inscribe

Dive deeper into the EthOrdinal Theory for insights.

Inscribing

Inscribing an EthOrdinal involves at least two transactions:

Set the EthOrdinal attributes - permissions, royalties, and parent information.
Set Properties - set one or more properties.

While our contract allows combining these steps, clarity favors first configuring EthOrdinal attributes – a one-time task. Gas costs remain consistent, with the initial transaction consuming minimal gas. After this, you're free to add and modify properties at will.

Adding properties to an EthOrdinal couldn't be simpler: first select the property you want to set (in the left sidebar), then drag any file into the drop area. It will appear in the iframe with correct attributes. To permanently store it on the blockchain, check the checkbox next to it and click the Set Properties button.

One Property at a Time

Start with one property at a time, especially as you get acquainted with EthOrdinals. This simplifies calculations for maximum data sizes and other considerations.

Large Files

For larger files, we employ multiple transactions when needed. Our Brotli compression reduces text file sizes by over 70%. In cases where data remains large after compression, we split it into manageable transactions. We handle all the details, offering a clear summary before execution.

Optimal Image Usage

When inscribing image files, we strongly recommend the use of the webp format. These images are typically 75% smaller compared to equivalent png files.

Efficiency

In the world of Ethereum, efficiency reigns supreme. We tirelessly optimize data encoding through several key strategies:

L2s: Embrace Layer 2 solutions like Base for hefty data loads. EthOrdinals allows seamless composition of ordinals across L2s and mainnet, so encode where most economical and sell where most profitable.
tx or calldata: To maximize cost-efficiency, we employ calldata to store data on the blockchain. Data resides in transaction payloads within blocks, and nowhere else. This is the most efficient way to get data on Ethereum, and we are puzzled why other NFT services offering on-chain data don't do this. Instead, they choose the most costly and inefficient method, State storage. Don't make this mistake, it is not necessary.
Compression - files that can benefit from compression, like text based files, are compressed using brotli. This typically reduces data sizes by over 70%.

Efficiency is the name of the game, and we're here to play it smart.

Royalty

The royalty can be set up to 7.5%. You cannot change the royalty percentage after you set it. You can, however, change the recipient of a royalty. See the discussion on royalties here.

Parent

You cannot change the parent after you set it. Explore parent/child relationships here.

In most cases, using Collections will suffice for many use cases involving a parent/child relationship. But for advanced users, you have the ability to set a parent here.

Permissions

EthOrdinals have a very flexible permission model. Read more here.

You can change the permissions at any time, unless you lock the EthOrdinal.

Locked - Permanently secure the EthOrdinal. Caution: irreversible action. No modifications are allowed after locking. Note: individual properties can be locked, so it can be useful to leave the EthOrdinal unlocked and lock individual properties.
Owner - Owner has modification rights.
Parent - Parent has modification rights.
Contract - Authorized EthOrdinal contracts have modification access. Utilize our upcoming on-chain scripting language for development of your own on-chain modification methods.

EthOrdinals offers a highly adaptable permission model, allowing for great flexibility. To learn more, visit this page.

Certain properties, such as images, CSS, HTML, JavaScript libraries, and more, should remain immutable. This ensures that anyone using these properties understands that they will never change.

However, there are numerous reasons to create properties that can be modified. For instance, you can design NFTs with dynamic characteristics over time, or implement any other protocol that you may envision. The possibilities are endless.

Locked - Permanently secure the property. Caution: irreversible action. No property modifications for this property are allowed after locking.
Owner - Owner has modification rights.
Parent - Parent has modification rights.
Contract - Authorized EthOrdinal contracts have modification access. Utilize our upcoming on-chain scripting language for development of your own modification methods.

To set most properties, simply drag a file to the drop area. It will configure the attributes correctly, requiring no further action. Learn more here.

Add Property

Easily add a new property by entering its name and clicking the Add Property button.

To set most properties, simply drag a file to the drop area. It will configure the attributes correctly, requiring no further action. Learn more here.

Type

The type of the property.

Data - Data from a file dragged to the drop area.
Uint - An unsigned integer.
Int - An integer.
Bool - A boolean.
Address - A Ethereum address.
Bytes32 - 32 bytes of data.
String - A string.
Link - A link to another EthOrdinal.
Ipfs - An IPFS link.

Choose the storage location for your property data carefully. For Data properties, Tx storage is typically the preferred option due to its cost-effectiveness. State storage is very expensive and should only be considered if you need to access the property through a contract.

Storage Options

Delve deeper into property storage options here.

State - Utilizes Ethereum state storage, which can be very costly and is best suited for fixed data types that require access from other contracts.
Tx - Data permanently resides on the blockchain within the inscribing transaction. The most efficient method for securing data on the Ethereum blockchain.

Begin by configuring the global attributes of your EthOrdinal, which includes permissions, royalty, and parent. Once these attributes are established, proceed to define the data properties for your EthOrdinal.

EthOrdinals offers very advanced search functionality. You can easily narrow search results using any criteria.

Compression should be set properly, depending on the mime type of the file dropped in the drop area.

Text Files and Brotli

HTML, CSS, Javascript and other text files benefit greatly from Brotli compression, and should always be enabled.

Other Files

Most other files, like png, jpeg, or other image files will not benefit from brotli and should not be compressed as the image format already does the compression.

Select an EthOrdinal from the Table Above

Permissions

Properties

Type

Store

Permissions

Compress

Brief How-To Inscribe

Inscribing

One Property at a Time

Large Files

Optimal Image Usage

Efficiency