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On February 1, developer, crypto advocate, and Taproot Wizards<\/a> founder Udi Wertheimer<\/a> made history by purposefully orchestrating\u00a0the largest block<\/a> and transaction in Bitcoin\u2019s history. In minting the first of many wizards to come, he achieved the absolute maximum BTC block size of 4MB, something that many, up until this point, thought was impossible.<\/p>\n Just a few months later, on May 22, members of the Spirit DAO \u2014 a coalition of collectors devoted to elevating the Azuki universe \u2014 effectively blew Wertheimer\u2019s record out of the water. By minting a 6.9MB Comic Banner<\/a> on Bitcoin, the DAO stole the crown, solidifying the piece as the largest file size stored on BTC to date.<\/p>\n But how? Considering that the max block size on Bitcoin can\u2019t exceed 4MB, what sort of wizardry did the Spirit DAO implement in their feat? Well, it all has to do with BRC-721, a new type of NFT token standard revolutionizing something called \u201cSmart Inscriptions\u201d on Bitcoin.<\/p>\n Degens will immediately recognize BRC-721\u2019s acronymous name as being akin to ERC-721 \u2014 AKA the premiere token standard for Ethereum NFTs. Put simply, BRC-721s are smart-contract-based NFTs, but on BTC.<\/p>\n But there\u2019s more to it than that, of course. BRC-721 was inspired by the experimental BRC-20<\/a> token standard created and launched in March 2023 by an anonymous developer Domo<\/a>. BRC-20 was created to give Bitcoin a more sophisticated NFT functionality, but it was centered around fungibility <\/em>and lacked one thing: smart contracts. <\/p>\n GM to Smart BRC-721.<\/p>\n * The first BRC-721 on Bitcoin, deployed in Mar 2023 PS: BRC-721 marketplace is coming this week.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc47\ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/qTtmqAKDzK<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 3700 | New Bitcoin City (@punk3700) May 30, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n Gm New Bitcoiners,<\/p>\n Welcome to The Inscription Village \u2014 a place where files can be inscribed with smart BRC-721 using smart contracts and stored eternally on the Bitcoin blockchain. <\/p>\n Take the lead in inscribing smarter and larger inscriptions.https:\/\/t.co\/YDQXl82I86<\/a><\/p>\n \ud83e\uddf5 pic.twitter.com\/48qLV2gizV<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New Bitcoin City (@NewBitcoinCity) June 7, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n In place of smart contracts doing the heavy lifting for NFT creators (as they\u2019ve for years now on Ethereum), BRC-20 lets users store a script <\/em>file on Bitcoin, using Ordinals to write JSON data to Satoshi (sats) \u2014 the atomic unit of Bitcoin. In lieu of getting into the thick of that functionality here, you can read more in our full explainer on Ordinals<\/a>.<\/p>\n What\u2019s important to know is that BRC-721 builds upon the principles of BRC-20 but aims to extend the capabilities of Bitcoin tokenization to include true non-fungible tokens. To do so, BRC-721 brings the tried and true smart contract functionality that the NFT space knows and loves from Ethereum over to Bitcoin. And it\u2019s all made possible by the Trustless Computer protocol<\/a>.<\/p>\n So, in contrast with Ordinals Inscriptions, where metadata is attached <\/em>to information that is inscribed directly to the Bitcoin blockchain (essentially as text files), the BRC-721 protocol functions as a solidity smart contract running on Bitcoin. This means that while metadata is still minted on-chain, BRC-721 operability transcends that of Ordinals by offering programmability (Smart Inscriptions), larger storage limits, and reduced network fees.<\/p>\n There are three major names to know when it comes to understanding the current state of BRC-721. They are New Bitcoin City<\/a> (NBC), Smart Inscriptions<\/a>, and Trustless NFTs<\/a>. Essentially, everything comes back to NBC. Billed as a \u201cradically new way to explore Bitcoin beyond just a currency,\u201d the platform is built on the Trustless Computer protocol and acts as a \u201cdiverse corner of Web3\u201d where crypto-art, DeFi, AI, and more facets of the metaverse converge.<\/p>\n NBC also plays a pinnacle role in the BRC-721 ecosystem. On March 29, the platform broke ground with the release of Sudos<\/a>, a collection of 1,024 fully on-chain penguin-themed collectibles that effectively became the first BRC-721 venture to ever exist. <\/p>\n 2\/ SUDOS is now tradable on TrustlessNFTs Explore more BRC-721 collections here: https:\/\/t.co\/iVVxFsh79N<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/B9F8Qwyhfa<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 New Bitcoin City (@NewBitcoinCity) June 9, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n That brings us to Smart Inscriptions, the term coined by NBC to exist in place of \u201cBRC-721.\u201d Essentially Smart Inscriptions are to BRC-721 as NFTs are to ERC-721. That is to say that they\u2019re a shorthand version, parallel to Ordinals Inscriptions, to define the growing categories of NFTs on BTC.<\/p>\n Of course, tokens that can\u2019t be traded are essentially just a consolation prize of the blockchain. So to give greater utility to the BRC-721 ecosystem which it created, NBC unveiled Trustless NFTs on June 9, a marketplace for Smart Inscriptions. To date, over 1,000 Smart Inscriptions have been created and added to the Trustless NFTs platform, including Sudos, Fading Memories<\/a>, GlixPunks<\/a>, and more, that served as the first public BRC-721 collection launches.<\/p>\nWhat is BRC-721?<\/h2>\n
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* Powered by Solidity smart contracts
* Easy as a pie to issue BRC-721 collections
* 100 artists & projects published alreadyhttps:\/\/t.co\/ZDhakLpi8l<\/a><\/p>\n\n
Who\u2019s using BRC-721?<\/h2>\n
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So now you can:
\u2705Buy\/ Sell
\u2705List for sale
\u2705Make an Offer<\/p>\nIs BRC-721 catching on?<\/h2>\n