What's in my NFTs?
Hi frens,
NFTs store metadata on the blockchain, but the images can be stored in either case:
somewhere on the Internet
IPFS, distributed file storage
on the blockchain, as well
Let’s look at some specific examples in my collections:
ANIM.JP #4571
From ANIM.JP contract (there’s a function “20. tokenURI” for accessing NFT metadata) and tokenId of 4571
the tokenURI is “https://animjp.s3.amazonaws.com/4571.json“
where image is “https://animjp.s3.amazonaws.com/images/4571.gif“
Practically, if ANIM.JP ceased to host those files on Amazon Web Services (AWS), the content of this NFT were be lost.
Travelogger #1462
From Travelogger contract, and tokenId of 1462
the tokenURI is “ipfs://QmRAjjAcxWMaG4GUKRk5B4YiMD1doigKCaZX875duPFvXD/1462”, a json file
where image is “ipfs://QmTgjuAdrnZxMnDaydPg69UL3vGZpqeX1YNeC9i7ce52wp“.
Practically, if anyone on the Internet continues to share those files, the content of this NFT will continue to exist as well.
Lil Nouns #5655
From Lil Nouns contract and tokenId of 5655
the tokenURI is “data:application/json;base64, (a very long string)”
the long string can be base64 decoded as a json string
where image is “data:image/svg+xml;base64, (a very long string)”
the second long string can be base64 decoded as exactly the image above!
Practically, if anyone on the Internet continues to operate an Ethereum node (which is more possible than IPFS or paying bills to AWS), the content of this NFT will continue to exist as well.
Note: etherscan may be broken as I wrote this article, where tokenURI returned “Error: Returned error: execution reverted”. I shall update the article once it’s fixed.
Does it matter?
Consumer purchase a product for a reason, not necessary for the eternity of digital files.
I bought those NFTs for leveling up my Phaver account, and I made a list for picking the best one. That’ll be another little story for the future.
Your friend,
Denken