What is ERC721 on Solana?

If you're coming from the EVM ecosystem, one thing you know well is ERC721. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) are at the heart of many blockchain applications, and ERC721 is one of the first standards developers learn when deploying NFT collections. On Solana, what is the ERC721 equivalent and how does it differ?

ERC721 sets a standard for Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), meaning each token is unique (in type and value) compared to another token. The ERC721 standard is utilized to represent individual tokens with distinct identifiers. Unlike ERC20 tokens, ERC721 tokens can possess unique characteristics and functions.

Token Program (Plus Metadata)

Di Solana, tidak ada kontrak pintar baru untuk setiap koleksi NFT. Sebaliknya, NFT dibuat di bawah satu Token Program onchain, program yang sama yang digunakan untuk token fungible - hanya dicetak dengan supply sebesar 1. Untuk menyimpan detail NFT tambahan (seperti nama, simbol, URI gambar, dll.), pengembang menggunakan Metaplex Token Metadata Program.

Metaplex Metadata adalah protokol dan platform open-source untuk NFT (Non-Fungible Token) dan aset digital. Dibangun di blockchain Solana, Metaplex memfasilitasi penambahan metadata tambahan ke token di Solana.

Ini berbeda dari Ethereum, di mana Anda biasanya men-deploy kontrak ERC721 baru untuk setiap koleksi. Mengapa ada satu program utama untuk NFT di Solana? Ini karena model Akun Solana, yang memisahkan state (data) dari logika eksekusi (program). Karena Solana menggunakan kembali Token Program untuk semua token, Anda tidak perlu menulis dan men-deploy kontrak NFT baru - hanya mint account baru dengan supply = 1.

NFTs Don't Have Contract Addresses, Only Mint Addresses

On Ethereum, each NFT collection is identified by its Contract Address, and each token has a unique tokenId within that contract. On Solana, each NFT is identified by a Mint Address. The difference is that you don't deploy a separate "NFT contract" - you just instruct the universal Token Program to create a new mint.

Because Solana's Token Program is universal, there's no concept of a unique "NFT contract address." Instead, each NFT is a special SPL token (supply of 1) with its own Mint Address.

If you want a "collection," you group multiple mint addresses together via a Collection Address in Metaplex, but each minted NFT is still just an SPL token with a unique Mint Address.

No Approval Flow Needed

On Ethereum, ERC721 often relies on approve or setApprovalForAll for external marketplaces or dApps to transfer your NFTs. On Solana, each NFT is stored in a user's ATA(Associated token account), and a single transaction can include any necessary steps. There's no separate approval flow - one atomic transaction can handle all instructions (e.g. transfer ownership, update metadata, etc.).

What Does A Solana Token Program Look Like?

A very rough translation of the Solana Token Program would look like this:

solidity
// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT license
pragma solidity =0.8.28;

struct Mint {
    uint8 decimals;
    uint256 supply;
    address mintAuthority;
    address freezeAuthority;
    address mintAddress;
}

struct TokenAccount {
    address mintAddress;
    address owner;
    uint256 balance;
    bool isFrozen;
}

struct Metadata {
    string name;
    string symbol;
    string tokenURI;
}

contract Spl721 {
    mapping(address => Mint) public mints;
    mapping(address => TokenAccount) public tokenAccounts;
    mapping(address => Metadata) public nftMetadata;
    mapping(address => bool) public mintAddresses;
    mapping(address => bool) public tokenAddresses;

    function initializeMint(
        uint8 decimals,
        address mintAuthority,
        address freezeAuthority,
        address mintAddress
    )
        public
        returns (Mint memory)
    {
        require(!mintAddresses[mintAddress], "Mint already exists");
        mints[mintAddress] = Mint(decimals, 0, mintAuthority, freezeAuthority, mintAddress);
        mintAddresses[mintAddress] = true;
        return mints[mintAddress];
    }

    function setMetadata(
        address mintAddress,
        string memory name,
        string memory symbol,
        string memory tokenURI
    )
        public
    {
        require(mintAddresses[mintAddress], "Mint does not exist");
        nftMetadata[mintAddress] = Metadata(name, symbol, tokenURI);
    }

    function mintNFT(address toMintTokens, address mintAddress) public {
        require(mintAddresses[mintAddress], "NFT mint does not exist");
        require(mints[mintAddress].mintAuthority == msg.sender, "Only the mint authority can mint");
        require(mints[mintAddress].supply == 0, "NFT already minted");
        mints[mintAddress].supply = 1;
        address tokenAddress = address(uint160(uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(toMintTokens, mintAddress)))));
        if (!tokenAddresses[tokenAddress]) {
            tokenAccounts[tokenAddress] = TokenAccount(mintAddress, toMintTokens, 0, false);
            tokenAddresses[tokenAddress] = true;
        }
        tokenAccounts[tokenAddress].balance = 1;
        tokenAccounts[tokenAddress].owner = toMintTokens;
    }

    function transfer(address to, address mintAddress, uint256 amount) public {
        address toTokenAddress = address(uint160(uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(to, mintAddress)))));
        address fromTokenAddress = address(uint160(uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(msg.sender, mintAddress)))));
        require(tokenAccounts[fromTokenAddress].balance >= amount, "Insufficient balance");
        require(amount == 1, "Only transferring 1 NFT at a time");
        require(tokenAccounts[fromTokenAddress].owner == msg.sender, "Not the NFT owner");
        require(!tokenAccounts[fromTokenAddress].isFrozen, "Sender token account is frozen");
        if (tokenAddresses[toTokenAddress]) {
            require(!tokenAccounts[toTokenAddress].isFrozen, "Receiver token account is frozen");
        }
        if (!tokenAddresses[toTokenAddress]) {
            tokenAccounts[toTokenAddress] = TokenAccount(mintAddress, to, 0, false);
            tokenAddresses[toTokenAddress] = true;
        }
        tokenAccounts[fromTokenAddress].balance -= amount;
        tokenAccounts[toTokenAddress].balance += amount;
        tokenAccounts[toTokenAddress].owner = to;
    }

    function freezeAccount(address owner, address mintAddress) public {
        require(mintAddresses[mintAddress], "Mint does not exist");
        require(mints[mintAddress].freezeAuthority == msg.sender, "Only the freeze authority can freeze");
        address tokenAddress = address(uint160(uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(owner, mintAddress)))));
        require(tokenAddresses[tokenAddress], "Token account not found");
        tokenAccounts[tokenAddress].isFrozen = true;
    }

    function getMint(address token) public view returns (Mint memory) {
        return mints[token];
    }

    function getTokenAccount(address owner, address token) public view returns (TokenAccount memory) {
        return tokenAccounts[address(uint160(uint256(keccak256(abi.encodePacked(owner, token)))))];
    }

    function getMetadata(address mintAddress) public view returns (Metadata memory) {
        return nftMetadata[mintAddress];
    }
}

As you can see in the contract, instead of an approval flow, there is only a transfer function to move tokens. On Solana, a single transaction can call multiple smart contract functions atomically, removing the need for the approval flow. Another difference is that everything is stored in a token account on Solana, keeping the details of the owner's tokens separate from the other state.

Where's the NFT Metadata?

On Ethereum, ERC721 contracts often store a metadata URI or embed logic for fetching token metadata. On Solana, the Token Metadata Program (by Metaplex) handles NFT metadata in a separate account. You can include fields like name, symbol, description, image URI, and more--all without changing the underlying Token Program. This does mean there's a separate instruction in your minting transaction to attach metadata. Since Solana can handle multiple program calls atomically in one transaction, you can easily create the mint and set up metadata in a single go.

Tradeoffs of Each Approach

Now that you have a general idea of how the token program and metadata program on Solana works, let's go through some of the tradeoffs of each NFT standard.

ERC721

  • Highly customizable contracts
  • New contract deployment for each collection
  • Hard to index across many contracts
  • Metadata often defined in contract or via URIs
  • Requires individual audits

Solana NFT (SPL + Metaplex)

  • Single program for all NFTs
  • New NFTs created by transactions, not by new contracts
  • Easier to index since there's one main program
  • Metadata stored in a separate program
  • Reuses existing audited code

High-Level Comparison

Below is a table comparing the basic steps of deploying an ERC-721 token on Ethereum vs. creating an NFT (SPL token with metadata) on Solana. (On Solana, you can freely mint SPL tokens by using the spl-token command in the command-line tool.)

LangkahEthereum (ERC-721)Solana (SPL + Metaplex)
1. Persiapkan Kode TokenBiasanya menggunakan library ERC721 dari OpenZeppelin. Anda membuat file Solidity (misal MyNFT.sol).Tidak memerlukan kontrak khusus untuk fungsi NFT dasar. Token Program sudah di-deploy. Anda hanya perlu membuat mint account (supply = 1).
2. Kompilasi & DeployKompilasi dan deploy menggunakan Hardhat/Truffle (misal npx hardhat run deploy.js --network ...).Gunakan CLI (misal spl-token create-token --decimals 0) atau tool SDK (seperti Candy Machine dari Metaplex). Tidak diperlukan deployment kontrak terpisah.
3. Mint NFTPanggil fungsi mint() dari kontrak, yang menetapkan NFT ke sebuah alamat dan biasanya mengatur URI metadata token. Biaya gas dapat bervariasi.Jalankan spl-token mint <MINT_ADDRESS> 1 atau gunakan instruksi mint dari Metaplex untuk membuat tepat 1 supply. Biaya transaksi di Solana biasanya sangat rendah.
4. Buat PenerimaBiasanya hanya alamat Ethereum biasa. Pengguna harus menambahkan alamat kontrak NFT di banyak wallet untuk melihatnya.Setiap pengguna memiliki associated token account (ATA). Wallet seperti Phantom secara otomatis mengenali ATA untuk NFT. Tidak ada langkah tambahan untuk "menambahkan" token, meskipun mungkin muncul di tab "Collectibles" setelah dikenali.
5. Periksa HasilLihat di Etherscan atau gunakan marketplace NFT seperti OpenSea. Seringkali, pengguna secara manual menambahkan alamat kontrak untuk melihat token di beberapa wallet.Gunakan solana balance <ADDRESS> atau spl-token accounts untuk melihat kepemilikan token. Anda juga dapat menggunakan Solana Explorer atau marketplace NFT (Magic Eden, OpenSea Solana, dll.) untuk mengonfirmasi keberadaan NFT.
6. Identifier UnikAlamat Kontrak + tokenId.Alamat Mint. Setiap NFT adalah token SPL dengan supply=1.
7. KoleksiSemua token dalam satu kontrak biasanya merepresentasikan satu koleksi.Koleksi ditetapkan melalui "alamat koleksi" di Metaplex. Anda tidak perlu men-deploy kontrak khusus.
8. Update KodeUntuk upgrade besar, Anda mungkin menggunakan pola proxy atau men-deploy ulang kontrak. Hanya developer tingkat lanjut yang biasanya melakukan ini.Token Program bersifat tetap. Jika Anda memerlukan fitur lanjutan (royalti, metadata dinamis, dll.), Anda dapat menggunakan atau membangun program onchain terpisah. Metaplex juga mendukung ekstensi seperti programmable NFT.
9. Persyaratan AuditSetiap kontrak biasanya memerlukan audit, terutama jika Anda menambahkan logika minting khusus, marketplace, dll.Token Program utama dan Metaplex Metadata Program telah diaudit berkali-kali. Untuk minting NFT standar, audit kontrak tambahan biasanya tidak diperlukan.

Want to mint your own NFT on Solana? Check out this guide!

How to do ERC721 on Solana

Let's explore how to interact with the Token Program using solana/web3.js based on Ethereum's ERC721 interface structure.

As mentioned above, since NFT Collections on Solana are not tied to a specific contract, the concept of a tokenId does not exist. Therefore, to find the specific data of a token, you should use Mint Address or Collection Address.

How to do name()

solidity
function name() external view returns (string); // Returns the token collection name

You can use @metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults and @metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata to fetch and parse an NFT's off-chain metadata from its mint address.

jsx
import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { fetchDigitalAsset, mplTokenMetadata } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata";
import { PublicKey } from "@metaplex-foundation/js";
const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

async function name() {
  try {
    const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
    umi.use(mplTokenMetadata());
    const digitalAsset = await fetchDigitalAsset(umi, mintAddress);
    return digitalAsset.metadata.name;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error fetching NFT name:", error);
    return null;
  }
}

name().then(nftName => {
    console.log("NFT Name:", nftName);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  });

How to do symbol()

solidity
function symbol() external view returns (string); // Returns the token collection symbol

You can also retrieve the symbol in the same way as name(), using @metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults and @metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata.

jsx
import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { fetchDigitalAsset, mplTokenMetadata } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata";
import { PublicKey } from "@metaplex-foundation/js";
const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

async function symbol() {
  try {
    const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
    umi.use(mplTokenMetadata());
    const digitalAsset = await fetchDigitalAsset(umi, mintAddress);
    return digitalAsset.metadata.symbol;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error fetching NFT symbol:", error);
    return null;
  }
}

symbol().then(nftSymbol => {
  console.log("NFT Symbol:", nftSymbol);
}).catch(error => {
  console.error("Error:", error);
});

How to do tokenURI()

bash
function tokenURI(uint256 _tokenId) external view returns (string); // Returns the tokenURI of the token

You can also retrieve the symbol in the same way as name(), using @metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults and @metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata.

jsx
import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { fetchDigitalAsset, mplTokenMetadata } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-token-metadata";
import { PublicKey } from "@metaplex-foundation/js";
const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

async function tokenURI( /* no tokenId */ ) {
  try {
    const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
    umi.use(mplTokenMetadata());
    const digitalAsset = await fetchDigitalAsset(umi, mintAddress);
    return digitalAsset.metadata.uri;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error fetching token URI:", error);
    return null;
  }
}

tokenURI()
  .then(uri => {
    console.log("Token URI:", uri);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  });

How to do ownerOf()

bash
function ownerOf(uint256 _tokenId) public view returns (address) // Returns the owner of the tokenId token

We can check the owner of an NFT using the mint address instead of the tokenId.

jsx
import { Connection, PublicKey } from "@solana/web3.js";

const connection = new Connection("https://api.devnet.solana.com", "confirmed");
const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

async function ownerOf( /*no tokenId*/ ){
  const largestAccounts = await connection.getTokenLargestAccounts(new PublicKey(mintAddress));
  const largestAccountInfo = await connection.getParsedAccountInfo(largestAccounts.value[0].address);
  return largestAccountInfo.value.data.parsed.info.owner;
}

ownerOf().then(owner => {
  console.log(owner);
}).catch(error => {
  console.error("Error:", error);
});

How to do transferFrom()

solidity
function transferFrom(address _from, address _to, uint256 _tokenId) external payable; // Transfers tokenId token from _from to _to

First, Let's look at this code for understanding logic:

On Solana, each token is identified by its unique Mint address, and users store their balances in an Associated Token Account (ATA). In a transaction, the ATA address is used as the sender or receiver for transferring tokens. Unlike on Ethereum, where you directly call an ERC-20 contract, Solana handles token transfer logic through its native system program.

We can make a transaction's transfer instruction through createTransferCheckedInstruction and send it through sendTransaction from @solana/spl-token.


jsx
import { Keypair, Transaction, Connection, PublicKey } from "@solana/web3.js";
import { createTransferCheckedInstruction } from "@solana/spl-token";

const connection = new Connection("https://api.devnet.solana.com", "confirmed");

// Replace with your real private key (as a Uint8Array)
const ownerSecretkey = [];
const ownerPrivatekeypair = Keypair.fromSecretKey(new Uint8Array(ownerSecretkey));

const fromPublicKey = ownerPrivatekeypair.publicKey; // The sender's public key
const toPublicKey = new PublicKey("Receiver's Wallet Address");

const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

// Pre-existing ATA addresses (for `_from` and `_to`)
const ownerTokenAccount = new PublicKey("Associated Token Account of _from");
const receiverTokenAccount = new PublicKey("Associated Token Account of _to");

// For an NFT, decimals = 0 and amount = 1
async function transferFrom(_from, _to) {
  try {
    const tx = new Transaction().add(
      createTransferCheckedInstruction(
        ownerTokenAccount,              // _from's ATA
        mintAddress,
        receiverTokenAccount,           // _to's ATA
        ownerPrivatekeypair.publicKey,  // Authority for `_from` (the private key must match this public key)
        1,                              // amount = 1 NFT
        0                               // decimals = 0 for NFT
      )
    );
    
    // Send transaction (simple version)
    await connection.sendTransaction(tx, [ownerPrivatekeypair]);
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error in transferFrom:", error);
    return false;
  }
}

transferFrom(fromPublicKey, toPublicKey)
  .then(result => {
    console.log("transferFrom result:", result);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  });

How we can check receiverTokenAddress through receiverAddress? We can use getOrCreateAssociatedTokenAccount. It will retrieve the associated token account, or create it if it doesn't exist.

jsx
import { Keypair, Transaction, Connection, PublicKey } from "@solana/web3.js";
import { createTransferCheckedInstruction, getOrCreateAssociatedTokenAccount } from "@solana/spl-token";

const connection = new Connection("https://api.devnet.solana.com", "confirmed");

// Insert your private key as a Uint8Array
const ownerSecretkey = [];
const ownerPrivatekeypair = Keypair.fromSecretKey(new Uint8Array(ownerSecretkey));

const fromAddress = ownerPrivatekeypair.publicKey;  // The sender's public key
const toAddress = new PublicKey("Receiver's Wallet Address");

const mintAddress = new PublicKey("Token Address");

// For an NFT: decimals = 0, amount = 1
async function transferFrom(_from, _to) {
  try {
    // Retrieve (or create if missing) the sender's ATA
    const ownerTokenAccount = await getOrCreateAssociatedTokenAccount(
      connection,
      ownerPrivatekeypair,    // Fee payer
      mintAddress,
      _from
    );

    // Retrieve (or create if missing) the receiver's ATA
    const receiverTokenAccount = await getOrCreateAssociatedTokenAccount(
      connection,
      ownerPrivatekeypair,    // Fee payer (use the receiver if needed)
      mintAddress,
      _to
    );

    // Create transaction with a transfer of 1 NFT (decimals=0)
    const tx = new Transaction().add(
      createTransferCheckedInstruction(
        ownerTokenAccount.address,
        mintAddress,
        receiverTokenAccount.address,
        ownerPrivatekeypair.publicKey,
        1, // Always transfer exactly 1 (NFT)
        0  // decimals = 0 for an NFT
      )
    );

    // Send the transaction
    await connection.sendTransaction(tx, [ownerPrivatekeypair]);
    return true;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error in transferFrom:", error);
    return false;
  }
}

transferFrom(fromAddress, toAddress)
  .then(result => {
    console.log("Transaction result:", result);
  })
  .catch(error => {
    console.error("Error:", error);
  });

Want to explore more features? Check out this guide!

Node storing all data and participating in consensus

  • Ethereum: Archive Node
  • Solana: [n/a]

Node storing some data and participating in consensus

  • Ethereum: Full Node
  • Solana: Consensus Node

Node storing some data and not participating in consensus

  • Ethereum: Light Node
  • Solana: RPC Node
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