What Are NFT Token Standards? ERC-721, ERC-1155, Solana, and More Explained

When you buy an NFT, you’re not just buying a JPEG. You’re buying a digital certificate of ownership that lives on a blockchain. But how does that work? How does your wallet know it’s yours? How does OpenSea or Magic Eden recognize it as a real NFT? The answer lies in NFT token standards-the rulebooks that make all of this possible.

Why NFT Standards Exist

Before NFT standards, every digital asset was a wild west. One artist might create a unique artwork and store its data in a random format. Another might use a different blockchain. Wallets couldn’t read them. Marketplaces couldn’t list them. Buyers couldn’t verify ownership. It was chaos.

NFT token standards fixed that. They’re like universal languages for digital ownership. If a token follows ERC-721, every wallet, marketplace, or game that understands ERC-721 can recognize it, display it, and let you trade it. Without standards, NFTs would be useless pieces of data nobody could interact with.

The first real NFT standard was ERC-721. It was born out of a viral problem: CryptoKitties. In late 2017, people were breeding digital cats on Ethereum so fast that the network slowed to a crawl. The existing token rules (like ERC-20 for cryptocurrencies) couldn’t handle unique items. So Dieter Shirley and his team at Axiom Zen created ERC-721. It was simple: each token has a unique ID. No two are the same. And that’s how NFTs became real.

ERC-721: The Original NFT Standard

ERC-721 is the foundation. If you’ve ever bought a CryptoPunk or an Bored Ape, you’ve interacted with ERC-721. It’s the most widely supported standard on Ethereum.

Here’s what it requires:

• balanceOf(address owner) - Tells you how many NFTs an address owns.
• ownerOf(uint256 tokenId) - Shows who owns a specific NFT by its ID.
• safeTransferFrom(address from, address to, uint256 tokenId) - Lets you send an NFT safely, with checks to prevent accidental loss.
• approve(address to, uint256 tokenId) - Lets you authorize someone else to transfer your NFT.

Each NFT has a unique number (a uint256). That number can’t be reused. If you mint 10,000 Bored Apes, each gets a number from 0 to 9,999. Simple. Reliable. But it has a big flaw: you can’t batch transfers.

If you own 10 NFTs and want to send them to a friend, you need 10 separate transactions. Each costs gas. At peak times, that could mean $800 in fees just to move 10 images. That’s why many creators switched to other standards.

ERC-1155: The Smart Upgrade

In 2019, Enjin introduced ERC-1155. It’s not just for NFTs-it’s a multi-token standard. One contract can handle both fungible tokens (like ETH) and non-fungible ones (like rare skins), all in the same transaction.

How? Instead of one token ID per item, ERC-1155 uses a system where the first 128 bits define the token type, and the second 128 bits define the instance. Think of it like a spreadsheet: one row = one type of item (e.g., “Legendary Sword”), and each column = how many you own.

The big win? Batch transfers. You can send 10 different NFTs in one transaction. Gas costs drop by up to 90%. That’s why games like Gods Unchained and Splinterlands use ERC-1155. It’s cheaper, faster, and more flexible.

But there’s a trade-off. Metadata management gets complex. Each token type needs its own JSON file with name, image, attributes. If you mess up the URI, the NFT breaks. And not all marketplaces support it as well as ERC-721. OpenSea does, but smaller platforms might not.

Solana’s NFT Standard: Speed Over Compatibility

Ethereum isn’t the only game in town. Solana’s NFT standard, built by the Metaplex Foundation, works completely differently. Instead of smart contracts, it uses account-based metadata. Each NFT is a separate account with a pointer to its image and details stored on Arweave or IPFS.

The result? Blazing fast. Transactions settle in under a second. Fees? Around $0.00025 per NFT mint. That’s 300,000 times cheaper than Ethereum at peak times.

That’s why artists and gamers flocked to Solana. It’s ideal for high-volume use cases like digital trading cards or in-game items. But there’s a catch: wallet support.

Only about 68% of Solana wallets fully support NFTs. Phantom does. Solflare does. But many others still struggle with display or transfer. And marketplaces? Only about a dozen major ones support Solana NFTs, compared to 200+ for Ethereum. If you mint on Solana, you’re betting on its ecosystem growing fast enough to catch up.

Flow: Built for Users, Not Just Developers

Dapper Labs created Flow to solve a problem Ethereum couldn’t: user experience. Their NFT standard, built on Cadence (a new programming language), uses account-based ownership too-but with a twist.

On Flow, users don’t pay gas. The platform absorbs it. That’s huge. Imagine buying a digital jersey and not needing to connect a wallet or buy crypto first. That’s Flow’s promise.

It’s also fast: 10,000 transactions per second. That’s why NFL Top Shot runs on Flow. Millions of packs sold without network crashes.

But here’s the downside: adoption. Flow has strong partnerships (NBA, UFC, Formula 1), but outside those, it’s quiet. Only 12 major NFT marketplaces support it. If you’re a creator, you’re tied to Dapper’s ecosystem. You can’t easily list on OpenSea or LooksRare.

Tezos: The Green Alternative

Not all blockchains are energy hogs. Tezos uses proof-of-stake and consumes 99.9% less energy than Ethereum did before its merge. Its FA2 standard is formally verifiable-meaning math can prove the code works correctly.

That makes it popular with artists concerned about climate impact. Platforms like Objkt.com thrive on Tezos. Many creators use it for fine art NFTs because it’s clean, secure, and cheap.

But adoption? Only 1.2% of total NFT volume. Why? Because it’s niche. Fewer tools. Fewer developers. Less documentation. If you’re not into sustainability or art, you probably won’t choose it.

What About Newer Standards?

The field is evolving fast. ERC-6551, proposed in early 2023, turns NFTs into wallets. Instead of storing assets in your main wallet, your NFT can hold other NFTs or tokens. Imagine owning a virtual land plot that contains a car NFT, a furniture NFT, and a key NFT-all inside the land itself. That’s ERC-6551.

Cross-chain efforts are also underway. The Blockchain Interoperability Alliance is working on a universal metadata standard to let NFTs move between chains without losing data. If it succeeds, we might see fewer silos and more freedom.

Which Standard Should You Use?

If you’re a creator or buyer, here’s how to choose:

• Use ERC-721 if you want maximum compatibility. Best for art, collectibles, and selling on OpenSea.
• Use ERC-1155 if you’re building a game or selling many items. Saves money and scales better.
• Use Solana if you care about speed and low cost. Good for gaming, trading cards, and high-volume drops.
• Use Flow if you’re partnering with a big brand (sports, entertainment). Great UX, but limited reach.
• Use Tezos if environmental impact matters to you. Best for digital art with a conscience.

The Big Picture

NFT token standards aren’t just technical specs. They’re economic and cultural choices. ERC-721 gave us the NFT boom. ERC-1155 made it scalable. Solana made it accessible. Flow made it user-friendly. Tezos made it ethical.

But fragmentation remains a problem. A digital asset minted on Ethereum can’t easily move to Solana. Metadata formats vary. Wallets don’t always talk to each other. That’s why regulators are stepping in. The EU’s MiCA law, effective in late 2024, will require NFTs to have standardized metadata if they’re classified as asset-referencing tokens. That could force creators to adopt more structured standards like ERC-1155.

Enterprise adoption is also changing the game. Companies exploring NFTs for loyalty programs, ticketing, or digital IDs are avoiding public chains because of volatility and lack of control. Many are building private versions of these standards-keeping the rules but removing the public blockchain.

Final Thoughts

NFT token standards are the invisible infrastructure behind everything you see in the NFT world. They determine cost, speed, compatibility, and even who gets to participate.

There’s no single “best” standard. The right one depends on your goals. Are you selling art? Go ERC-721. Building a game? ERC-1155. Want speed and low fees? Solana. Need to appeal to eco-conscious buyers? Tezos.

The future isn’t about one standard winning. It’s about interoperability. The next big leap won’t be a new token type-it’ll be a way for all of them to work together.