# ERC-721

> The Ethereum standard for non-fungible tokens: a contract interface where every token has its own distinct identity and owner.

The standard is small: a way to ask who owns a given token id, a way to transfer it, and events so that wallets and marketplaces can follow along. Everything recognisable about NFTs — the artwork, the collection page, the marketplace listing — is built on top of that by other software agreeing to read the same interface.

What the standard does not do is store the thing itself. The contract holds an identifier and usually a URI, and where that URI points determines whether the token still means anything in five years. A link to a server somebody has to keep paying for is a different asset from a content-addressed reference, and the difference is invisible at the moment of purchase.

## Related terms

- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/glossary/smart-contract.md
- https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/glossary/solidity.md

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Source: https://dfieldsolutions.com/en/glossary/erc-721
DField Solutions — Dunakeszi, Hungary — dezso@dfieldsolutions.com
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