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Your First NFT

This tutorial describes how to create and transfer NFTs on the Aptos blockchain. The Aptos implementation for core NFTs can be found in the token.move Move module.

For reference, also see:

Step 1: Pick an SDK​

Install your preferred SDK from the below list:

Step 2: Run the example​

Each SDK provides an examples directory. This tutorial covers the simple-nft example.

Clone the aptos-core repo:

git clone git@github.com:aptos-labs/aptos-core.git ~/aptos-core

Navigate to the Typescript SDK examples directory:

cd ~/aptos-core/ecosystem/typescript/sdk/examples/typescript

Install the necessary dependencies:

pnpm install

Run the Typescript simple_nft example:

pnpm run simple_nft

Step 3: Understand the output​

The following output should appear after executing the simple-nft example, though some values will be different:

=== Addresses ===
Alice: 0xeef95e86c160fa10a71675c6075f44f8f2c6125f57b4b589424f1fbee385f754
Bob: 0x4dcd7b180c123fdb989d10f71fba6c978bda268c2e3660c169bdb55f67aab776

=== Initial Coin Balances ===
Alice: 100000000
Bob: 100000000

=== Creating Collection and Token ===
Alice's collection: {
    "description": "Alice's simple collection",
    "maximum": "18446744073709551615",
    "mutability_config": {
        "description": false,
        "maximum": false,
        "uri": false
    },
    "name": "Alice's",
    "supply": "1",
    "uri": "https://alice.com"
}
Alice's token balance: 1
Alice's token data: {
    "default_properties": {
        "map": {
            "data": []
        }
    },
    "description": "Alice's simple token",
    "largest_property_version": "0",
    "maximum": "18446744073709551615",
    "mutability_config": {
        "description": false,
        "maximum": false,
        "properties": false,
        "royalty": false,
        "uri": false
    },
    "name": "Alice's first token",
    "royalty": {
        "payee_address": "0xeef95e86c160fa10a71675c6075f44f8f2c6125f57b4b589424f1fbee385f754",
        "royalty_points_denominator": "0",
        "royalty_points_numerator": "0"
    },
    "supply": "1",
    "uri": "https://aptos.dev/img/nyan.jpeg"
}

=== Transferring the token to Bob ===
Alice's token balance: 0
Bob's token balance: 1

=== Transferring the token back to Alice using MultiAgent ===
Alice's token balance: 1
Bob's token balance: 0

This example demonstrates:

  • Initializing the REST and faucet clients.
  • The creation of two accounts: Alice and Bob.
  • The funding and creation of Alice and Bob's accounts.
  • The creation of a collection and a token using Alice's account.
  • Alice offering a token and Bob claiming it.
  • Bob unilaterally sending the token to Alice via a multiagent transaction.

Step 4: The SDK in depth​

See the full code

See simple_nft for the complete code as you follow the below steps.

Step 4.1: Initializing the clients​

In the first step, the example initializes both the API and faucet clients.

  • The API client interacts with the REST API.
  • The faucet client interacts with the devnet Faucet service for creating and funding accounts.
const client = new AptosClient(NODE_URL);
const faucetClient = new FaucetClient(NODE_URL, FAUCET_URL);

Using the API client we can create a TokenClient that we use for common token operations such as creating collections and tokens, transferring them, claiming them, and so on.

const tokenClient = new TokenClient(client);

common.ts initializes the URL values as such:

export const NODE_URL = process.env.APTOS_NODE_URL || "https://fullnode.devnet.aptoslabs.com";
export const FAUCET_URL = process.env.APTOS_FAUCET_URL || "https://faucet.devnet.aptoslabs.com";
tip

By default, the URLs for both the services point to Aptos devnet services. However, they can be configured with the following environment variables:

  • APTOS_NODE_URL
  • APTOS_FAUCET_URL

Step 4.2: Creating local accounts​

The next step is to create two accounts locally. Accounts represent both on and off-chain state. Off-chain state consists of an address and the public/private key pair used to authenticate ownership. This step demonstrates how to generate that off-chain state.

const alice = new AptosAccount();
const bob = new AptosAccount();

Step 4.3: Creating blockchain accounts​

In Aptos, each account must have an on-chain representation in order to receive tokens and coins and interact with other dApps. An account represents a medium for storing assets; hence, it must be explicitly created. This example leverages the Faucet to create Alice and Bob's accounts:

await faucetClient.fundAccount(alice.address(), 100_000_000);
await faucetClient.fundAccount(bob.address(), 100_000_000);

Step 4.4: Creating a collection​

Now begins the process of creating tokens. First, the creator must create a collection to store tokens. A collection can contain zero, one, or many distinct tokens within it. The collection does not restrict the attributes of the tokens, as it is only a container.

Your application will call createCollection:

const txnHash1 = await tokenClient.createCollection(
  alice,
  collectionName,
  "Alice's simple collection",
  "https://alice.com",
);

The is the function signature of createCollection. It returns a transaction hash:

async createCollection(
  account: AptosAccount,
  name: string,
  description: string,
  uri: string,
  maxAmount: AnyNumber = MAX_U64_BIG_INT,
  extraArgs?: OptionalTransactionArgs,
): Promise<string> {

Step 4.5: Creating a token​

To create a token, the creator must specify an associated collection. A token must be associated with a collection, and that collection must have remaining tokens that can be minted. There are many attributes associated with a token, but the helper API exposes only the minimal amount required to create static content.

Your application will call createToken:

const txnHash2 = await tokenClient.createToken(
  alice,
  collectionName,
  tokenName,
  "Alice's simple token",
  1,
  "https://aptos.dev/img/nyan.jpeg",
);

The is the function signature of createToken. It returns a transaction hash:

async createToken(
  account: AptosAccount,
  collectionName: string,
  name: string,
  description: string,
  supply: number,
  uri: string,
  max: AnyNumber = MAX_U64_BIG_INT,
  royalty_payee_address: MaybeHexString = account.address(),
  royalty_points_denominator: number = 0,
  royalty_points_numerator: number = 0,
  property_keys: Array<string> = [],
  property_values: Array<string> = [],
  property_types: Array<string> = [],
  extraArgs?: OptionalTransactionArgs,
): Promise<string> {

Step 4.6: Reading token and collection metadata​

Both the collection and token metadata are stored on the creator's account within their Collections in a table. The SDKs provide convenience wrappers around querying these specific tables:

To read a collection's metadata:

const collectionData = await tokenClient.getCollectionData(alice.address(), collectionName);
console.log(`Alice's collection: ${JSON.stringify(collectionData, null, 4)}`);

To read a token's metadata:

const tokenData = await tokenClient.getTokenData(alice.address(), collectionName, tokenName);
console.log(`Alice's token data: ${JSON.stringify(tokenData, null, 4)}`);

Here's how getTokenData queries the token metadata:

async getTokenData(
  creator: MaybeHexString,
  collectionName: string,
  tokenName: string,
): Promise<TokenTypes.TokenData> {
  const creatorHex = creator instanceof HexString ? creator.hex() : creator;
  const collection: { type: Gen.MoveStructTag; data: any } = await this.aptosClient.getAccountResource(
    creatorHex,
    "0x3::token::Collections",
  );
  const { handle } = collection.data.token_data;
  const tokenDataId = {
    creator: creatorHex,
    collection: collectionName,
    name: tokenName,
  };

  const getTokenTableItemRequest: Gen.TableItemRequest = {
    key_type: "0x3::token::TokenDataId",
    value_type: "0x3::token::TokenData",
    key: tokenDataId,
  };

  // We know the response will be a struct containing TokenData, hence the
  // implicit cast.
  return this.aptosClient.getTableItem(handle, getTokenTableItemRequest);
}

Step 4.7: Reading a token balance​

Each token within Aptos is a distinct asset. The assets owned by the user are stored within their TokenStore. To get the balance:

const aliceBalance1 = await tokenClient.getToken(
  alice.address(),
  collectionName,
  tokenName,
  `${tokenPropertyVersion}`,
);
console.log(`Alice's token balance: ${aliceBalance1["amount"]}`);

Step 4.8: Offering and claiming a token​

Many users of other blockchains have received unwanted tokens that may cause anything from minimal embarrassment to serious ramifications. Aptos gives the rights to each account owner to dictate whether or not to receive unilateral transfers. By default, unilateral transfers are unsupported. So Aptos provides a framework for offering and claiming tokens.

To offer a token:

const txnHash3 = await tokenClient.offerToken(
  alice,
  bob.address(),
  alice.address(),
  collectionName,
  tokenName,
  1,
  tokenPropertyVersion,
);

To claim a token:

const txnHash4 = await tokenClient.claimToken(
  bob,
  alice.address(),
  alice.address(),
  collectionName,
  tokenName,
  tokenPropertyVersion,
);

Step 4.9: Safe unilateral transferring of a token​

To support safe unilateral transfers of a token, the sender may first ask the recipient to acknowledge off-chain a pending transfer. This comes in the form of a multiagent transaction request. Multiagent transactions contain multiple signatures, one for each on-chain account. Move then can leverage this to give signer-level permissions to all who signed the transaction. For token transfers, this process ensures the receiving party does indeed want to receive this token without requiring the use of the token transfer framework described above.

let txnHash5 = await tokenClient.directTransferToken(
  bob,
  alice,
  alice.address(),
  collectionName,
  tokenName,
  1,
  tokenPropertyVersion,
);

Supporting documentation​