To mint an NFT on Cardano, you create a native token with a quantity of 1, secured by a one-time-only minting policy that establishes true scarcity. If you want to compare costs and smart contract flexibility, you can also mint NFT on Ethereum. This guide walks you through minting a single NFT using a no-code platform, from preparing your wallet and artwork to verifying your new token on the blockchain.
What you need to mint an NFT on cardano
Before you start, gather three things. First, a funded Cardano wallet like Yoroi or Daedalus that holds some ADA to pay transaction fees. Second, your finished artwork file, an image, video, or other digital asset. Third, decide to use a no-code minting platform such as NMKR Studio or Cardano Studio, which handles the complex blockchain operations through a browser interface.
How cardano NFTs work: native tokens and minting policies
An NFT on Cardano is fundamentally a native token with a quantity of 1, made permanently unique by a minting policy designed to run only once. A minting policy is a set of rules that dictates when tokens can be created or destroyed, and its unique ID forms part of the token identifier. For NFTs, the minting policy is typically configured to allow minting only a single time, ensuring a fixed and verifiable supply. This approach establishes true scarcity without requiring a smart contract.
Preparing your metadata with the cip-25 standard
NFT metadata is stored within the minting transaction under label 721, adhering to the CIP-25 standard. This metadata commonly includes essential details such as the NFT's name, description, and a link to its associated image. You will structure this information in a JSON file. A limitation of CIP-25 is that updating metadata requires either minting additional supply or executing a burn-and-remint process, as the metadata is immutable once part of the minting transaction. If you anticipate needing updatable metadata in the future, CIP-68 offers an alternative standard that stores metadata in the datum of a reference NFT.
Uploading your artwork and metadata to ipfs
The digital content of the NFT, such as an image, should be uploaded to a decentralized storage solution like IPFS, and its URI must be included in the NFT's metadata. Services like Pinata or web3.storage provide a simple interface for this step.
- Upload your artwork file to your chosen IPFS service. The service will generate a unique content identifier (CID) for your file.
- Upload your metadata JSON file to IPFS in the same way, obtaining a second CID.
- Record both CIDs. You will need them during the minting process to link your NFT to its permanent, decentralized content.
Minting your NFT with a no-code platform
Third-party platforms like NMKR Studio or Cardano Studio provide browser-based interfaces that streamline the NFT minting process, often eliminating the need for users to run a full node. Minting an NFT using the Cardano CLI would require setting up a Cardano node and familiarity with Linux terminal commands, so a no-code platform is the practical choice for most creators.
- Connect your funded Cardano wallet to the platform.
- Create a one-time minting policy. The platform will guide you through configuring a policy that can only mint once, ensuring your NFT's permanent uniqueness.
- Input the IPFS URI for your artwork and the IPFS URI for your metadata JSON file into the platform's NFT creation form.
- Review all details, then sign the minting transaction with your wallet. The transaction will include the required ADA fees and a minimum ADA value that increases proportionally with the number of different tokens bundled in a single output.
An asset's minting policy is permanent; if a change to the policy is desired, existing tokens must be burned and new ones minted under the revised policy. If you want to mint an NFT for free, some platforms occasionally offer promotional fee waivers, though standard minting transactions always incur ADA fees.
Verifying and viewing your new NFT
Once the transaction is confirmed, you can verify your NFT on a Cardano explorer like Cardanoscan. Search for your wallet address or the transaction ID to see the newly minted token and its associated metadata. Your NFT will also appear in your connected wallet and on secondary marketplaces that support Cardano native tokens, ready for display or trade.
