📝 NFT Metadata: JSON Structure Explained
Learn how NFT attributes, images, and traits are stored
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0 / 5 completed🖼️ What is NFT Metadata?
NFT metadata is the JSON data that describes your NFT. While the blockchain stores ownership, the metadata defines what your NFT actually is: its name, image, attributes, and more.
On Blockchain
Token ID, owner address, contract rules
In Metadata
Name, image, description, attributes, properties
Visual Assets
Images, videos, 3D models, audio files
🔍 Interactive: Explore Metadata Structure
Click on any property to learn what it does. Hover to highlight the structure.
Click on any property in the JSON to learn more about it
✅ Why Metadata Matters
- •Discovery: How users find your NFT on marketplaces
- •Rarity: Attributes drive value and collectability
- •Interoperability: Standards ensure cross-platform display
- •Permanence: Storage choice affects long-term availability
⚠️ Common Mistakes
- •Storing metadata on centralized servers (can disappear)
- •Missing required fields (breaks marketplace display)
- •Non-standard attribute formats (limits filtering)
- •Huge uncompressed files (slow loading, high costs)
💡 Key Insight
The blockchain only stores a pointer (tokenURI) to your metadata. The actual JSON file lives off-chain, making storage choice critical. IPFS is popular because it is decentralized and content-addressed (file hash = permanent address), but trade-offs exist for every option.