Akord Announces Atomic NFT Minting Tool
Akord has launched their own tool for minting Atomic NFTs to the Arweave blockchain. Leveraging Warp Contracts and the Arweave Atomic NFT standard, Akord is providing users with a means to own their data in new and exciting ways.
The minting tool can be found at mint.akord.com and is currently in public Beta, with intentions to integrate the features into the Akord app in early 2024. A help guide for minting can be found here.
But what are Atomic NFTs? And why would I want to mint one?
Introducing Atomic NFTs
The usual practice for creating an NFT is to mint the token on a blockchain like Ethereum, Solana, Cardano etc, and that token will then point to the asset stored elsewhere.
What most people commonly refer to as the NFT, either knowingly or unknowingly, is actually just the asset not the NFT itself. If the asset is stored on a centralised cloud server this obviously poses a risk, as the asset could be deleted or edited and the NFT becomes worthless.
This is why many NFT projects are using Arweave's permanent storage via Akord to ensure their NFTs' assets are permanent and are never lost or tampered with.
As Arweave is a data storage network it can host both token, metadata and asset, taking the logical step of enabling Atomic NFTs that can hold contract and asset data together on one chain, in one transaction.
In the words of the Permaweb Cookbook, a community-driven resource:
“An atomic asset is a unique package that includes data, labels (also known as tags), and a specific agreement, all under a single, unchangeable identifier. This allows applications and users to access the data, labels, and agreement by using just this one identifier.”
Mint a single Atomic NFT or a collection
You can mint single NFTs or mint a whole batch of NFTs together into a collection. Atomic NFTs can be any file type – image, audio, video, PDF etc.
Once you have your asset(s) ready to mint, you need to make sure you have an Akord account – sign up here if you don’t have one. You’ll get 100 MB of free permanent storage on the Arweave network when you sign up, so you can try minting completely for free.
Once your account is setup, you’ll need to create a permanent and public vault. When that’s done, head to mint.akord.com and start the process.
Arweave Universal Data License
After you add the initial Atomic NFT metadata, you’ll be asked if you want to add the Arweave Universal Data License (UDL).
The UDL is a groundbreaking framework designed for the efficient monetization of digital content on the Permaweb. It empowers creators to set their own terms for the usage of content uploaded to Arweave, enabling a fair and equitable distribution of value. Simultaneously, it offers developers a streamlined way to license this data for their applications.
The key features of the UDL are:
Rich Content Library. Developers gain instant access to a diverse range of high-quality content, eliminating the “cold start” problem for new permaweb apps.
Programmable Licensing. Creators can embed custom tags in their uploads to specify license terms, offering unprecedented flexibility and ease for both content creators and developers.
Customizable Monetization Parameters. Creators can define the length of the license term, select the currency for payments, and set the fee at the time of upload. Platforms can then use this licensed content by agreeing to these terms.
Tokenized, Trustless Payments. Payments are facilitated through Warp smart contracts on Arweave, ensuring a secure and automated transaction process.
Universal Content Marketplace
You’ll also be prompted to optionally add your NFT to Universal Content Marketplace (UCM). The UCM was introduced as a new protocol on Arweave's network. It functions as an on-chain order book, enabling the trade of atomic assets on the Permaweb without the need for trust.
UCM differs from typical NFT marketplaces in that it is not restricted to certain asset types, but instead, it can handle a variety of assets like papers, domains, components, or even applications, highlighting the versatility of Permaweb.
UCM provides a decentralized and transparent trading environment for creators and users, and also offers opportunities for developers. Those with programming skills can develop their own front-end interfaces using the UCM protocol, allowing them to establish their own marketplaces for atomic assets and facilitate the exchange of digital content.BazAR is an example of a marketplace that was developed on the UCM platform.
Akord x Warp
This marks yet another milestone in the ongoing Akord x Warp collaboration. Akord, an early adopter of Warp Contracts — data-driven smart contracts on Arweave — continues to play a crucial role in enhancing the overall Warp stack, providing ideas and feedback.
Warp’s strong belief is that Atomic Assets, complemented by developments such as UDL and the UCM protocol, are poised to revolutionise the current ecommerce landscape. This will pave the way for a surge in the ‘on-chain creators' economy’, driven by these capabilities of the Permaweb.
Akord excels in flawlessly merging today's Web2 with Web3, showcasing profound technical knowledge, meticulous attention to detail, and a strong aesthetic sense. This makes them exceptionally well-positioned to spearhead the widespread adoption of the Permaweb.
Jakub Wojciechowski, Founder and CEO, Warp Contracts
Tokenised data ownership – just the start
Minting Atomic NFTs on Akord marks a new chapter, or rather method, in Akord’s mission to empower data ownership.
In the very near future, we’ll be releasing token-gated access of vaults on Akord, which will enable users to take an NFT and use it as a means to gate access to their vaults where they may hold exclusive, private content for their customers or community.
These plans are just the start, and if you want to keep up-to-date then join our Discord.
