The blueprints that power everything from currencies to collectibles!
Ready for the final piece? 🦆 You've learned about blockchain and Ethereum. Now let's discover token standards — the rules that tell smart contracts how to create different types of digital assets. This is where it all comes together!
Token standards are like blueprints or templates that tell smart contracts how to behave. Think of them as instruction manuals!
Standards ensure that all tokens of the same type work the same way, so wallets, exchanges, and other apps know exactly how to handle them!
ERC-20 tokens are fungible — meaning each token is identical and interchangeable, just like regular money!
🦆 Examples you might know: USDC (digital dollars), DAI (stable currency), UNI (Uniswap governance), and yes — the KitchenTokens in our tutorial are ERC-20 tokens!
ERC-721 tokens are non-fungible (NFTs) — meaning each token is unique and special, just like trading cards or artwork!
🦆 Examples: CryptoKitties (digital cats), Bored Apes (profile pictures), digital art, virtual real estate, and the Dish NFTs you create in our Kitchen tutorial!
ERC-1155 tokens are multi-tokens — one contract can manage many different types of tokens, both fungible and non-fungible!
Some items are stackable (coins, potions), others are unique (sword, achievement)
ERC-1155 is perfect for games, marketplaces, and any situation where you need multiple types of tokens in one place!
🦆 In our Kitchen: The Ingredients contract uses ERC-1155! It manages multiple ingredient types (tomato, cheese, meat) — you can own many of each type, but they're all stored efficiently in one contract.
| Standard | Like | Each Token | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| ERC-20 | 💵 Dollar bills | Identical value | Currencies, governance tokens |
| ERC-721 | 🃏 Trading cards | Unique & different | Art, collectibles, real estate |
| ERC-1155 | 🎒 Game inventory | Mix of both | Games, multi-asset platforms |
Our cooking tutorial demonstrates all three token standards working together:
The Journey: Claim tokens (ERC-20) → Buy ingredients (ERC-1155) → Cook dishes (ERC-721)
🦆 You did it! You now understand the three main token standards: ERC-20 (fungible like money), ERC-721 (unique like trading cards), and ERC-1155 (multi-token like game inventories). These are the building blocks of the entire Web3 ecosystem!
Now that you understand the theory, let's see these token standards in action! Experience blockchain by using it in our interactive On-Chain Kitchen.
🍳 Start Cooking with On-Chain Kitchen →