Ethereum inscription: A new way of creating digital art

Ethereum inscription ( Ethscriptions ) is a new way to create and share digital artworks on the Ethereum network. Compared to traditional NFTs, this method is more cost-effective and has a higher degree of decentralization. Unlike regular NFTs that rely on specific contracts to store data, Ethereum inscriptions are created directly using the calldata of transactions.

This concept draws inspiration from the Inscriptions of Bitcoin and is also inspired by some early proto-Ethscription transactions on the Ethereum network. Compared to Bitcoin's Ordinals, Ethereum inscriptions do not require running a full node to synchronize data, making the operation simpler and faster. Additionally, users are more familiar with using Ethereum wallets compared to Bitcoin wallets.

inscription working principle

• Any successful Ethereum transaction that interprets the input data ( as UTF-8) for a valid data URI will create an Ethscription, provided that the data URI is unique. All valid MIME types are supported.
• The uniqueness of the URI refers to the absence of identical content in previous blocks or earlier transactions within the same block.
• Any Ethereum transaction, whose input data is a valid Ethscription transaction hash, and the transaction sender is the owner of that Ethscription, shall be regarded as a valid Ethscription transfer.

Creating Inscription Methods

1. Upload images through the official website ( up to 96KB ) for one-click minting.

2. Manual operation steps:

   • Use online tools to convert images to Base64 encoded data URIs
   • Convert data URI to hexadecimal format
   • Send 0 Ether transaction, fill in the converted hexadecimal data in the "Hexadecimal Data" field.
   • After the transaction is successful, the inscription will be displayed on the official website's "My Ethscriptions" page (, provided that the content has not been inscribed by anyone else ).

Transfer Inscription Method

• Obtain the desired Ethscription ID (, which is the transaction hash for creating the inscription ).
• Send a transaction of 0 Ether to the recipient, filling in the Ethscription ID in the "hexadecimal" field.

Inscription Tracking Method

You can currently check the latest minted inscriptions on the official website or use an indexer for queries. The official indexer has not been open-sourced yet, and users can obtain historical data from BigQuery and access real-time data through the Alchemy API.

In addition, community members have built an Ether inscription dashboard on Dune, which can be used to query relevant inscription information.

Founding Team

Although the earliest Ethscription dates back to 2016, the official protocol, website, and supporting indexer were developed by Tom Lehman(, also known as Middlemarch). Tom Lehman is the co-founder and CEO of Genius, a company that has received $15 million in Series A and B funding from A16Z.

Latest Updates

The founder Middlemarch announced three important updates on June 20:

1. Inscription Number: Ethscriptions now displays a numerical sequence of creation, with #0 being the Genesis Ethscription uploaded by the founder.

2. Indexer Rewrite: To achieve stable and consistent numbering, the indexer has been rewritten. The new version can index blocks more quickly and orderly.

3. Double Check: Add an automatic check function on the creation page to alert users in advance if the content has already been inscribed, avoiding gas waste from invalid inscriptions.

Ether inscription gameplay

1. Digital Art Collection: The first Ethereum inscription project "Ethereum punk" sold out quickly and is actively traded in the secondary market.

2. Token minting: Similar to BRC20, community members have created token minting mechanisms such as $eths, $gwei, $fomo, etc.

3. Historical Information Preservation: Some users have inscribed important information related to Satoshi Nakamoto to preserve history.

Summary

The emergence of Ethereum inscriptions has sparked discussions about their innovation and necessity. Despite the controversies, the introduction of new things often brings new perspectives and possibilities to the ecosystem. Whether as a new form of expression or a low-cost opportunity to participate in blockchain, Ethereum inscriptions provide users with more choices.