How this works
Your NFT may be in your wallet while its artwork lives on a website or file storage service. Onchaininator checks where those files are stored and helps you save a copy on the NFT’s blockchain.
Start by looking up an NFT. You can see where its artwork is stored, check whether a copy is already onchain, and preserve available files on a supported chain.
What does preservation do?
It stores a copy of the artwork on the blockchain and records which NFT it belongs to. Your original NFT stays in its wallet. Anyone can help preserve an NFT’s available files, including someone who does not own it.
What if I want a token that uses the saved copy?
The NFT’s owner can wrap it. A contract holds the original NFT and issues a new token that points to the preserved artwork. Transferring that wrapper token transfers control of the NFT inside. Wrapping is optional; you can preserve artwork without it.
Saving a copy does not change the original NFT’s image link. For example, an NFT may still link to IPFS after its artwork has been preserved onchain. Onchaininator shows the saved copy alongside the original record.
The storage badge shows where the NFT’s artwork and related files are kept. The crate icon fills as more of those files are stored on the NFT’s blockchain. Here is what each label means.
Unread
The check has not yet established where this NFT’s files are stored.
Hosted
The artwork is served by a website. Its operator can change the file or take it offline.
Hashed
A hash, or digital fingerprint, identifies the expected file. It is stored outside this blockchain and still needs someone to keep it available.
Part onchain
Some of the NFT’s files are stored on its blockchain. Other files still rely on outside storage.
Fully onchain
All of the files identified by the check are stored on the NFT’s blockchain. The original image link and the way a viewer loads the artwork are shown separately.
Unread means the check has not finished or could not retrieve enough information. It does not mean the artwork has disappeared.
Wrapping is an optional step for the NFT’s owner. The contract holds the original NFT and gives you a wrapper token that uses the preserved artwork. As the wrapper’s holder, you can withdraw the original unless you choose to freeze it. Freezing permanently removes that withdrawal option. The custody label below tells you whether the contract still holds the original NFT.
- None
- Not wrapped. The original NFT remains in its wallet and keeps its existing image link. Its artwork can still have a preserved copy.
- Sealed
- The contract holds the original NFT. The wrapper token points to the preserved artwork, and its holder can withdraw the original.
- Frozen
- The contract holds the original NFT, and its holder has permanently disabled withdrawal. There is no unfreeze option, including for Onchaininator.
- Hollow
- The original NFT has been withdrawn. The empty wrapper cannot be transferred; the preserved artwork remains stored.
- Compromised
- The contract no longer holds the original NFT, although it was not withdrawn through the wrapper. It may have been moved or burned through the original collection’s contract. The wrapper cannot be transferred.
Onchaininator has no administrator control to pause or upgrade the wrapper contract. The wrapper’s holder controls withdrawal of the original NFT while it is sealed. Once frozen, the original cannot be withdrawn through the wrapper, and Onchaininator cannot reverse that choice.
A saved file comes with a record of how it was checked against the NFT’s source. The verification label tells you what evidence is available, from a record of a download to a match that the blockchain can verify.
- UnprovenThe saved file has not yet been verified against the NFT’s source.
- AttestedA contributor recorded the file they retrieved from the source. This documents that download; the original website may change afterward.
- CommittedThe creator signed a record identifying this file as the intended content.
- NativeThe blockchain can verify that the saved file matches its content address, the digital fingerprint specified by the source.
Reports and transaction receipts may include these technical terms. They describe token types, file locations, and how a viewer loads the artwork. You do not need to learn them to preserve an NFT.
Order item
NATIVE- The chain’s own currency, such as ETH.
ERC20- A fungible token contract.
ERC721- One specific ERC-721 token.
ERC1155- A quantity of one ERC-1155 token id.
ERC721_WITH_CRITERIA- An ERC-721 chosen by collection or Merkle criteria, not one fixed id.
ERC1155_WITH_CRITERIA- An ERC-1155 id chosen by collection or Merkle criteria.
Viewer carriage
Unknown- No reliable viewer-and-art relationship could be established; do not infer either fetch path.
Linked- The viewer fetches the artwork while rendering; the document does not carry those art bytes.
Inline- The viewer document carries the artwork itself; no artwork fetch is needed.
Hybrid- The viewer carries part of what it renders and fetches the rest.
Image field
Undecided- No first preserved artwork has fixed this collection’s image delivery yet.
Inline- The token’s image field contains the artwork as a data URI.
Hybrid- The artwork is too large to fit inside every read, so the document reads it off this same chain over JSON-RPC when it opens.
Linked- The image field names the artwork with a web3:// URI, which only readers that implement ERC-4804 resolve.
Artwork edge
Unmeasured- No reliable edge measurement has been recorded.
None- The artwork reaches its corners, so there is no distinct backdrop to trace.
Square- A straight-corner rectangular backdrop was measured.
Rounded- A rounded-rectangle backdrop was measured.
Ellipse- A circular or oval backdrop was measured.
The results describe what Onchaininator could read and verify. Keep these limits in mind when checking an NFT or viewing a preserved copy.
- A file’s fingerprint does not keep it online. A hash is a digital fingerprint used to check that a file matches the expected content. Files on services such as IPFS still need someone to store and share them.
- An image link can change. A website can replace or remove a file at the same address. A saved copy records what was available when it was preserved; it does not establish what that website served in the past.
- An incomplete check needs another attempt. If a file service or blockchain connection fails, the result is marked unread or unknown. That result alone cannot tell us whether the artwork is missing. Try the check again later.
- Saving artwork leaves the original NFT unchanged. Its existing image link still applies. A marketplace may continue to show that link unless it supports the preservation record. Display of a wrapper’s saved artwork also depends on the viewer’s support.
- Storage status does not measure an NFT’s value. These checks describe file storage and verification. They do not assess artistic quality, rarity, or price.