How to find NFT metadata on OpenSea and Rarible?

NFTs are a breakthrough technology that provide ownership of digital assets and serve as owner certificates or access keys to the underlying content, which can be music, movies, art, real estate, and many other things. However, what makes Nonfungible Tokens (NFTs) really useful is metadata. It might not exactly be a buzzword, but it ensures the user can see what NFT is all about.

Metadata is information about the content that an NFT represents. Since large files cannot be stored on the blockchain for the simple reason that they become too expensive, NFTs mostly just refer to the files that are stored off the blockchain. However, few NFT artworks are stored in the chain.

This article explains NFT metadata, what makes serving content on blockchain impractical, and how to find NFT metadata on Opensea and Rarible. Let’s start by understanding what NFT metadata actually is.

What is Nonfungible Token (NFT) metadata?

An NFT refers to a specific digital asset, which can be in the form of a JPEG, GIF, or MP4 file. Although the token itself is hosted on the blockchain, the underlying file is stored off-chain. NFT metadata indicates specifications related to that stored data. It may contain information such as the name of the NFT, a description of the NFT, transaction history, a link to the hosted image, characteristics, and more.

As for the benefits of NFT metadata, it helps solution architects put aside the technical issues of hosting large files on a chain. The preferred approach is to upload the content’s link to the blockchain while the content is stored on an HTTP URL on the current Internet or InterPlanetary File System (IPFS).

IPFS is a file-sharing peer-to-peer (P2P) network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file. The metadata serves as input to the NFT smart contract that needs to be deployed on the blockchain network.

Metadata is specified in a standardized JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) format. However, within the smart contract, the information is stored as a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) because storing it as JSON is too resource-intensive. However, users can download NFT metadata at will.

Why is metadata needed for off-chain data?

The large size of images, audio and video content makes uploading them to the blockchain very expensive. For example, if someone wanted to store a gigabyte of data on the Ethereum blockchain, it would cost roughly the equivalent of $35 million. If a movie of 160 odd minutes is stored on a blockchain, it could cost more than the cost of making the movie, i.e. $237 million.

As mentioned above, the URI string specifies a place to find the JSON description of the token. The relevant metadata remains as a permanent record on the blockchain and describes what the token represents.

What does Opensea and Rarible add to the NFT ecosystem?

The huge demand for NFTs led to the need for marketplaces where users can create, transfer and monetize their assets. The marketplaces provide the tools for these activities that are so critical to sustaining the NFT movement. Topping the list are Opensea and Rarible, two open platforms where anyone can mint and trade NFTs.

OpenSea is the world’s first and largest marketplace for NFTs, allowing users to bring out their own NFT collections to sell on the platform. OpenSea simplifies the complicated processes required to manage and monetize NFTs and provides the infrastructure for minting, listing and trading NFTs. Originally developed to support CryptoKitties, OpenSea has become a popular marketplace for NFT participants.

Rarible is also a peer-to-peer (P2P) gateway into the NFT market, offering simple minting and trading capabilities. Unlike OpenSea, Rarible uses its native token RARI to govern the platform and allow RARI holders to vote on critical decisions.

How can I view NFT metadata on OpenSea?

Any experienced trader will want to view NFT metadata on OpenSea to find out what NFT is all about. Checking metadata on OpenSea is pretty easy. For a better understanding, let’s focus on finding metadata of NFTs based on Ethereum.

The procedure is as follows:

1. Open the NFT you want to retrieve metadata for.

2. Scroll down and click on the “Details” tab and click on the link next to the contract address.

3. Copy in the Etherscan link that appears on the screen, then the contract address.

4. The user now enters api.opensea.io/asset/ in the URL text field and paste the copied contract address after the slash at the end of the URL, followed by the token ID mentioned in the contract details.

The metadata appears on the screen in JSON format. To find metadata of NFTs hosted on other blockchains, one uses an appropriate blockchain explorer to get the contract address. For example, if the NFT is hosted on the Solana blockchain, clicking the link next to Contact Address on the Details tab will take you to the Solana explorer Solscan.io. One can then use the appropriate API to get the metadata.

How do I find NFT metadata on Rarible?

Like OpenSea, Rarible also provides a way to find metadata information. To understand the process, let’s use a popular NFT based on the Ethereum blockchain called EXIO, the pilot entering the atmosphere of a planet controlled by psychedelic consciousness.

How to find NFT metadata for EXIO on Rarible:

1. On Rarible, the user opens the relevant page of the NFT, e.g. B. EXIO as shown in the figure below.

2. Scroll the screen down. On the Details tab, click View on Etherscan.

3. Click the blue token ID number on the screen.

4. The user will now be directed to a new page.

5. Copy the contract address.

6. To find metadata, paste the following link in the given format.

https://api.rarible.org/v0.1/items/ETHEREUM: Contract Address: Token ID

For the specified contract address will be the link

https://api.rarible.org/v0.1/items/ETHEREUM:0x3D34D2A719C2666e603650858ac159D12e623B77:10029

The metadata is displayed on the screen.

To find metadata of the NFTs hosted on Rarible on blockchains other than Ethereum, all one has to do is replace Ethereum with another blockchain of one’s choice. In some cases there is no token ID. Below are examples of each individual blockchain represented on Rarible:

Consider metadata when trading on OpenSea and Rarible

Metadata helps users focus on ownership and tradability of NFTs, making the tokens applicable across a range of use cases such as arts, real estate, music, fashion, gaming, supply chain, luxury goods, ticketing and more. Immediate access to this important data brings efficiencies to the real-world implementation of NFT technology. The active use of metadata by users will promote stability in the ecosystem and add enormous value to it.

A large proportion of traders on platforms like OpenSea and Rarible tend to see metadata as technical stuff and don’t bother to validate it. However, any experienced trader knows the importance of knowing all sorts of things about the NFTs that they are about to buy. Both platforms offer users easy ways to find metadata about the specific NFTs and ensure that the tokens they buy are worth the deal.

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