The Anatomy of NFTs on Polkadot: A Deep Dive into NFT Pallets – Part 1

The Anatomy of NFTs on Polkadot: A Deep Dive into NFT Pallets – Part 1

The Core Building Blocks of NFT Development. 

NFT pallets are more than just technical components; they’re your building blocks and foundation for building NFT dApps on Polkadot. Think of them like your key to unlocking imaginable possibilities and ideas that you can do with NFTs. 

This article explores their important role in NFT building, shaping scalable and real-world solutions, comparing different NFT pallets, and how you can get involved. 

Let’s dive in!

So, What are NFT Pallets? 

In Polkadot, pallets are modules in a Substrate developer environment (reusable blocks) that give developers pre-built functionality and provide runtime logic for their blockchain-based applications.

You can think of them as a plug-and-play component of the core blockchain functionality that can handle specific tasks (e.g., managing NFTs) to make dApp developers’ lives easier: no fuss, no hassle, just a seamless integration process. 

Unlike traditional NFTs that rely heavily on smart contracts, Native NFTs, provided by different pallets, are built directly into the blockchain protocol. This integration offers significant advantages in terms of simplicity, speed, cost efficiency, and security, making it a superior choice for a wide range of applications.

NFT Pallets provides all the core logic, tools, and functionality necessary to create (mint), transfer, burn, and store NFT data. 

Moreover, NFT Pallets allow Web2 developers to seamlessly bring Web3 technology into their existing projects.

The Different Types of NFT Pallets on Polkadot: 

  • Uniques Pallet: A standard NFT pallet in Substrate, supported by Parity. Supports basic NFT functionality and is ideal for light-weight NFT implementations where advanced features aren’t needed. Available on Asset Hub and simplest to deploy in a parachain (used by most parachains (>5). Has the third place by the number of NFTs minted.
  • NFTs Pallet: A powerful NFT engine, supported by Parity. Flexible for building collections and storing on-chain metadata. Available on Asset Hub and simplest to deploy in a parachain (used by 2 other parachains (>5). Has the biggest amount of NFT minted.
  • Unique Network Pallet: The first NFT pallet created for Polkadot, supported and used by Unique Network NFT parachain. Includes features for advanced NFT creation such as Nested NFTs, Dynamic NFTs, Fractionalised NFTs, transaction fee sponsoring, and NFT Substrate-EVM interoperability. Has the second place by the number of NFTs minted.
  • ORML: Part of the Open Runtime Module Library (ORML), initially created to serve as a simple pallet for NFTs, but was overtaken by the Uniques pallet in adoption and is currently only used by the Acala parachain.
  • NFT Manager: A simple NFT pallet used with its own NFT concept, only used by its creator, the Aventus Network parachain. 

For a full, deep understanding and discussion of the different NFT pallets on Polkadot, see “Polkadot NFT Pallets”.

Why NFT Pallets matter for developers

For developers or users starting their NFT development journey, they’re simply a game-changer. They:

  • Allow usage of the NFTs on Polkadot chains
  • Save development time and cost by supporting native NFTs (non-smart contract ones)
  • Ensure interoperability across Polkadot parachains/rollups
  • Support a diverse range of solutions, from basic implementations to advanced features
  • Leverage Polkadot’s shared security and scalability in the process
  • Easier than ever to work with Web3 technology (without the fuss) for Web2 devs looking to cross the bridge over to blockchain. 

Additional information and docs:

Project Use Cases with NFT Pallets

So you’ve learned everything there is to know about NFT Pallets and why you might want to use one for your future projects. 

Below, we’ll share some live use cases of projects on Polkadot already using NFT Pallets in their environment, their core theme, and why they’re using NFT Pallets over smart contracts. 

This section might be particularly useful if you’re looking for ideas and inspiration in your journey. In Part 2 of this blog series, we will dive deeper into other use cases tailored to each NFT Pallet. 

Project/Roll-up Description NFT Pallet Usage/Details
Mythical Games An L1 rollup focused on gaming & NFTs, powering titles like NFL Rivals, FIFA Rivals, and soon Pudgy Party. Implements the Polkadot NFTs Pallet for advanced NFT functionality, including marketplaces and in-game asset trading. Also uses Substrate pallets for NFT metadata and cross-chain mechanics. 
Unique Network An NFT parachain dedicated to advanced NFTs & NFT dApp development.  Uses its own custom NFT pallet alongside Polkadot’s core pallets for minting millions of NFTs. Supports NFT XCM for cross-chain transfers. 
Astar An EVM-compatible parachain supporting smart contracts and DeFi, with strong NFT integration. Uses Polkadot’s NFT pallets for marketplace and collection management.
Asset Hub Polkadot’s system parachain for managing fungible and non-fungible assets across the ecosystem. Directly uses Uniques and NFTs pallets for NFT representation, metadata, and cross-chain transfers.

Note: Not all parachains explicitly document NFT pallet usage, as it’s optional in Substrate runtimes. For deeper dives, refer to the Polkadot Wiki for pallet details or the project repositories for additional information.

The tech stack for NFT pallets in Polkadot revolves around Substrate, the modular framework for building blockchains in the ecosystem. At its core are FRAME pallets – pre-built modules that can be included in a chain’s runtime to enable specific functionalities, such as NFT creation, management, and transfers. 

To strengthen your NFT Pallet knowledge, the primary NFT-related pallets are: Uniques Pallet, NFTs Pallet, and Unique Network’s Pallet. Albeit, it’s important to note, there’s no ‘official pallet’, which we’ll get into more detail in part 2. 

NFT interoperability is enhanced by NFT XCM (NFT Cross-Consensus Messaging) for cross-chain NFT transfers (developed and led by Unique Network), and common metadata standards. Other pallets, ORML or NFT Manager, exist but are less common, used for specific NFT implementation in Acala and Aventus chains.
In the next part of this series (Part 2), we’ll compare these pallets in depth — their strengths, trade-offs, developer tooling, and how to choose the right one for your NFT application!

Join the NFTMozaic Ecosystem!

NFTMozaic is a Polkadot project created to establish Polkadot as the leading ecosystem for NFT-related applications by providing effective technology, support, business development, and marketing efforts focused on this market segment.

Follow us to get all the latest information, and join us as we shape the future of NFTs on Polkadot: