How to Create and Mint Your Own NFT: A Step-by-Step Guide

What you’ll learn

• The difference between ERC-721 and ERC-1155, and when to use each
• How royalties actually work today with EIP-2981 and marketplace policies
• Best practices for storage on IPFS and Arweave
• Three minting routes: no-code tools, low-code platforms, or your own smart contract
• Chain-specific notes for Ethereum/L2s, Solana, and Bitcoin Ordinals
• How to list safely, verify, and manage approvals

Key standards to know before you start: ERC-721 (unique tokens) and ERC-1155 (multi-token, including semi-fungible) on Ethereum-compatible chains; EIP-2981 for signaling royalty info to marketplaces.

Step 1: Plan your drop and rights

Decide the goal of your NFT: art edition, membership pass, in-game item, ticketing, or collectible. Outline quantity, price, allowlists, and utilities. Choose a license that matches your intent. Many projects adapt the “Can’t Be Evil” NFT licenses, which are free public licenses inspired by Creative Commons.

Tip: Make the license and commercial terms visible on your collection site and in your metadata page.

Step 2: Pick your chain and standard

• Ethereum and its L2s are the default for broad NFT tooling. For 1/1s and art editions, ERC-721 is the simplest. For game items or editions at scale, ERC-1155 can be more gas-efficient.
• Solana is common for high-throughput drops and low fees; Metaplex Candy Machine V3 and “Core Candy Machine” power many launches, and “compressed NFTs” can scale supply via Bubblegum.
• Bitcoin Ordinals let you “inscribe” content directly on Bitcoin via a commit-reveal process defined by the Ordinal Theory Handbook. This is different from ERC standards and requires Ordinals-compatible wallets and tools.

Step 3: Set up and secure your wallet

• For EVM chains, MetaMask is the most common; learn how Secret Recovery Phrases and private keys work, and store them offline.
• For Solana, Phantom provides guides for creating a new wallet and interacting with marketplaces.
• For Ordinals, use an Ordinals-ready Bitcoin wallet such as Xverse or UniSat when you’re experimenting with inscriptions.

Security hygiene: use a dedicated “creator” wallet for deploying and a separate “treasury” wallet. Revoke marketplace approvals you no longer need using Etherscan’s token approvals page or tools like Revoke.cash.

Step 4: Prepare your media and metadata

• Use lossless or high-quality formats and include clear attributes.
• Store files on IPFS with a reputable pinning service so content persists; follow IPFS’s NFT best practices. For stronger permanence guarantees, some creators store on Arweave’s permaweb.
• If you control the contract, emit the PermanentURI event or “freeze” metadata when you are ready to lock it, so marketplaces treat it as immutable. OpenSea’s docs describe the event they recognize and their blog explains freezing.

Step 5: Choose your minting route

A) No-code tools (fastest)

• OpenSea Studio replaced OpenSea’s old “lazy minting” flow; you now mint from your own contract with their tools.
• Rarible supports “lazy minting” on Ethereum, where minting occurs at purchase and the buyer pays gas; this is useful for zero-upfront experiments.

B) Low-code platforms (more control)

• thirdweb’s NFT Drop contracts implement ERC721A with claim phases and allowlists, and they offer deployment guides for multiple networks.
• Zora Network and integrations like Crossmint provide quick ways to create collections and mint on an Ethereum L2 focused on media.
• Manifold Studio is popular for creator-owned contracts and metadata management.

C) Your own smart contract (maximum control)

• Use OpenZeppelin’s ERC-721 or ERC-1155 implementations, a framework like Hardhat, and verify your source code on Etherscan.

Step 6: Configure royalties and fees

On EVM chains, add EIP-2981 to your contract to signal royalties to marketplaces. Note that many marketplaces have shifted away from enforcing royalties on secondary sales; policies differ by venue. Magic Eden, for example, notes royalty enforcement for certain ERC721C collections and lists current marketplace fees by chain.

Quick policy snapshot you should know in 2025:

• OpenSea lists a 0.5% seller fee on secondary sales and 10% on primary drops; card checkout is available via MoonPay.
• Rarible’s community marketplaces can route 100% of marketplace fees to your project with 0% charged by Rarible.
• Magic Eden states 2% on SOL and BTC, 0.5% on EVM, with chain-specific royalty handling.

Always confirm fee pages before launch, as policies change.

Step 7: Test on a testnet

Before mainnet, run your mint end-to-end on a test network, then verify the contract. You can use Sepolia test ETH from reputable faucets and follow Hardhat or Alchemy tutorials to deploy.

Step 8: Mint the NFTs

• For no-code tools, follow the platform flow to set supply, price, allowlists, and timing.
• For custom contracts, write a minting script or use a dashboard to call your mint or safeMint function, then verify on Etherscan so buyers can read the code and metadata.

On Ethereum, your gas fee follows EIP-1559 mechanics (base fee plus tip), which vary by block demand; learn how gas works and check a gas tracker before launching.

On Solana, configure a Candy Machine or Core Candy Machine and test your mint UI; consider compressed NFTs if you need very large supply.

For Bitcoin Ordinals, inscribe via an Ordinals-compatible wallet or marketplace; under the hood the inscription uses a two-phase commit/reveal on Taproot.

Step 9: List, verify, and market

• On OpenSea, learn how collection badges work and what “verification” means; requirements evolve over time.
• If you aggregate or route listings, ensure your royalty and fee strategy aligns with your marketplace mix.
• Publish a clear “How to mint” page, contract address, and official links to avoid imposters.

Step 10: Maintain your drop safely

• Pin your media permanently and freeze metadata once final.
• Periodically revoke approvals you don’t need anymore, especially after testing or switching marketplaces.
• Keep records for taxes; in the U.S., the IRS treats NFTs as digital assets and has new broker reporting rules (Form 1099-DA) starting with transactions on or after Jan 1, 2025. The UK is implementing the OECD’s CARF with reporting starting in 2026. Consult a professional in your jurisdiction.

Chain-by-chain quick starts

Ethereum and L2s

• Choose ERC-721 for unique items; ERC-1155 for editions or game items.
• If building yourself, start with OpenZeppelin templates and Hardhat.
• If you want speed, use OpenSea Studio, thirdweb, Manifold, or Zora/Crossmint integrations.

Solana

• Use Metaplex Candy Machine V3 or Core Candy Machine; consider compressed NFTs via Bubblegum for massive supplies.

Bitcoin Ordinals

• Learn the commit/reveal model and start with an Ordinals-ready wallet before inscribing through a marketplace tool.

Troubleshooting checklist

• If your image doesn’t load on marketplaces, confirm your metadata JSON points to a valid IPFS/Arweave URL and that it’s pinned.
• If royalties don’t appear, verify your contract implements EIP-2981 and understand each marketplace’s enforcement policy.
• If a marketplace can’t read your code, verify and publish the contract source on Etherscan.

Frequently asked questions

What’s the real difference between ERC-721 and ERC-1155?

ERC-721 represents unique tokens one-by-one. ERC-1155 supports many token types in one contract and can represent both non-fungible and fungible items, which can save gas for large, multi-type drops.

Do royalties still work?

EIP-2981 lets your contract advertise royalty info, but enforcement is marketplace-specific. OpenSea shifted away from enforcing royalties in 2023; other venues like Magic Eden have chain- and standard-specific enforcement. Always check current fee and royalty pages.

Can I mint for free?

Some platforms offer “lazy minting” so the buyer pays gas on purchase. Rarible supports lazy minting on Ethereum; OpenSea replaced lazy minting with OpenSea Studio.

How do I estimate gas?

On Ethereum, fees follow EIP-1559 (base fee that adjusts by block demand plus tip). Check a gas tracker before scheduling your drop.

One-page launch template

1. Define supply, price, allowlist, license.
2. Choose chain and standard (721 vs 1155).
3. Secure wallets and set up a separate treasury.
4. Store art on IPFS or Arweave; prep final metadata.
5. Pick your mint route: Studio/Rarible/thirdweb/Manifold/Zora or custom contract.
6. Implement EIP-2981 and review marketplace royalty/fee pages.
7. Test on Sepolia or a relevant testnet; verify code.
8. Mint, list, announce official links, and apply for collection badging if eligible.
9. Freeze metadata when final and keep approvals tidy.
10. Keep records for taxes and watch regulatory updates.