Rarible has pre-deployed Ethereum smart contracts and pre-deployed smart contracts for the other blockchains that we support on Rarible.com. They are usable by anyone on our platform.
Note: This article focuses on the Ethereum blockchain however, our other pre-deployed smart contracts work in the same manner. The only difference is their blockchain's name.
Each NFT or collection type represents a smart contract, either ERC-721 (singular) or ERC-1155 (multiple).
ERC-721 (Single NFTs)
ERC-721 token contracts deployed on Rarible.com are based on the implementation of: EIP-721.
This excerpt is directly from EIP-721:
"A standard interface for non-fungible tokens, also known as deeds."
The proposal created a standard for non-fungible tokens. Specifically, at the interface level. Meaning – a formal design was created and implemented for everyone else on Ethereum to follow. The design of which allows for a broader acceptance of standard functions and principles of design. Standards lead to an increase in throughput and user-friendly use-cases for the Ethereum network.
At the time, the standard proposed creating basic functionalities for the tracking and transferring of unique tokens on Ethereum. ERC-721 intended to create structure and order. Now, that standard has evolved in to more compelling use cases such as, CryptoKitties and Rarible's Marketplace contracts.
The below is Rarible.com's smart contract, viewable on Etherscan:
0x60F80121C31A0d46B5279700f9DF786054aa5eE5 – ERC-721 (Singlular NFTs)
ERC-1155 (Multiple NFTs)
ERC-1155 token contracts deployed on Rarible.com are based on the implementation of: EIP-1155.
This excerpt is directly from EIP-1155:
"A standard interface for contracts that manage multiple token types. A single deployed contract may include any combination of fungible tokens, non-fungible tokens or other configurations (e.g. semi-fungible tokens)."
In short, as the industry evolves, new standards are proposed. It is similar to building codes. Old buildings do not become redundant because of updated or renewed standards. Instead, we complement our existing ideas with concrete advances and innovations of previous models.
EIP-1155 proposed a standard interface for managing multiple token types with a single contract. Instead of creating individual contracts for each asset, the 1155 contract can create new assets or additional assets underneath itself with different properties. The ERC-1155 contract is also more efficient than the ERC-721 contract with regards to gas optimizations.
The below is Rarible.com's smart contract, viewable on Etherscan.
0xd07dc4262BCDbf85190C01c996b4C06a461d2430 – ERC-1155 (Multiple NFTs)
Note: If you want to learn more about ERC-721 (singular) or ERC-1155 (multiple) NFTs, read these articles: What is an ERC-721 contract & What is an ERC-1155 contract