DeFi Masterclass

Level: Advanced Module Title: Create & Launch Your Own NFT Collection

🧠 What You’ll Learn:

• What NFTs are and how they work

• Writing ERC-721 compliant smart contracts

• Uploading assets and metadata to IPFS

• Listing your NFTs on marketplaces like OpenSea

📘 Lesson 1: Understanding NFTs

NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) are unique digital assets stored on the blockchain. Unlike fungible tokens (like ETH or USDC), each NFT has a unique ID and metadata.

Common uses:

• Digital art

• Gaming items

• Virtual land

• Collectibles

📘 Lesson 2: Writing an ERC-721 Smart Contract

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;

import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/ERC721.sol";

contract MyNFT is ERC721 {
    uint public nextTokenId;
    address public admin;

    constructor() ERC721("MyNFT", "MNFT") {
        admin = msg.sender;
    }

    function mint(address to) external {
        require(msg.sender == admin, "only admin can mint");
        _safeMint(to, nextTokenId);
        nextTokenId++;
    }

📘 Lesson 3: Hosting Metadata on IPFS

Each NFT links to off-chain metadata (image, name, traits) stored on IPFS.

1. Upload your artwork to Pinata or NFT.storage

2. Create a metadata JSON file:

{
  "name": "Epic Sword",
  "description": "A rare in-game sword.",
  "image": "ipfs://your-image-hash",
  "attributes": [
    { "trait_type": "Power", "value": 9000 },
    { "trait_type": "Rarity", "value": "Legendary" }
  ]
}

1. Upload metadata to IPFS

📘 Lesson 4: Listing on OpenSea

• Connect MetaMask to OpenSea
• Go to "My Collections"

• Import your deployed contract

• Start minting or listing tokens

Tips:

• Ensure your contract implements ERC-721 fully

• Add royalty logic if needed using EIP-2981