GlossaryAdvanced
Lazy Minting
Deferring the on-chain minting of an NFT until it is actually purchased.
Lazy minting defers actually recording an NFT on-chain until the moment it's first purchased, rather than paying to mint it upfront — the buyer's purchase transaction typically covers the minting cost as part of the sale.
This lets a creator list a large collection without paying minting gas costs for items that may never sell.
Examples
- A lazily-minted NFT collection doesn't cost the creator gas until each individual item actually sells.
- Lazy minting shifts the minting transaction to the moment of first purchase.