GlossaryAdvanced
Ordinals
A protocol for inscribing arbitrary data onto individual satoshis on Bitcoin.
Ordinals is a protocol that assigns a sequential number to every individual satoshi and allows arbitrary data (an "inscription" — such as an image or text) to be attached to a specific satoshi, effectively creating NFT-like digital artifacts natively on Bitcoin.
This became possible following Bitcoin's Taproot upgrade, which allowed more data to be included in transactions more efficiently.
Examples
- An Ordinals inscription attaches data directly to a specific, individually-numbered satoshi.
- Ordinals rely on Bitcoin's Taproot upgrade for their practical data-inclusion capability.