比特币技术 — 应用层
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第20讲 Ordinals 与生态创新

Lesson 20: Ordinals and Ecosystem Innovation

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💡 Imagine if every grain of sand could be engraved with a unique mark, turning it into a one-of-a-kind artwork. The Bitcoin Ordinals protocol is that kind of magic — it lets every satoshi in the Bitcoin network carry data, becoming a digital "collectible."

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Table of Contents

Introduction: Why Engrave on Satoshis?

Have you ever collected coins? Each coin has a year, a design, and even special commemorative significance. Some antique coins have become extremely valuable because of their historical worth.

Now imagine: if you could "engrave" on every satoshi (Bitcoin's smallest unit) — inscribing images, text, or even mini-games — wouldn't those satoshis become special?

This is the essence of the Ordinals protocol:

  • 🎨 Turn satoshis into canvases: "Inscribe" various data onto satoshis.
  • 🔢 Number every satoshi: Each one gets a unique ID.
  • 💎 Create scarcity: Some satoshis become valuable due to special attributes.
  • 🎪 Enrich the Bitcoin ecosystem: From "digital gold" to "digital collectibles."

Ordinals Protocol Fundamentals

🎯 What Are Ordinals?

Ordinals is an innovative protocol on Bitcoin that allows creating unique digital assets on the blockchain. It uses Bitcoin's smallest unit, the satoshi, to "inscribe" data — each satoshi can carry additional information.

📝 Core Concepts

Satoshi Numbering

Total Bitcoin supply: 21,000,000 BTC
1 BTC = 100,000,000 satoshis
Total satoshis: 2,100,000,000,000,000

Ordinals assigns a unique number to each satoshi:
- First satoshi: Number 0
- Second satoshi: Number 1
- ...
- Last satoshi: Number 2,099,999,999,999,999

Rarity Levels

Rarity classification:
- Common: Any satoshi
- Uncommon: First satoshi of each block
- Rare: First satoshi of each difficulty adjustment period
- Epic: First satoshi of each halving epoch
- Legendary: First satoshi of each cycle
- Mythic: First satoshi of the genesis block

🔧 Technical Principles

Basic Workflow

1. Select target satoshi
2. Create a transaction containing data
3. Inscribe data onto that satoshi
4. The satoshi carries data as it circulates on the blockchain

Data Storage Method

Traditional methods:
- OP_RETURN: 80-byte limit
- Direct script: Expensive

Ordinals method:
- Uses Taproot script paths
- Data stored in witness
- Larger data capacity
- Better privacy

Inscriptions Technical Details

Ordinals uses Taproot's script path feature to store data:

json
json
{
  "vin": [
    {
      "witness": [
        "signature",
        "public key",
        "OP_0",
        "OP_IF",
        "OP_PUSHBYTES_3 6f7264",
        "OP_PUSHNUM_1",
        "OP_PUSHBYTES_9 746578742f68746d6c",
        "OP_0",
        "OP_PUSHDATA2 <HTML data>",
        "OP_ENDIF"
      ]
    }
  ]
}

🔧 Why Taproot for Data Storage?

Traditional Method Limitations

OP_RETURN: ❌ Obviously a "data storage" transaction, ❌ 80-byte limit, ❌ Expensive, ❌ Poor privacy.

Direct script: ❌ Script size limits, ❌ Very expensive, ❌ Inflexible.

Taproot's Elegant Solution

Core idea: "Hide" data in the witness

MethodCostPrivacyData SizeFlexibility
OP_RETURNHighPoor80 bytesLow
Direct scriptVery highPoorLimitedLow
TaprootLowGoodLargeHigh

🌳 Merkle Root Explained

Taproot addresses have two spending paths:

  1. Key path: Sign directly with the internal public key (most common).
  2. Script path: Use script conditions + Merkle proof.

The Merkle tree allows proving a specific script is valid without revealing all scripts — only the used script and its path proof are needed. This is more efficient (fewer bytes), more private (other scripts stay hidden), and cheaper.

Digital Asset Applications

🎨 Digital Art (NFTs)

  • Data permanently stored on Bitcoin blockchain
  • Truly decentralized
  • Immutable
  • Scarcity guaranteed

🏷️ Domain Names (.sats)

  • Based on Ordinals protocol, stored via Taproot
  • Supports subdomains, transferable/tradeable

📄 Document Storage

  • Copyright proof, timestamps, document certification, legal document storage
  • Permanent, immutable, decentralized verification

BRC-20 Token Standard

🪙 What Is BRC-20?

BRC-20 is a fungible token standard built on the Ordinals protocol, similar to Ethereum's ERC-20.

Token Operations

Deploy:

json
json
{
  "p": "brc-20",
  "op": "deploy",
  "tick": "PEPE",
  "max": "21000000",
  "lim": "1000"
}

Mint:

json
json
{
  "p": "brc-20",
  "op": "mint",
  "tick": "PEPE",
  "amt": "1000"
}

Transfer:

json
json
{
  "p": "brc-20",
  "op": "transfer",
  "tick": "PEPE",
  "amt": "100"
}

📊 Market Impact

Notable BRC-20 tokens: PEPE (meme coin), ORDI (Ordinals ecosystem token), and others.

Advantages: Based on Bitcoin security, fully decentralized, no smart contracts needed, low fees.

Hands-on: Creating an Inscription

🛠️ Environment Setup

bash
bash
# Clone Ordinals project
git clone https://github.com/ordinals/ord.git
cd ord

# Build and install
cargo build --release
sudo cp target/release/ord /usr/local/bin/

# Configure Bitcoin Core (bitcoin.conf)
txindex=1
server=1
rpcuser=your_username
rpcpassword=your_password

📝 Create a Text Inscription

bash
bash
# Create text to inscribe
echo "Hello Bitcoin! This is my first inscription." > inscription.txt

# Inscribe onto a satoshi
ord wallet inscribe inscription.txt --fee-rate 5

🖼️ Create an Image Inscription

bash
bash
# Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP
# Recommended size: under 4 MB
ord wallet inscribe inscription_image.png --fee-rate 5

🔗 Create an HTML Inscription

html
html
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>My Bitcoin Inscription</title>
    <style>
        body {
            background: linear-gradient(45deg, #f0f0f0, #e0e0e0);
            font-family: Arial, sans-serif;
            text-align: center;
            padding: 50px;
        }
        .container {
            background: white;
            border-radius: 10px;
            padding: 30px;
            box-shadow: 0 4px 6px rgba(0,0,0,0.1);
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <div class="container">
        <h1>🚀 Hello Bitcoin!</h1>
        <p>This is my first HTML inscription on Bitcoin blockchain.</p>
        <p>Created with ❤️ using Ordinals protocol</p>
    </div>
</body>
</html>
bash
bash
ord wallet inscribe inscription.html --fee-rate 5

🔍 View and Manage Inscriptions

bash
bash
# List all inscriptions
ord wallet inscriptions

# Transfer an inscription
ord wallet send <address> <inscription_id>

# View in browser: https://ordinals.com/inscription/<inscription_id>

FAQ

❓ Does Ordinals change Bitcoin's nature?

No! It doesn't change consensus rules, doesn't add new opcodes — it's purely a data storage method, fully compatible with the existing network.

❓ How are Inscriptions different from NFTs?

Inscriptions: Data stored directly on the Bitcoin blockchain, truly decentralized, immutable, based on satoshi numbering. Traditional NFTs: Data usually stored on IPFS or elsewhere, dependent on smart contracts, potentially modifiable, based on token IDs.

❓ Are BRC-20 tokens safe?

Based on Bitcoin's security, no smart contracts needed, simple and transparent code. But: It's a new standard still evolving — choose projects carefully and be aware of price volatility risk.

❓ How are Inscription fees calculated?

Fees comprise: base transaction fee + data storage fee + network congestion premium. Affected by data size, network congestion, and priority settings.

Conclusion

Through this chapter, you've gained deep understanding of Ordinals and Inscriptions technology:

  • Technical principles: How Taproot stores data.
  • Applications: Digital art, domains, document storage.
  • BRC-20: Bitcoin's token standard.
  • Practical operations: Creating and managing Inscriptions.

Ordinals opens new application domains for Bitcoin, making it not just a payment network but a digital asset platform. It demonstrates Bitcoin technology's flexibility and innovation potential.

🌟 Significance: Ordinals embodies the Bitcoin community's innovative spirit — opening new possibilities while preserving Bitcoin's core values, making Bitcoin truly the cornerstone of digital assets.

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