Ordinals Protocol protocol
Overview
The Ordinals protocol is a scheme created by Casey Rodarmor that assigns a sequential serial number to every satoshi — the smallest unit of bitcoin, one hundred-millionth of a BTC — and then allows arbitrary data to be inscribed onto individual satoshis, producing digital artefacts on Bitcoin without any sidechain, token or protocol change. The numbering scheme is called Ordinal Theory; the data attachment is called an inscription and is embedded in the transaction witness, taking advantage of the Taproot and SegWit witness-discount rules. Because the content is written directly into the Bitcoin blockchain rather than referenced by a link, inscriptions are immutable and self-contained, which distinguishes them from most NFTs that store the underlying file off-chain. Rodarmor created inscription #0 — pixel art of a black-and-white skull — on 14 December 2022, and launched the protocol publicly on 21 January 2023. Inscriptions later passed 10 million and Rodarmor stepped down as lead maintainer. Casey Rodarmor inscribed the first ordinal, a black-and-white skull, on 14 December 2022 and launched the Ordinals protocol on 21 January 2023. Ordinals drove a large increase in Bitcoin block space demand and remains contentious among Bitcoin developers. Inscriptions later surpassed 10 million and Rodarmor stepped down from the project; he was named CoinDesk's Most Influential person of 2023.
Within the DeFi Intel graph, Ordinals Protocol connects to 17 tracked entities, most strongly to Bitcoin, Magic Eden, BRC-20.
Relations
Top connections in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph (confidence-weighted, 10 of 17 total).
| Relation | Connected entity | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
deployed_on | Bitcoin | 95% |
lists | Magic Eden | 95% |
built_on | BRC-20 | 95% |
supports | Unisat | 95% |
created | Casey Rodarmor | 95% |
issued_by | Casey Rodarmor | 95% |
built_on | Ordinal Inscriptions | 95% |
issued_on | Runestone | 85% |
supports | Leather Wallet | 85% |
supports | Xverse Wallet | 85% |
Frequently asked questions
What is Ordinals Protocol?
Ordinals Protocol is a protocol tracked in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph. It is connected to 17 other tracked entities, most strongly to Bitcoin, Magic Eden, BRC-20.
What type of entity is Ordinals Protocol?
Ordinals Protocol is classified as a protocol (protocol) in the DeFi Intel knowledge graph.
What is Ordinals Protocol connected to?
In the DeFi Intel knowledge graph, Ordinals Protocol is linked to 17 other tracked entities, most strongly to Bitcoin, Magic Eden, BRC-20.
Live news feed, full graph, and search.