Introduction
In this tutorial we will be creating a marketplace and a non-fungible token, otherwise known as an NFT, using the Solana blockchain. Since NFTs can be made as single or multiple editions, they can be used to represent real-world objects like music, art, in-game items, and videos.
We are going to create our NFT on our own marketplace. Refer to this existing marketplace I created as an example, built with Metaplex.
Once we create the NFT, we will be able to list it for sale on larger marketplaces such as DigitalEyes or Solanart.
Note: Bullet points in this tutorial call to action.
Prerequisites
You will need around $2 USD of SOL accessible, which we will send to a browser wallet. You can get some SOL through an exchange, such as FTX, Binance. etc.
Something to upload in the NFT, such as an image, video, audio file, or an AR/3D file (.glb).
Git installed
Create and fund an SOL wallet
We are going to create a wallet on Solana using Phantom wallet. Follow the steps on Phantom's website on how to create a browser wallet.
Since minting an NFT on the blockchain causes a change in the data on the blockchain, we will have to pay for the transaction. Solana uses SOL token to pay for their transactions, so we will need to fund our new phantom wallet with SOL tokens.
Follow the steps on Phantom's website here on how to deposit SOL.
Fork and clone the Metaplex repository
We are going to fork the Metaplex repository to our own Github account so that we can host it easily on Github pages.
Fork the Metaplex repository
Now, we need to copy all of the Metaplex files over to our computer.
Create a folder on your desktop called "myNftMarketplace"
Copy the location of the folder
Change directory to your marketplace folder in the command line
cd /Users/yourusername/Desktop/myNftMarketplace Clone the repository to your marketplace folder
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/metaplex.gitAll of the files from the Metaplex repository will now be downloaded into our folder.
Change the default addresses
When we deploy the website, we want it to save in the Metaplex repository we forked on Github. This will allow us to easily get our own live marketplace online.
Change the deployment address to your Github username {url is something like - https://www.github.com/pankajrathore9599/metaplex}
Notice where my name is. This should be where our Github username goes. Make sure to follow the path taken, on the left of the picture, to get to the package.json file.
Change the store's wallet address
This is where we add the public address of our browser wallet, so the store knows who to give administrative access. Make sure to follow the path taken, on the left of the picture, to get to the .env file.
Setup and deploy our store
We are in the final stages of making our store live! Now, we will download all of the necessary packages that will allow us to deploy our marketplace website.
Change directory to the
jsfolder in the command line
cd metaplex/jsWe should still have our terminal open from before when we changed the directory into our marketplace folder. Now, we changed the directory to the js folder.
Run the following command to install all of the dependencies:
yarnThis command will begin downloading all of the dependencies that are required to work with the code. When we cloned the Metaplex repository, it didn't download the packages for us, it only downloaded the code that says what packages/dependencies are required.
The command will take a moment to finish downloading everything. When it is complete, it will output Done at the end.
Run the following command to check that all of the dependencies are working:
yarn bootstrapWe can now test our new NFT marketplace locally before we upload it to Github Pages.
Run the following command to check that all the dependencies are in place and working as intended:
yarn startIt may take several minutes for everything to compile. Once the terminal says compiled successfully, we can visit http://localhost:3000/#/ to view our brand new marketplace! But, this is only good for browsing around. Wait until we get it live online to connect a wallet and mint something.
Run the following command to build the project files:
yarn buildWhen it is complete, we should see it output Done, indicating the build has finished. We will now be able to see the build folder that was created inside the js folder.
Change directory to the
webfolder
cd packages/webRun the following command while inside the
packages/webfolder to deploy:
yarn deployOnce complete, we should again see the output Done, indicating the deployment has finished. This command has deployed the marketplace site to our Github repository, which means... our marketplace is live! Now we can go check out the fresh new NFT marketplace operating on Solana, hosted on Github Pages.
Congratulations! The URL for our marketplace will most likely be located at https://yourusername.github.io/metaplex#/, unless you changed the URL for your website in the Github repository's settings.
Now, we can move on to creating our own NFT on Solana by using the marketplace UI.
Mint an NFT on a marketplace
There are many marketplaces on Solana for listing NFT's, but only very recently was a tool created that allows the everyday user to mint their own NFT, called Metaplex.
Metaplex allows us to create our own NFT marketplace, but does not have one general NFT marketplace for everyone to use.
Head over to the "My Items" tab
Click "Create" at the top
Now we should be on the "Category" section.
On the "Upload" section, follow the instructions and upload what's required depending on the category of the NFT you chose. Make sure your filename does not have spaces in it.
Press "Continue to Mint".
Go ahead and give the NFT a cool title and a description about what it is.
Feel free to stick in a link or any info that would help someone understand what the NFT is. Or, leave the description empty and mysterious.
The maximum supply is the number of prints that would be created of the NFT, with each NFT being a numbered edition. The creator can set the “Maximum Supply” of the master edition just like a regular mint on Solana, with the main difference being that each print is a numbered edition created from it. - Metaplex Developer Guide
The attributes, for example, would be "background: blue", "eyes: closed", "mouth: smoking" etc.
Press "Continue to Royalties".
Metaplex allows us to modify the royalties and amount to split of the initial sale.
Set a royalties percentage, so the creators will recieve part of every future sale that happens of the NFT.
Make sure to add creators if anyone else had taken part in creating the NFT.
It's time to launch our NFT!
Make sure there is enough SOL in your browser wallet and click "Pay with SOL".
It will take up to a few minutes for the NFT to upload, as the metadata (title, description, attributes etc.) is being saved on Arweave. This is a blockchain tool for storing data eternally. Storing data on the Solana chain itself would be too expensive, so our non-fungible token on Solana contains a link to where the NFT information is stored on Arweave.
Wooo! Your new NFT should be finished minting. Congratulations, you now have an accessible NFT on the Solana network. What can we do with it now?
Check the "My Items" tab for your NFT
You should be able to see your NFT on the My Items page.
If you've been using a Phantom browser wallet, go ahead and check your "Collectibles" tab. Your brand new NFT should appear in your wallet! It may take some time for the images and metadata to be synced around.
BONUS: List the NFT for sale
Awesome, we now have our own NFT that we can view inside our wallet. We certainly don't have to list our fresh NFT for sale if we don't want to, but for the sake of education, let's go ahead and try listing it.
Go to DigitalEyes
I wouldn't recommend listing the NFT on the marketplace I made for us (even though I do plan to make it cool in the future), so for now DigitalEyes is the best option.
Connect your wallet
Go to the "Sell" tab
Click on the NFT you want to sell
Choose the amount you want to sell it for and list the NFT
Approve the transaction to list the NFT
The transaction cost me 0.1 SOL, so make sure you have enough SOL in your wallet to list the NFT.
Now we should be able to see our NFT listed on the marketplace! Search for the "Unverified" collection in the search bar, and scroll to your NFT. The marketplaces are still in development, so hopefully, it'll be much easier to search for the NFT's soon.
Go ahead and click on the NFT that's listed. You'll see the option to unlist it and some labels saying "Unverified". This is just because DigitalEyes has not verified our NFT, so they aren't sure if it's a fake copy of an existing collection. For any questions about DigitalEyes, such as getting your NFT verified, go here.
Conclusion
Woohoo! If you made it through all the steps, you have successfully created your own NFT marketplace and NFT on the Solana blockchain. If you completed the bonus, you now have an NFT on a popular worldwide marketplace 👍
About the author
This tutorial was created by Pankaj Rathore. He can be found on Github or Medium.