# Non-fungible token

By [Cajun415](https://paragraph.com/@cxsyt) · 2021-11-21

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A **non-fungible token** (**NFT**) is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a digital [ledger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ledger) ([blockchain](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockchain)). NFTs can be associated with easily-reproducible items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files as unique items (analogous to a [certificate of authenticity](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate_of_authenticity)), and use blockchain technology to give the NFT a public [proof of ownership](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Title_\(property\)). Copies of the original file are not restricted to the owner of the NFT, and can be copied and shared like any file. The lack of interchangeability ([fungibility](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungibility)) distinguishes NFTs from blockchain [cryptocurrencies](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryptocurrencies), such as [Bitcoin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitcoin).

The first NFT project was in 2015 on the [Ethereum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethereum) blockchain. According to NonFungible.com, the total monetary value of NFTs grew in 2021, with sales of NFTs exceeding $2 billion during the first quarter of the year.

NFTs have drawn criticism with respect to the energy cost and [carbon footprint](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon_footprint) associated with validating blockchain transactions as well as its frequent use in [art scams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Confidence_trick).

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*Originally published on [Cajun415](https://paragraph.com/@cxsyt/non-fungible-token)*