What Are DigiAssets? DigiByte’s Native Token and NFT Layer

DigiAssets are DigiByte's native layer for issuing custom tokens and NFTs directly on the DigiByte blockchain, without needing a separate chain or a smart-contract virtual machine. The protocol builds on the same colored-coin concept used by early Bitcoin token systems: a small amount of data written into a transaction's OP_RETURN output encodes the creation, transfer, and metadata of an asset, while the underlying DigiByte UTXO carries the asset the way it would carry ordinary DGB. Because DigiAssets ride on DigiByte's base chain, every transfer inherits the same roughly 15-second block time and the same proof-of-work security as a normal DGB transaction.

Rich metadata, images, descriptions, and other media, does not need to live on-chain to stay attached to an asset. Instead, DigiAssets reference that content through IPFS, the decentralized storage network: the on-chain transaction encodes a Content Identifier that points to the metadata, keeping the blockchain itself lean while the descriptive and visual content stays verifiably linked to the asset. Assets can be locked, a fixed, non-reissuable supply with the asset's ID derived deterministically from its creation transaction, or left open for further issuance, depending on what the creator needs.

In practice, DigiAssets have been used for collectibles, tokenized real estate, supply-chain tracking, and academic credentials, among other applications, anywhere you want a verifiable, transferable digital record secured by a real blockchain. You can browse existing DigiAssets, including their metadata and current holders, for any DigiByte address in the DigiScope DigiAsset explorer.