The SRC-20 protocol, following the BRC-20 template, was created by @mikeinspace during the BRC-20 ecosystem boom. It stores assets by embedding data in transaction outputs (UTXOs). Compared to BRC-20, SRC-20 has a more streamlined data structure and takes up less storage space.

KEVIN, named after developer Kevin, is an SRC-20 token and the first test token of the SRC-20 standard.

The well-known BTC STAMPS also belong to SRC-20 assets. STAMPS proposes a data embedding method different from the inscription technology used by Ordinals. This method numbers according to the transaction timestamp and embeds the base64 format image data into the transaction output (UTXO) on the Bitcoin chain, thereby permanently adding the data to the Bitcoin chain.

Unlike BRC-20, SRC-20 has permanence on-chain. Taking Bitcoin Frogs, which once had a floor price of up to 0.4BTC, as an example, they are inscribed on the Bitcoin chain through the Ordinals protocol. If Bitcoin undergoes a hard fork, this NFT will disappear due to the disappearance of witness data. However, if Bitcoin Frogs were to follow the SRC-20 standard and be stored directly in spendable transaction outputs (UTXOs), they could be permanently preserved on the chain without any risk of loss.

Below are seven websites that can help you understand SRC-20.

Github Documentation

Document Overview

https://github.com/hydren-crypto/stampchain/blob/main/docs/src20.md

This document, written by Hydren–crypto, a crowdfunded decentralized organization focused on building a Layer-2 network for public chains, provides a brief introduction to SRC-20 tokens. It compares these tokens with the BRC-20 standard to help you get started quickly. It covers aspects such as supported wallets, specifications, token requirements, sample JSON strings, transaction specifications, encoding, and more, offering a complete overview of SRC-20 rules.

The document also elaborates on the mandatory field requirements of the BTC Stamps protocol index/API that SRC-20 assets must meet during deployment, minting, and transfer processes. Additionally, it specifies a token length limit of 1-5 characters and outlines the characters allowed for tokens, ensuring your transactions comply with the Stamp protocol’s index.

Moreover, the document provides examples of SRC-20 token JSON string to guide you in creating transactions compliant with the BTC Stamps protocol index or API.

Rules

The document outlines the rules that Stamps must follow:

1. A Bitcoin Stamp must be a digital asset, such as [A1997663462583877600].
2. A Bitcoin Stamp can be created from an existing digital asset that was not previously a stamp. This is done by updating the asset in a new transaction to include the stamp:base64 string.
3. A Bitcoin Stamp cannot be replicated on the same asset. For instance, if an asset is a stamp, simply changing the description field to a new base64 string will not make it a new stamp. However, the new STAMP: transaction will be created on the blockchain. The new transaction will just not be indexed by the official STAMPS project. This is intended to keep them one-to-one with the first created stamp.
4. Image data must be in jpg, png, gif, or webP format and encoded in base64.

Officially recommended format:

STAMP:<base64 data> Example: STAMP:iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSU…

Base64 encoding is a method of converting binary data into ASCII characters. It converts every 3 bytes of data into 4 Base64 characters. The above example encodes the binary content of a 24x24 pixel, 8-bit color depth, and approximately 7-8Kb PNG image into a Base64 string, which is placed as a suffix in the description key of the STAMP: transaction.

Overall, the document hosted on GitHub by hydren-crypto provides a comprehensive overview of SRC-20 rules, offering essential information for those involved in the development of the SRC-20 ecosystem and its users. It serves as a valuable resource for understanding SRC-20 tokens, providing insights into their specifications and their use in the BTC Stamps protocol index/API.

Source: SRC-20 DOC

Leather

https://leather.io/install-extension

To purchase SRC-20 assets, the first step is to select a compatible wallet. Users need a wallet that supports the Bitcoin network, and currently, Unisat and Leather Wallet are the primary options for managing Bitcoin assets, including viewing, purchasing, and transferring them. This introduction focuses on Leather Wallet, which utilizes addresses starting with “bc1q.” Additionally, the current Bitcoin Stamp collection also caters to addresses beginning with “bc1q.” For instance, to mint SRC-20 standard assets, such as tokens or NFTs, you’ll need to connect a wallet with a “bc1q” prefix.

Leather clearly showcases its support for storing and minting SRC-20 tokens on its official website. It also supports Stamp minting, trading, and collecting. Now, users can directly manage their SRC-20 tokens within the Leather wallet, eliminating the need for multiple platforms or wallets to handle different token types. This asset consolidation streamlines the user experience and simplifies token management processes. Moreover, when accessing Bitcoin ecosystem applications, you can directly connect the Leather wallet to Dapps.

Leather’s integration of SRC-20 token support broadens accessibility for Stamp enthusiasts, enabling them to seamlessly access and interact with their Stamps directly from their wallet interface. This facilitates convenient Bitcoin authentication and transaction signing. This accessibility also encourages broader participation in the SRC-20 ecosystem.

In terms of security, Leather is also transparent, secure, and audited. According to official statements, Leather has undergone rigorous community testing and review to ensure security. A leading security consultancy firm safeguards privacy and security within the encryption technology. Additionally, cybersecurity professionals conduct thorough testing. Leather also participates in security bug bounty programs, proactively mitigating potential security vulnerabilities.

Users can utilize LeatherWallet by adding it as a browser extension, granting effortless access to their SRC-20 tokens and enabling transactions within the SRC-20 ecosystem. Alternatively, users can directly download the Leather desktop application to utilize the wallet. It’s crucial to note that Leather Wallet, similar to other Web3 wallets, employs a 24-word mnemonic phrase to safeguard private keys. These words are unique and ensure that no one else can access your wallet. Please store your mnemonic phrase securely. Additionally, Leather offers a password for an extra layer of security specific to the device, ensuring that users don’t need to use their private keys or mnemonic phrases when using the wallet on the same device.

Source: Leather

RareStamp

https://www.rarestamp.xyz/0

Stamps are SRC-20 tokens that embed base64-encoded image data into UTXOs, storing them in transaction outputs. Essentially, they are NFTs stored on the Bitcoin blockchain. As NFTs, Stamps inevitably involve transactions, and these transactions naturally require corresponding digital asset marketplaces for buying, selling, and listing.

Currently, the SRC-20 ecosystem is in its early stages of development. This is also reflected in the trading market landscape for Stamp, the native NFT of SRC-20. Mainstream NFT trading platforms like OpenSea still lack support for Stamps, leading most users to opt for RareStamp for their Stamp NFT transactions.

RareStamp is a dedicated marketplace for Stamp trading. Through RareStamp, you can sell and purchase NFTs. Additionally, you can view detailed asset information, including stamp number, creator, hash value, and more.

RareStamp focuses exclusively on Stamp NFT trading, listing a vast collection of Stamps. The Collection page arranges collections in ascending order based on Stamp numbers. Experienced users can browse and select their desired Stamps, making it easier for users to find the digital assets they’re interested in for buying and selling. This focused approach enhances user experience and market efficiency.

RareStamp provides comprehensive asset information, including Stamp number, creator, hash value, and more, enabling users to gain a deeper understanding of the NFTs they’re interested in. Additionally, users can review order details before payment, increasing transaction transparency and trustworthiness.

For instance, on RareStamp, you can trade and purchase some of the hottest NFT series on SRC-20, including Pixel Gods, 3GGS, Eternal Rare, Stamp Punks, Stamp Wizards, Stamp Pepes, Stamp Pepes Not, and Classic Arcade.

And, to facilitate convenient purchases, RareStamp has established a “Verified-sellers” channel on its official Discord server. This channel separately lists collections with low stamp numbers, high trading volumes, and well-known reputations, providing pre-filtered options to aid your Stamp asset purchase decisions.

To purchase Stamps, follow these steps: Access the Rarestamp marketplace and select a pending order listed under “Open Dispensers.” Click on the order to proceed to the payment page. Please note that payments should also be made to addresses starting with “bc1q.” The recommended payment wallet is currently Leather. After payment, you can query the transaction details on xchain.io.

Source: RareStamp

Stamp Chain

https://stampchain.io/

On Stampchain, you can search for STAMPS using the stamp number, creator, Bitcoin transaction (TX), and CPID. Additionally, you can inspect your stamp assets on Stampchain.

For example, if a friend transferred a stamp to you, but due to a lack of support for the SRC-20 standard, you cannot view the asset through traditional on-chain tools, you can use Stampchain to view this stamp.

Simply enter the TX hash to access information about the creator, stamp number, block index, and supply. Additionally, you can enter an address starting with “bc1q” to view the status of incoming assets.

Stampchain provides a convenient way to search for and view STAMPS through various standards, including their number, creator, Bitcoin transaction (TX), and CPID.

Furthermore, Stampchain allows users to view their stamp assets directly on the platform. Its user-friendly interface and comprehensive search function make it a valuable tool for stamp enthusiasts, offering easy access to stamp information and asset tracking.

In terms of specific parameters, for example, “DIVISIBLE: TRUE” indicates that the stamp can be split, and SUPPLY represents the total supply of N billion. This means that this stamp is divided into N shares, and each share represents the ownership and profit right of this stamp. If you buy N ten million shares, it means that you own 10% of this stamp, and it does not mean that you have 10 million stamps.

This flexible issuance method is suitable for high-value top-tier art pieces. Some NFTs are too expensive, for example, the BAYC floor price is 15ETH, Punks floor price is 36(ETH), which is difficult for ordinary buyers to bear. By splitting into shares, this method can lower the threshold for individual users, enabling more people to share and invest in these precious assets, making the NFT market more inclusive and diverse, and bringing more profits and opportunities to art owners and collectors.

Source: Stampchain

stampsrc

https://stampsrc.github.io

Minting plays a pivotal role in the Bitcoin ecosystem, serving as a digital asset issuance and trading mechanism based on blockchain technology. Its core principle revolves around inscribing digital asset ownership and transaction records onto the blockchain, ensuring the uniqueness and traceability of these assets.

Engaging in minting has become an essential avenue for many Web3 participants to actively contribute to the ecosystem. This holds true for SRC-20 as well, where minting is equally important.

It’s worth noting that before engaging in the minting process, you should first determine which SRC-20 inscriptions are available for minting and check their progress. Before getting involved in the inscription, make sure to check the minting progress percentage.

If it exceeds 100%, it indicates that the inscription has been fully minted and any inscription over 100% is considered invalid. Therefore, you must choose an inscription with progress less than 100%. Then, you need to find the inscriptions you like and remember their parameters. Afterward, go to the minting site to start the minting process.

For example, the earliest released $Kevin token is the most popular token on SRC-20. Reportedly, its off-chain price has reached as high as 1 BTC. At present, its minting progress has reached 100%. Thus, further participation in the $Kevin token inscription will be meaningless.

Before diving into minting, conducting thorough research is a wise choice. Checking the availability and progress of SRC-20 inscriptions is a key step. Ensuring the inscription progress percentage is less than 100% is an important step to avoid participating in completed inscriptions, which would make any further inscriptions invalid.

Once you have determined the available SRC-20 inscriptions and chosen the SRC-20 inscriptions you are interested in, you can proceed to the minting site and initiate minting. This process typically involves providing your wallet address, choosing your desired inscription parameters, and confirming the minting transaction. By following these steps and keeping an eye on the inscription progress, participants can effectively participate in SRC-20 minting and contribute to the vibrant ecosystem.

Source: stampsrc

SRC-20 Token Minting

Tool Introduction

https://stampchain.io/src20/

Exploring the world of digital assets can be daunting, especially when dealing with new protocols like SRC-20 or Stamp. Minting these tokens involves a unique process that is different from other blockchains.

First, visit a page like https://stampchain.io/src20/ to pay for your SRC-20 minting fee.

This process does not execute the minting itself but rather handles the payment of the minting fee. Once confirmed in the mempool, the transaction is considered complete.

Pay SRC-20 Fees (Source: stampchain)

Minting Steps

StampChain offers SRC-20 inscription minting services.

Here’s a summary of the steps to mint assets:

1. Visit the official website: https://stampchain.io/src20/.
2. Enter the name of the token you’re interested in.
3. Look for information about limits and total supply. Typically, this information is available on the token’s official website or in its white paper. You can also visit https://stampsrc.github.io/ to find this information.
4. Based on the data you find, enter the limits and total supply.
5. Complete the minting process.

Stamp Mint

https://stampchain.io/mint/

StampChain also offers a minting service for NFTs called Stamp on SRC-20.

You can choose the file to mint on-chain, with a file size limit for 24×24 pixel PNG and GIF formats.

Next, input your wallet address, which begins with “bc1q”. To finish the minting process, enter the name of the creator’s collection and the number of assets to be issued.

Like any Bitcoin transaction, users minting Bitcoin Stamps will also incur a fee. However, this fee is approximately four times higher than that of an Ordinals inscription.

Ordinals technology is currently limited to single inscriptions per transaction. This implies that if a user attempts to mint multiple Bitcoin Stamps simultaneously, the inscription costs could escalate significantly. The suggested image size for Bitcoin Stamps is 24x24 pixels. It should be in PNG, GIF, or equivalent formats, and have a color depth of 8 bits.

Source: stampchain

Conclusion

The BTC revolution spearheaded by the Ordinals’ ordinal protocol is a testament to the evolving landscape of blockchain technology. The success of BRC-20 further demonstrates the vitality of the Bitcoin ecosystem. And innovative solutions like SRC-20, with its unique generation mechanism, perpetual preservation feature, and miner immutability, has the potential to emerge as the next hotspot for ecosystem growth. SRC-20’s NFT asset Stamp, distinct from traditional NFTs, supports fractional buying, allowing more ordinary investors to enter and contributing to enhanced liquidity. This could potentially improve the current lack of market liquidity for Stamps and could become an important part of the BTC ecosystem.

However, the stamps ecosystem is still in its early stage, with many projects in their initial phases of development. The rarestamp market currently lacks liquidity, and investors should carefully consider and select SRC-20 assets.