Bitcoin Digital Objects

Bitcoin Digital Objects

BDOs are digitally ownable objects secured by Bitcoin. They can be owned, verified and carried independently from any platform.

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Interactive journey

Follow one object across the network.

Step 01
Someone creates a digital object.
Step 02
The object exists on Bitcoin.
Step 03
Someone owns it.
Step 04
Ownership is verifiable.
Step 05
The owner moves it to another application.
Step 06
The object remains the same.
Step 07
Only Bitcoin guarantees its continuity.
Evolution

The Evolution of
Digital Ownership

For more than a decade, developers have explored different ways to represent digital ownership on Bitcoin. Drag the cube to explore each milestone.

01 · 2012
Concept
Colored Coins
The Beginning

The first serious proposal to represent real-world assets using Bitcoin. A bitcoin could carry ownership information beyond simple payments.

Milestone
face 1/6
02 · 2013
Protocol
Mastercoin / Omni
Assets on Bitcoin

Mastercoin — later Omni Layer — was one of the first protocols to issue and transfer digital assets directly on top of Bitcoin.

Milestone
face 2/6
03 · 2014
Protocol
Counterparty
Programmable Assets

Counterparty expanded Bitcoin with digital assets and collectibles, proving Bitcoin could host much more than currency.

Milestone
face 3/6
04 · 2016
Protocol
RGB
Client-side Ownership

RGB introduced an advanced client-side validation model focused on scalability, privacy and complex digital ownership.

Milestone
face 4/6
05 · 2023
Protocol
Ordinals
Bitcoin Objects

Ordinals demonstrated massive demand for digital objects on Bitcoin and accelerated the ecosystem around inscriptions and collectibles.

Milestone
face 5/6
06 · 2023
Infrastructure
Taproot Assets
Native Bitcoin Assets

Taproot Assets leverages Bitcoin's Taproot upgrade to enable scalable assets on Bitcoin and Lightning. It is the infrastructure BDO builds upon.

Milestone
face 6/6
Drag to rotate · 360°
Architecture

Built on Taproot Assets.
Interoperable through STAS-01.

BDO defines what a Bitcoin Digital Object is. STAS-01 defines how it can be represented and verified using Taproot Assets. Implementations bring it to life.

01
Bitcoin
Security & Settlement

Provides the security and settlement layer that anchors everything above.

02
Taproot Assets
Asset Infrastructure

Provides the technical infrastructure for issuing, holding and transferring assets on Bitcoin and Lightning.

03
STAS-01
Interoperability Specification

An open interoperability specification for representing and verifying Bitcoin Digital Objects using Taproot Assets.

04
Implementations
Products & Experiences

Applications that build products and user experiences on top of STAS-01.

Bitcoin→Taproot Assets→STAS-01→Implementations
Why Bitcoin Digital Objects

An open standard for digital objects. What they represent is up to you.

BDO defines a minimal set of properties a digital object should have on Bitcoin: portability, verifiability and independence from any single platform. It doesn't prescribe use cases, business models or what people should do with their assets.

Portable

The object is not tied to the app that issued it. It can move across wallets, marketplaces and applications without asking for permission.

Verifiable

Authenticity, supply and history are provable by anyone against Bitcoin — no trusted intermediary required.

Neutral

BDO doesn't decide what an object is for. Art, collectibles, tickets, credentials, financial instruments — the standard stays out of the way.

Reference implementations

Multiple independent implementations can exist.

Each implementation follows the BDO principles while providing its own products and user experience.

Your implementation

BDO is designed to host many independent implementations. Build one that follows the standard and it belongs here.

Read the standard
Open repositories

Everything is open. Read it. Fork it. Build on it.

supermultiverse-LLC
bitcoin-digital-objects

Conceptual architecture describing what a Bitcoin Digital Object is.

View Repository
supermultiverse-LLC
stas-standard

Technical interoperability specification for Bitcoin Digital Objects.

View Repository
FAQ

Answers, not marketing.

A BDO is a digitally ownable object whose existence, ownership and history are secured by Bitcoin. It is designed to be portable and independent from any single platform.

Contact

Get in touch

Building on BDO, integrating STAS-01, or exploring a partnership? Send a message and we'll get back to you.

Get started

Ready to build Bitcoin Digital Objects?

Read the BDO RepositoryRead STAS-01