Crypto glossary
ERC-1155
ERC-1155 is an Ethereum multi-token standard that lets one contract manage fungible and non-fungible tokens together and move many in a single transaction.
Under ERC-20 and ERC-721, each contract usually handles one kind of token. ERC-1155 lets a single contract track many token IDs, each with its own supply: an ID with a supply of one behaves like an NFT, while an ID with millions of units behaves like a fungible token. Batch functions transfer several IDs in one call.
The standard was proposed by the team behind the Enjin gaming platform and is popular in blockchain games, where one contract can hold in-game currencies, weapons and unique items. It is also used for editions of digital art, tickets and collectibles, and the main NFT marketplaces support it.
Batch transfers save gas, but ERC-1155 tokens rely on wallet and exchange support that is less universal than for ERC-20. Receiving contracts must implement specific callback functions, which have been involved in reentrancy bugs, and, as with any NFT, operator approvals deserve care.
Example
A game might use one ERC-1155 contract in which ID 1 is a gold coin with 10 million units and ID 2 is a sword with only 500 copies.
