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What is mQuark?

Interoperability of NFTs​

mQuark is a Schema protocol serving existing and upcoming entities that want to be in the web3 space. Though NFTs are at their inceptive stage, there has been a decline in their adoption and assets being traded. The major problem is interoperability.

mQuark solves the interoperability issue of the NFT assets referred to as "Quarks" in the mQuark ecosystem and allows web3 (and web2) entities to interoperate and upgrade seamlessly across various entities by using the power of Blockchain and metadata standardization.

Key Tools​

To make interoperability happen for the "mQuark" ecosystem, we are providing toolings in the following areas:

  • The mQuark Protocol: A set of smart contracts enabling web3 adopters and communities to migrate, trade, or exchange assets over platforms.

  • The mQuark Developer Portal: A web interface that helps users discover existing collections and entities and create their ones easily. (Beta)

  • mQuark SDK: A set of tools that help developers to integrate mQuark into their projects.

A Vision of Standardization​

At the heart of mQuark's approach to NFTs is the vision of standardization. The NFT market is still in its early stages, and there is a need for more standardization across different platforms and marketplaces. This lack of standardization can make it difficult for creators and collectors to navigate the market and ensure that their NFTs are interoperable and compatible with various platforms.

mQuark aims to solve this problem by providing a set of standard templates that define the essential characteristics of an NFT, including its metadata. By offering a standardized template system, mQuark is helping to ensure that NFTs are more accessible and usable for creators and collectors. Templates help to standardize NFTs and make them more interoperable across various platforms. This is a huge step forward for the NFT space, as it has been hampered by fragmentation and lack of interoperability issues.

Collections​

But mQuark goes even further than just templates. The platform also includes the concept of collections, which are groups of NFTs that share a standard template. This is incredibly useful for creators, as it allows them to organize their NFTs and makes them easier to find and discover. Collections can be free or paid, allowing creators to monetize their work in a way that works for them. This great feature for creators and collectors makes finding and buying NFTs that fit specific themes or styles easier.

By standardizing NFTs through templates and collections, mQuark sets a new standard for the NFT market. This standardization is crucial for the growth and sustainability of the NFT market, as it will help to ensure that NFTs are more accessible and usable for a wider range of users. As the market for NFTs continues to expand, other platforms will likely adopt similar standards for their own NFTs. However, mQuark is currently at the forefront of this movement and is well-positioned to become a leader in the NFT space thanks to its innovative approach to standardization.

More on Templates​

Interoperability and Consistency​

The beauty of Templates lies in their ability to promote interoperability. In the digital realm, where multiple platforms and projects continuously emerge, a standard can be invaluable. Templates allow various platforms to understand, interpret, and process NFTs under a shared definition or context. This shared understanding ensures that an NFT created on one platform can have the same "meaning" or "functionality" on another, bridging the gap between diverse digital ecosystems.

Beyond Visual Representation​

While many associate NFTs with digital art or collectibles, mQuark's Templates push this notion further. With Templates, NFTs carry more than just aesthetic value; they embody specific meanings, roles, or functionalities. This approach elevates NFTs from mere visual pieces to genuine digital assets that can be integrated and utilized across different applications, be it games, digital platforms, or metaverse environments.

Empowering Creators and Developers​

For creators and developers, Templates offer a streamlined approach to NFT creation and management. Instead of starting from scratch, they can use these predefined sets of metadata fields and rules. This not only ensures consistency but also saves time and resources, allowing for more focus on innovation and content creation.

In mQuark's vision, Templates are the future of NFTs. They represent a shift towards standardization, interoperability, and functionality. By redefining the foundational elements of NFTs, mQuark's Templates are paving the way for a more cohesive and integrated digital ecosystem.

Subscription - Dawn of the Multiple-Assets​

Which allows NFT owners to store multiple Assets(URIs) and update them over time. But what exactly does Subscription mean, and how do they work with mQuark Entities?

The subscription feature works with URI Slots. These are placeholders that NFT owners can use to store URIs for their NFTs. Think of them as empty slots that can be filled with different URIs. This is important because it means that NFTs can have multiple assets associated with them, allowing for greater customization and flexibility.

However, URI Slots are not stand-alone features of mQuark. Instead, they are directly related to mQuark Entities. Once an Entity is registered, it is associated with a specific default URI chosen by the Entity. Thus, when subscribing to an entity with a token, its URI slot for the entity will be filled with the default one initially. Now, the token owner is subscribed to the entity, and the open slot is the playground or representation of a new Asset related to the Entity. Slots can only be updated with the owner's permission and can also be updated with valid data signed by the Entity.

So, why is this important? By tying URI Slots to Entities, mQuark can offer a high level of security and trust for NFT owners. When an NFT owner wants to update one of their URIs, they must obtain the new URI from the associated Entity. The Entity signs this new URI with its private key and mQuark validates the URI to ensure that it is authentic and signed by the correct Entity.

NFT owners can rest assured that any changes or upgrades to their NFTs are legitimate and secure without worrying about potential fraud or hacking. It also means that Entities have a direct role in the development and evolution of NFTs, allowing for a more collaborative and community-driven approach to NFT creation.

Interoperability and Upgradability​

One of the key features of mQuark is its focus on interoperability. By using standardized templates and URI slots, creators can ensure that their NFTs can seamlessly integrate with other NFT marketplaces, wallets, and platforms. This means that NFTs created on mQuark can be used in various contexts, making them more valuable and versatile.

Another important aspect of mQuark is its focus on upgradability. By separating the metadata from the token itself, mQuark enables creators to update or change the metadata associated with their NFTs without affecting their ownership or value. This means that creators can adapt to changing market conditions or add new features to their NFTs over time.

More on Collections​

V1​

Groups of NFTs that share a common Template. Creators can create collections by selecting a Template. Collections can be Free/ Paid / Whitelisted mint. The metadata of the collections can be fully customizable.

There are three variations;

Static​

For a collection, there is only one metadata stored on the contract to have for their tokens

Limited Dynamic​

For a collection, there are multiple metadata stored on the contract to have for their tokens, variations can be selectable to mint. For example, in a game context, there are three types of Swords to mint; a Flaming Sword, an Icy Sword, and a Holy Sword. So that people can mint one of them by selecting the variation index.

Fully Dynamic​

For a collection, there are an infinite amount of variations. However, these variations are not stored on the contract, but using mQuark SDK, metadata can be created off-chain and can be signed by the owner of the Collection, and can be minted with that off-chain created metadata. Without a valid signature, a mint event will not be possible.

Combining these three, there are 12 Mint-typed Collections.

Whitelist Collections​

mQuark also allows creators a whitelist mint. It refers to the process of minting NFTs, where only the users on the whitelist are allowed to create or purchase the NFTs during a specified period. This period usually takes place before the NFTs are made available to the general public, granting the whitelisted users exclusive early access to the NFTs.

Mint Limit Per Wallet Address​

It is also possible to limit the mint per wallet address. For example, if an account cannot mint more than one, it is configurable during the collection creation process. This can be any number, including unlimited mints per account.

Importing External Collections​

If you have an NFT collection with the type of ERC721 and if you are the owner of the Collection itself, after registering to the Protocol, that external collection can be imported by selecting a Template for it, and your users can start to use the subscription and upgradability features on the mQuark Ecosystem.

V2​

Collection V2 is an enhanced type of NFTs in the mQuark Ecosytem. They can also be called Static , Limited Dynamic and Fully Dynamic Collections. However, they have some differences from the V1 Collections. They are more isolated rather than including all the features in one contract. They are more modular and can be used in different ways.

It enables the following features:

  • Airdrop
  • Bacth Airdrop
  • Batch Mint
  • Subscription Mint (Subscribing the collection's entity during the initial minting process - This reduces the number of the TXs, 2 to 1)
  • Airdrop Subscription Mint
  • Airdrop Batch Subscription Mint

Souldbound NFT in mQuark​

In addition to those features, there is a new NFT implementation called Soulbound NFT. This is a new type of NFT that is bound to the owner and cannot be transferred or sold. It is also closed to transferring subscription URIs. It is possible for this collection to update the standard URI which is ERC721 tokenURI. So that, if the NFT standard URI is updated rather than the subscription URI, OpenSea and other marketplaces can also show the updated URI.

Future Prospects​

NFT Marketplace​

A martketplace for any kind of NFTs but also mQuark NFTs that shows the true power of mQuark. It will be a place where people can buy and sell NFTs, but also they can upgrade their NFTs, subscribe to entities, and use their NFTs in the vast variaty of entities in the mQuark ecosystem.

Cross Chain Communication​

Cross-chain communication is the need of the hour. We can do transfer data between chains using LayerZero Protocol and implementations to our contract. This will allow us to transfer data between chains and use the power of mQuark in different chains.

Mobile App​

A mobile app for people who would like to view their mQuarks and registered entities to the ecosystem

More NFT Implementations​

mQuark Protocol allows developers to add more NFT implementations to the ecosystem by using the mQuark Interfaces.

How can I read more about the protocol?​

For further reading, please refer to the whitepaper.