Creating an NFT on many blockchains, including Ethereum, requires paying gas fees. During periods of high demand, minting fees could reach several thousand dollars. This became a real barrier for creators. However, with the development of infrastructure, approaches have emerged that allow gas fees to be transferred to the buyer. One such method is lazy minting, in which the NFT is created only at the moment of purchase, rather than in advance.
The essence of lazy minting is that the author of the NFT does not mint the token immediately, but only creates a digital signature containing all the information about the future token: identifier, price, link to the image. This signature acts as a kind of “voucher” confirming that the creator has authorized the creation of a specific NFT. Until the NFT is purchased, it does not physically exist on the blockchain, which means that no gas fees need to be paid for it.
This approach is supported by major platforms such as OpenSea. Many artists have already created their collections without any commissions, uploading data and allowing the platform to manage the release of NFTs on demand.
When a user wants to buy such an NFT, they launch a function in the smart contract that verifies the signature, confirms its authenticity, and ensures that the author of the NFT has the right to mint it. Only then is the token created, and ownership is transferred to the buyer. Gas fees are paid at this point and included in the purchase price, so the creator loses nothing.
However, signatures come with certain risks. Without considering the context of the network or contract, someone could take signed data intended for a test network, for example, and use it on the main network. To prevent such attacks, the EIP-712 standard is used, which allows structured data to be signed with a link to a specific contract and network.
The signature on the voucher is created using the NFT author’s private key. Based on this signed data, the system can then securely create an NFT. The data itself includes the token ID, minimum price, and a link to the content.
When the buyer calls the purchase function, the contract verifies the signature and, if everything is correct, creates an NFT in the author’s name and then immediately transfers it to the buyer. This allows the token’s provenance to be preserved, which is especially important in collectible projects. The payment in ETH is temporarily held and can be withdrawn by the author later.
Lazy minting is an excellent solution for creators who want to reduce the cost of launching a project. It allows them to upload content and offer it to the market without any upfront costs. Minting only occurs when the NFT is actually purchased.
However, the method also has its drawbacks. In practice, there have been cases where malicious actors used lazy minting to create fake collections that ended up in the hidden section of user profiles on OpenSea. These objects could be part of a phishing scam, and it is strongly recommended not to interact with them. Always check the source of the NFT and do not sign transactions with unknown collections.
Overall, lazy minting remains a powerful tool for lowering the barrier to entry into the NFT market. It is especially relevant for novice authors who need to minimize costs while testing audience interest in their content.
