Collections & Verification

Collections group NFTs under a shared identity. Verification proves an asset truly belongs to that collection - critical because unverified collection fields can be spoofed by anyone.

Recipe

// Core: create Collection, mint Asset with collection plugin, verify
import { createCollection, create, addPlugin } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
 
// Token Metadata: set collection on metadata + verifyCollectionV1

When to reach for this:

• Launching multi-item generative or profile-picture collections
• Showing verified badge in wallet and marketplace UIs
• Token-gating by collection membership via DAS getAssetsByGroup
• Preventing fake collection labels on unrelated mints

Working Example

import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { mplCore } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
import {
  createCollection,
  create,
  fetchCollection,
  ruleSetNone,
} from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
import { generateSigner } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi";
 
const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com").use(mplCore());
 
const collection = generateSigner(umi);
await createCollection(umi, {
  collection,
  name: "Demo Collection",
  uri: "https://arweave.net/collection.json",
}).sendAndConfirm(umi);
 
const asset = generateSigner(umi);
await create(umi, {
  asset,
  name: "Item #1",
  uri: "https://arweave.net/1.json",
  collection: collection.publicKey,
}).sendAndConfirm(umi);
 
const col = await fetchCollection(umi, collection.publicKey);
console.log(col.name, col.numMinted);

// DAS: query by collection
await dasRpc("getAssetsByGroup", {
  groupKey: "collection",
  groupValue: collection.publicKey.toString(),
  page: 1,
  limit: 100,
});

What this demonstrates:

• Collection account is the canonical group identifier for Core
• Assets reference collection at mint time
• DAS groups assets for gallery and gating queries

Deep Dive

How It Works

• Core: Collection account + plugin linking each Asset
• Token Metadata: collection field on metadata + verified: bool after authority signs verify
• Unverified collection metadata is cosmetic only - marketplaces ignore it
• Indexers and DAS expose grouping / collection for verified sets

Verification States

TypeScript Notes

// After mint, run verify instruction if not auto-verified in your SDK flow
// Token-gate: getAssetsByOwner + filter grouping.key === "collection"

Gotchas

• Skipping verify step - collection name shows but not trusted. Fix: collection authority signs verify instruction.
• Wrong collection pubkey in UI - gating bypass. Fix: compare to official collection address from project docs.
• Mixing Core and Token Metadata collection models - incompatible account layouts. Fix: one standard per collection.
• DAS pagination gaps during mint - incomplete gallery. Fix: cursor pagination + retry after mint ends.
• Revoked collection authority - cannot verify future items. Fix: secure authority in multisig before launch.

Alternatives

FAQs

Related

• Metaplex Core - collection accounts
• Token Metadata - legacy verify flow
• Reading NFTs (DAS API) - group queries

Stack versions: This page was written for Agave 4.1.1, Solana CLI 3.0.10, Anchor 0.32.1, anchor-lang 0.32.1, Rust 1.91.1, @solana/kit 7.0.0, Surfpool 0.12.0, and LiteSVM 0.6.x.