Metaplex Core

Metaplex Core is the modern Solana NFT standard: each asset lives in a single Asset account with optional plugins (royalties, attributes, collection linking). Lower account count means lower rent and simpler mental model than legacy Token Metadata.

Recipe

import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { create } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
 
const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
// create(umi, { asset, name, uri, ... }).sendAndConfirm(umi)

// On-chain: validate Core asset owner via mpl-core account layout in custom programs
pub const MPL_CORE: Pubkey = anchor_lang::solana_program::pubkey!("CoREENxT6tW1HoK8yfYWXSzaXUcGUimvH2vQJ55jEo");

When to reach for this:

• New NFT collections in 2026
• 1/1 art and generative collections without mass compression
• Plugins for royalties, attributes, and permanent transfer rules
• Integrations with marketplaces supporting Core

Working Example

import { createUmi } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi-bundle-defaults";
import { mplCore } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
import { generateSigner, keypairIdentity } from "@metaplex-foundation/umi";
import { create, fetchAsset } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-core";
 
const umi = createUmi("https://api.devnet.solana.com").use(mplCore());
const payer = generateSigner(umi);
umi.use(keypairIdentity(payer));
 
const asset = generateSigner(umi);
 
await create(umi, {
  asset,
  name: "Core Demo",
  uri: "https://arweave.net/example-metadata.json",
}).sendAndConfirm(umi);
 
const fetched = await fetchAsset(umi, asset.publicKey);
console.log(fetched.name, fetched.uri);

What this demonstrates:

• Asset keypair address is the NFT identifier users see
• uri points to off-chain JSON metadata
• Umi SDK handles instruction building and signing

Deep Dive

How It Works

• Program ID: CoREENxT6tW1HoK8yfYWXSzaXUcGUimvH2vQJ55jEo
• Asset account holds name, uri, update authority, owner
• Plugins extend behavior: Royalties, Attributes, PermanentFreeze, etc.
• Transfers update owner field on Asset account (not SPL token account)

Core vs Token Metadata

TypeScript Notes

// Collection: create Collection account, then mint assets with collection plugin
// Always pin metadata to Arweave/IPFS before setting uri

Gotchas

• Treating Core asset as SPL mint - wrong transfer path. Fix: use mpl-core transfer instructions.
• Mutable URI without plan - metadata hijack if update authority compromised. Fix: revoke update authority after reveal.
• Missing collection plugin - assets not grouped in DAS/marketplaces. Fix: attach verified collection at mint.
• Assuming all marketplaces list Core - verify target venues before launch.
• Skipping DAS verification - custom parsers lag Core schema. Fix: test getAsset on provider DAS.

Alternatives

FAQs

Related

• NFT Basics on Solana - standards overview
• Collections & Verification - grouping
• Reading NFTs (DAS API) - fetch assets

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.