Ordinals
A Bitcoin protocol that numbers individual satoshis and can attach data to them, enabling NFT-like collectibles and other on-chain artifacts.
Ordinals are a way to identify and track individual satoshis, the smallest units of bitcoin, by giving each one a serial number based on the order it was mined. The Ordinals protocol also allows data, such as images, text, or code, to be “inscribed” onto a satoshi, creating a Bitcoin-native digital artifact. Unlike many NFTs on other blockchains, Ordinals inscriptions store their data directly in Bitcoin transaction data, rather than mainly pointing to an external file.
Ordinals matter because they expanded how people use Bitcoin beyond payments and store-of-value transfers, while also raising debate about block space, fees, and what the Bitcoin network should be used for. People use them for digital art, collectibles, provenance records, and token experiments such as BRC-20-style assets. A practical comparison is a numbered coin with a tiny message engraved on it: the coin is still bitcoin, but the numbering and inscription make that specific satoshi distinguishable from others.
Other terms in Bitcoin
ASIC
A specialized computer chip built to do one task very efficiently, commonly used in Bitcoin mining to perform hashing calculations.
BTC
The ticker symbol for bitcoin, the native currency of the Bitcoin network.
Bitcoin
A decentralized digital currency and payment network that lets people send value without relying on a bank or central authority.
Block Height
A block height is the number that shows a block’s position in a blockchain, counted from the first block.