The standard token for non-fungible tokens on Ethereum is ERC-721.
ERC-721 is an Ethereum token standard that defines common interfaces for creating, identifying, transferring, and managing unique tokens. Unlike interchangeable ERC-20 units, each ERC-721 token has a distinct identifier and can represent a particular digital collectible, in-game item, deed, or other individually tracked asset.
The proposal was authored by William Entriken, Dieter Shirley, Jacob Evans, and Nastassia Sachs. It was started in 2017 and first published in 2018, helping formalize the NFT model that later became central to digital-art and collectibles markets.
ERC-1155 is the most important neighboring standard to know. It can manage both fungible and non-fungible assets in one contract and is often used for game items or collections. ERC-20, by contrast, is designed for interchangeable tokens, while BEP-20 is associated with the BNB Smart Chain ecosystem rather than being Ethereum’s classic NFT standard.