Understanding Recursive Collections

What is Recursion?

Recursive inscriptions are a powerful feature in the Bitcoin Ordinals ecosystem that allows for dynamic, space-efficient Ordinal collections. Instead of inscribing each complete image separately, recursive collections use a clever approach that significantly reduces costs for collectors.

💡 Cost Savings

By inscribing traits only once and reusing them across the collection, recursive inscriptions can reduce network fees by up to 90% compared to traditional collections. This means significantly lower minting costs for your collectors.

Here's how it works:

Individual traits (like backgrounds, accessories, etc.) are inscribed once
Each Ordinal then references these traits to compose the final image
This significantly reduces inscription costs and on-chain storage
Enables dynamic rendering and more interactive possibilities
Your collectors benefit from much lower minting fees

Example: In a collection with 10,000 items, instead of inscribing 10,000 complete images, you might only need to inscribe 100-200 trait components that can be combined in different ways. This dramatic reduction in data leads to much lower network fees for your community.

How to make recursive collections?

Generatord (generatord.io) is a popular tool for creating recursive collections. It provides:

User-friendly interface for uploading and managing traits
Automatic generation of trait combinations
Rarity configuration tools
Preview functionality
Export options compatible with Ordinals

Visit Generator's documentation for detailed setup instructions.

Creating Your Collection: Step by Step

1. Prepare Your Traits

Before starting, organize your artwork into trait categories (backgrounds, bodies, accessories, etc.). Each trait should be a separate image file with a transparent background (PNG format recommended).

2. Generate Your Collection

Using Generator or similar tools:

Upload your trait layers
Configure rarity settings
Set your collection size
Generate preview images
Export your collection files

3. Inscribe Your Traits

Each unique trait needs to be inscribed on the Bitcoin blockchain. This creates the base inscriptions that your collection will reference.

4. Launch on Mintium

Once your traits are inscribed:

Download the recursive files from Generator
Access your Mintium dashboard
Create a new collection
Upload your recursive files
Configure your mint settings

Benefits of Recursive Collections

Lower inscription costs compared to traditional collections
Reduced on-chain storage requirements
More flexible and dynamic rendering possibilities
Easier to manage and update
Better scalability for larger collections

Need Help?

Creating recursive collections can be complex. We're here to help:

Join our Discord community for support
Contact us at [email protected]

Ready to create your collection? Visit your Mintium Dashboard to get started.