A failed mint is not a technical problem — it is a community problem that cannot be undone.
The history of NFT launches is full of collections that failed not because of bad art or marketing, but because of technical execution: contracts that ran out of gas at 50% minted, metadata that revealed incorrectly leaving all tokens showing the same image, royalty implementations that broke on OpenSea's new contract, allowlist systems that were bypassed allowing bots to mint the entire supply in the first block. Every one of these failures is preventable. PROPELOO treats an NFT launch with the same engineering rigour as a financial system deployment — because for the community that invested in it, it is one.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is ERC-721A and why should we use it?
ERC-721A is a gas-optimised NFT contract standard developed by Azuki. Standard ERC-721 writes ownership data for every token on mint — minting 5 tokens costs roughly 5x the gas of minting 1. ERC-721A defers this initialisation, making batch minting approximately the same cost as minting 1. For collections where minting multiple per wallet is common, ERC-721A reduces the gas barrier significantly. The tradeoff is slightly higher gas on transfers, which is typically acceptable.
IPFS or Arweave — which should we use?
Arweave for production NFT collections. Arweave provides permanent, content-addressed storage for a one-time fee — the metadata will exist as long as the Arweave network exists (designed to be 200+ years). IPFS requires active pinning to persist — if you stop paying Pinata or your pinning service, the data becomes unavailable. For a collection where metadata permanence is a promise to holders, Arweave is the correct choice. IPFS is acceptable for pre-reveal placeholder metadata.
How do we prevent bots from minting the entire supply?
Multiple layers: per-wallet mint limit enforced in the contract (not just the frontend), allowlist phase before public mint using Merkle tree verification, mint price that makes bulk minting economically unfeasible for bots, and optionally a commit-reveal scheme that prevents bots from knowing which tokens they are minting. No mechanism is bot-proof, but the combination of allowlist + per-wallet limit + appropriate pricing significantly limits bot advantage.
What is a Merkle tree allowlist?
A Merkle tree is a data structure where each leaf is a hashed allowlist address, and each node is the hash of its two children — up to a single root hash. Only the root hash is stored on-chain. An allowlisted wallet submits a "proof" — a set of sibling hashes that can be used to recompute the root — which the contract verifies. This makes allowlist verification cheap on-chain regardless of list size. A 10,000-address allowlist costs the same gas to verify as a 100-address list.
How do NFT royalties work and will they be enforced?
EIP-2981 is an on-chain royalty standard that records the royalty recipient and percentage in the contract. Marketplaces that support EIP-2981 will pay royalties automatically. However, some marketplaces (Blur, newer competitors) have moved to optional royalties, allowing buyers to choose whether to pay. Enforced royalties require blocklisting transfers through non-compliant platforms — which reduces secondary market liquidity. This is a community and business decision, not purely a technical one.
What is the difference between a generative and a 1-of-1 collection?
A generative collection combines art layers algorithmically to create unique tokens — 10,000 PFPs each with different backgrounds, clothes and accessories. Metadata is generated programmatically from trait definitions. A 1-of-1 collection has individually hand-crafted pieces — each token has unique, manually created artwork. Generative collections require an art generation script and rarity calculation. 1-of-1 collections require individual metadata JSON files per token. Both use the same ERC-721 contract standard.
How long does an NFT collection launch take?
Contract development, audit, metadata pipeline and minting website: 3–5 weeks for a standard ERC-721A PFP collection. Solana Candy Machine launches: 2–4 weeks. Custom mechanics (dynamic metadata, staking integration, gaming system): 6–10 weeks. Art generation is not included in these timelines — that is the client's responsibility or a separate engagement. The biggest timeline variable is artwork readiness.
Should we launch on Ethereum or Solana?
Ethereum (or Base/Polygon as L2s) for collectors who prioritise status, liquidity and integration with the broader DeFi ecosystem. Ethereum NFTs command higher average prices but minting gas costs are significant (variable, but $20–100+ on mainnet). Solana for lower-cost minting (typically <$1), faster transactions, the Tensor/Magic Eden ecosystem and a collector community that values accessibility. The choice depends on your target collector and secondary market preferences.
