TRUE
ON-GRAPH.
Data sovereignty on the Hashgraph.
HCS-1 (Files) and HCS-5 (Hashinals) enable you to inscribe raw data directly into the immutable ledger of Hedera, forever.
Permanence.
Most NFTs are just receipts pointing to a URL on a centralized server or an IPFS hash that might disappear if not pinned.
HCS-1 Files utilize the high-throughput ordering of the Hedera Consensus Service. The data is etched into the immutable record stream, archived by Mirror Nodes, and secured by Block Nodes. It is a 'store once, serve forever' architecture.
Immutability
Once submitted to HCS, the message is finalized. It cannot be altered or deleted.
Accessibility
Data is retrievable via any Mirror Node using standard REST APIs. No special gateways required.
Provenance
Every chunk has a consensus timestamp. Prove exactly when a file was uploaded.
The File Pipeline.
HCS-1 solves the problem of storing large files on a high-throughput consensus service using a strict 3-stage pipeline.
1. Compress
Input data is compressed using zstd or brotli. Reduces on-chain footprint by 30-50%.
2. Encode
The compressed blob is converted to a base64 string for safe JSON transport.
3. Chunk
The string is sliced into 1024-char segments to bypass HCS message limits.
The Atom of Data.
Every HCS-1 message is a self-contained JSON object. Indexers aggregate these atoms to reconstruct the original file.
- o
Order Index
The integer index of the chunk. Allows parallel uploading.
- c
Content
The substring of the base64 encoded data.
- m
Topic Memo
Contains the SHA-256 hash, algo, and encoding for validation.
"o": 0,
"c": "data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0K..."
}
"o": 1,
"c": "AgICAgICAgICAgICAgICAgICAg..."
}
"o": 2,
"c": "98234nkjsdf89234..."
}
Tokenizing Data.
A file on HCS is just data. A Hashinal is that data owned by a key. HCS-5 binds the Topic ID to a Hedera Token Service (HTS) serial number.
The HRL
The token's metadata field uses the Hedera Resource Locator schema.
First is First
Inscription numbers are assigned based on the consensus timestamp of the mint. The network serves as the clock.
LIVING ASSETS.
Static files are great for art, but games need state. HCS-6 introduces Mutable Pointers.
Build with the SDK.
HCS-1: Upload File
HCS-5: Mint Hashinal
Dynamic Possibilities.
Gaming
Weapon durability, character leveling, or skin changes. The NFT stays the same, the visuals update via HCS-6.
Real Estate
A property deed NFT. The HCS-6 registry tracks maintenance logs, tax payments, and renovations.
Identity
A profile picture NFT. Update your PFP by simply posting a message to your registry topic.