Emily Clarke

The Difference Between Data vs. Metadata

We live in the "Big Data" era and rely on it for everything we do. Whether you run a business and are looking for ways to maximize profit or an investor dipping their toes into the exciting world of cryptocurrency, data is everywhere! But what is it, and how does it differ from metadata? Furthermore, what is NFT metadata?

People sometimes use the terms "data" and "metadata" interchangeably. But they are two different concepts. Let's clear things up.

What is Data?

Data is raw and unorganized facts. You can use data for many things, including in-depth analysis. But contrary to popular belief, you can't always simply look at data and make sense of it. For example, cryptocurrency is nothing more than bits of data stored across a blockchain. It's not until you use a wallet or exchange that you can make sense of that data to realize how many assets you have.

The same principles apply to other applications. Data is raw and basically useless until you process it. Data needs processing and organization to make sense of it.

Data can come in many forms. At its core, it's bits of information. The items you include on a shopping list or the transactions you list when creating a budget. Separately, those bits of information are meaningless. It's not until you process them and put that data into context that things make sense. That's when the data becomes valuable.

What is Metadata?

The best way to think of metadata is to consider it data about data! It's the basic information about the data, providing the necessary context to make sense of it all. Metadata is crucial in making it easier to find data and work with it.

Say, for instance, you have a list of transactions for a budget. With those transactions, you provide the dollar amount spent, the date you spent that money and what it was for. The metadata would be all those descriptors explaining what each piece of information means.

What is NFT Metadata?

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique identifiers stored on a blockchain. They help certify authenticity and ownership.

NFT metadata refers to the set of data that make up the NFT. It covers important attributes and properties, including its name, the date of its creation, its artist signature, serial number, etc.

Author Resource:-

Emily Clarke writes about NFT data platform, NFT API, NFT metadata for 40+ chains and other related topics. You can find her thoughts at NFT data platform blog.