ERC is essentially the acronym for Ethereum Request for Comments. ERCs are Ethereum application-level specifications, such as token standards, name registries, library/package formats, and more. Anyone may make an ERC token with Ethereum Blockchain app development, but the author must explicitly clarify their standard and gain community approval for it. Common ERC standards specify a collection of required functions for a token form, allowing applications and smart contracts to communicate with it predictably. The ERC-20 is the most widely used ERC standard to date, a form of a standard that simplifies the development, use, and exchange of Ethereum-based tokens.
On the other hand, Crypto enthusiasts should be aware of the issues that occur when various projects implement restricted functionality from each standard, resulting in smart contracts that are not compliant with the ERC standard. This is an issue we address in the guide’s final segment.
For the time being, let’s concentrate on the various forms of ERC requirements. ERCs come in a variety of shapes and sizes.
Ethereum ERC Token Standards | Types and Applications
ERC-20 is One of the Well-Know Ethereum ERC Token Standards
The ERC-20 standard has been the most important on Ethereum since 2015. ERC-20 has emerged as the technological standard for token implementation on the Ethereum blockchain, and it is used for all smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. It lays out a set of guidelines that all Ethereum-based tokens must adhere to. ERC-20 tokens are digital assets that can be sent and received on the Ethereum blockchain. The main difference is that ERC-20 tokens are distributed on the Ethereum network rather than on their blockchain.
The issuance of a large number of different ERC-20 tokens to raise funds for new Blockchain ventures fueled the Blockchain buzz in 2017 and 2018. However, in 2020, this standard is still in use and is a significant tool for the Blockchain and Ethereum ecosystems. Crypto exchanges and other service providers have also endorsed it.
ERC-721 and ERC-1155 are Non-Fungible Tokens (NFT) Specifications
Non-fungible Tokens (NFTs) are well-known in the collectible and gaming industries, and they are one of the most hyped markets in the blockchain and crypto industries. NFTs have applications that go way beyond games and collectibles. The ERC-721 and ERC-1155 smart contracts are being used by developers all over the world to build whole virtual worlds, and we are still in the early stages of mass adoption. Furthermore, NFTs can be used in a variety of industries, including art, music, fashion, IoT, and many others. The ERC-721 and ERC-1155 smart contracts are being used by developers all over the world to build whole virtual worlds, and we are still in the early stages of mass adoption.
Furthermore, NFTs can be used in a variety of industries, including art, music, fashion, IoT, and many others. The ERC-721 standard is currently the most widely used for tokenizing unique individual objects and properties in collectibles and crypto games. It has basic features for transferring and tracking NFT ownership.
The ERC1155 multi-token standard, which is widely used in the gaming industry, allows for the management of fungible, semi-fungible, and non-fungible tokens. It has a lot of use in these games because they have fungible elements (like life/energy) as well as non-fungible elements (like weapons and other collectibles) that are all unique.
ERC-725 is a Digital Identity Standard
Fabian Vogelsteller, the developer of the well-known ERC-20 standard, has proposed the ERC-725 standard for Blockchain-based identity. Multiple keys and different smart contracts can be managed with ERC-725, which defines proxy smart contracts. Machines, objects, groups, and individuals can all be defined using identity smart contracts.
Why is it so necessary to have a sense of self-sovereign identity? Instead of handing over control of their digital identity to centralized organizations, users should be able to own and maintain it. We’ve seen the dangers and drawbacks of getting a centralized identity in recent years, with data breaches and the illegal sale of user data.
Decentralized governance and reputation would be enabled by a portable, open identity standard. Every person should be able to take their identity and use it through multiple apps and platforms.
ERC-223 is a Standard Established by the European Research
Although this isn’t a completely accepted digital token, it does fix some of the UX issues that other ERC token specifications have. Many people have sent coins to the incorrect wallet address or, even worse, to a smart contract, resulting in the coins being lost forever. While several cynical developers could argue that end-users are to blame for sending tokens to the wrong address, this could restrict public acceptance. Non-technical people can be turned off by these unfriendly interface features.
In a nutshell, the proposed ERC-223 notifies users who send tokens to a smart contract address by mistake and cancels the transaction. Users have to pay for gas but save their ETH. Amigocoin is one of the few projects that use the ERC-223 protocol right now. It proposes user-friendly UX features that protect users from fund failure, is backward compatible with the ERC-20 token standard, and costs half as much to run as Ethereum.
ERC-777 is an Ethereum-Based Cryptocurrency
The ERC-777 digital token suggests many more ways to boost blockchain usability, just as the ERC-227 provides bug fixes for the ERC-20 token norm. This digital token extends the common ERC-20 token standard with many new features. One of the most creative is the ability to mint or burn tokens, which, depending on a project’s tokenomics model, maybe a required feature.
More than any other, this ERC token form has the potential to make token transfers much easier.
ERC-1400 and ERC-1404 are Security Token Specifications
The ERC-1400 specification was created explicitly for Security Tokens, which are actual securities that can be used to represent any real-world asset on the blockchain.Restricted transfers, the addition of transfer material, document library management, and forced transfers are all possible under the standard. This can be accomplished by integrating several ERC specifications, each of which addresses a different element of the required Security Token functionality. As a result, it has a wide range of features that allow for the legal deployment of Security Tokens.
The ERC-1404 standard is an extension of the ERC-20 standard that allows for the issuance of Security Tokens with transfer restrictions to comply with regulatory requirements. It enables the development of a whitelist, for example. As a result, the issuer can choose who can buy and own the token. Token owners (investors) must complete an onboarding process that includes a KYC and AML search. It also enables the use of human-readable messages if a token transfer is reversed.