For many developers, indexing and filtering each NFT in the vast ocean of NFT data can be difficult and cumbersome. NFT data retrieval remains a significant challenge. However, the APIs provided by data platforms enable developers to retrieve detailed information about NFTs on the blockchain and analyze, process, aggregate, and visualize the data. In this article, we will explore how to develop an NFT analytics platform using the NFTScan API.

Building a full blockchain node, filtering massive amounts of data, and retrieving data for each category of NFT can indeed be time-consuming. In the Web 2.0 world, we can relatively quickly establish personal webpages and develop apps. However, in the Web 3.0 world, building products focused on NFTs is significantly more challenging and costly. We need smoother and more convenient tools to navigate this space.

Since its launch in September 2021, NFTScan has positioned itself as a professional NFT browser and data infrastructure, aiming to become the best gateway for accessing data in both Web 2.0 and Web 3.0. One of the core services provided by NFTScan is the developer platform — NFT API, which offers NFT data services to developers. During this period, due to the lack of standardized storage methods among different NFT projects and variations in the underlying smart contract code, not all NFT projects strictly adhere to the standards. Additionally, each project has its own unique way of storing metadata. This lack of standardization makes it challenging to create a single querying product that is compatible with all NFT projects. NFTScan addresses this issue by standardizing and presenting the data to developers in a clear manner, eliminating the need for them to set up their own nodes and retrieve data.

What basic data is needed to develop a simple NFT data analysis platform?

It mainly includes the following aspects:

1. NFT Contract Data: Basic data information about the NFT contract, including the contract’s name, total supply, trading volume during different time periods, and transaction records.

2. NFT Ownership Data: Information about NFT holders, including their addresses, the number of NFTs they own, and a list of the NFTs they possess.

3. NFT Sales Data: Data related to NFT sales, such as sale prices, transaction times, buyers, sellers, and transaction records.

4. NFT Metadata: Metadata associated with NFTs, such as images, audio, video, text, and other descriptive information.

By accessing this data, you can achieve functionalities such as NFT market trend analysis, analysis of NFT holders, and analysis of NFT transaction history. This can help users gain a better understanding of the NFT market trends and investor behavior. It can also provide useful information and insights for NFT investors, aiding them in making informed decisions.

To develop an NFT data analysis platform based on NFTScan, follow these steps

Step 1: Register as a NFTScan developer account

Before you can start using the NFTScan API, you need to visit the NFTScan developer platform and create an account. Go to the official NFTScan website at: https://developer.nftscan.com/user/signup, click on the “Sign Up” button for NFTScan API registration.

Once logged in, navigate to the Dashboard and locate your unique API KEY. Copy the API KEY. Access the API documentation and input your API KEY in the appropriate section. You can now follow the instructions to use the API services. There are multiple interface modes available for developers to choose from. By following the instructions in the documentation, you can find the interface that best suits your needs. In the Dashboard, developers can also view statistical data on their API usage, helping them keep track of their usage history. Furthermore, NFTScan provides each registered developer with 10,000 free API calls per day.

Step 2: Determine the Required NFT APIs

After successfully registering and authenticating your API KEY, you need to review the NFTScan API documentation. The API documentation contains all the available API endpoints and parameters, as well as detailed information on how to construct requests and handle responses. Before developing your NFT wallet application, it is important to carefully read the API documentation. Developers need to clearly determine the required NFT data, such as NFT metadata, owner information, historical transaction records, etc. You can determine which data you need to retrieve based on the functional requirements of your application.

Step 3: Construct NFTScan NFT API requests

Once you have identified the desired API endpoints and parameters in the API documentation, you can proceed to write the API request code. You can use your preferred programming language to write the API request code and construct the request using the provided request parameters and response data format in the NFTScan API documentation. Tools such as cURL, Postman, or HTTP libraries like Requests for Python or Axios for JavaScript can be used to make the requests. You will need to provide the API request URL, request headers, and include request parameters and payloads as needed.

For example, you can write code using Python and use the requests library to send requests to the NFTScan API. Here’s an example: Given that the contract address for CryptoKitties is https://www.nftscan.com/0x06012c8cf97bead5deae237070f9587f8e7a266d

This request will retrieve NFT data from the CryptoKitties contract, including the name, ID, current owner, previous owners, metadata JSON file, and transaction history for each NFT. The API response will be returned as JSON-formatted data and stored in a variable named “data”.

Step 4: Analyzing the data obtained from the NFTScan NFT API

Once you send an API request and receive a response, you need to parse the response and extract the required data. You can use a JSON parser to parse the API response and store the data in a database. Once you have obtained the NFT data, you can analyze and process it using Python or other programming languages to derive useful statistical information.

To visualize the data, you can use data visualization tools such as Matplotlib, Seaborn, etc. These tools help in gaining a better understanding of the data and making informed decisions. For example, you can create a bar chart to display the number of holders or a line chart to visualize the transaction history of a specific NFT contract.

Step 5: Frontend Application

The final step is to build a frontend application to provide a better user experience for accessing and interacting with the data and functionality. You can use any frontend framework to develop the application and utilize the retrieved NFT data from the NFTScan NFT API to access and display the data. Once the application is developed, it needs to be tested comprehensively to ensure platform stability, efficiency, and user-friendliness. Deploy the platform to a server and start attracting users.

In summary, using the NFTScan NFT API to retrieve and analyze NFT data will help you gain a better understanding of the NFT market and ecosystem. If you want to build DApps, protocols, and blockchain deployments more efficiently and conveniently, while reducing time and cost, consider giving NFTScan a try.

About NFTScan

NFTScan is the world’s largest NFT data infrastructure, including a professional NFT explorer and NFT developer platform, supporting the complete amount of NFT data for 14 blockchains including Ethereum, Solana, BNBChain, Arbitrum, Optimism, and other major networks, providing NFT API for developers on various blockchains.

Official Links:

NFTScan: https://nftscan.com

Developer: https://developer.nftscan.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/nftscan_com

Discord: https://discord.gg/nftscan