Technology Overview
Tokentagged is more than just an NFC sticker linked to a website. It is a comprehensive Physical-to-Digital Bridge built on bank-grade hardware security and decentralized blockchain verification.
This section of the documentation provides a deep dive into the technical mechanics that allow physical objects to hold digital assets securely.
The Architecture
Our system is built on three pillars: Secure Hardware, Application Interface, and Smart Contracts.
Core Components
1. The Hardware (Secure Element)
At the heart of every Tokentag is the NXP SmartMX3 P71D321, a CC EAL 6+ certified secure microcontroller. Unlike standard NDEF tags, this chip:
- Generates private keys internally (they never leave the device).
- Executes cryptographic operations (hashing and signing) on-board.
- Runs specialized Java Card Applets (Core, NDEF, U2F).
➡️ Read more: Hardware Specs & Applets
2. The Trust Chain
How do you know a tag is genuine and not a clone? We utilize a Two-Stage Supply Chain Attestation:
- Root Attestation: Proves the chip was initialized by Tokentagged.
- Card Attestation: Proves the user's wallet key is derived from a genuine Master Key.
- User Entropy: The final private key is derived using a "Chain Code" (passphrase) provided by the user, ensuring even the manufacturer cannot access the wallet.
➡️ Read more: Trust Chain & Key Gen
3. Nonce Control (Anti-Fraud)
To enable physical handover of assets (like a Crypto Swap-Card) without the risk of the previous owner keeping a copy of the key or pre-signing a theft transaction, we implemented Nonce Control.
- The chip tracks the highest signed Nonce.
- The blockchain tracks the current Nonce.
- If
Chip Nonce > Chain Nonce, the card warns of potential hidden transactions.
➡️ Read more: Nonce Control & Handover
4. Smart Contract Integration
Our Solidity smart contracts (ERC-1155) are designed to interact directly with the hardware signatures.
- Minting: The hardware is permanently locked to a specific collection address ("Write-Once") during the minting process.
- Verification: The
verifyTokentagfunction allows for on-chain proof of presence usingecrecoverto validate the chip's signature against its ID. - Token Structure: We use a split-bit ID system to manage NFTs, Fungible Tokens (FT), and Semi-Fungible Tokens (SFT) within the same contract.
➡️ Read more: Minting Process | Verification Process
Where to Start?
If you are a developer or a technical auditor, we recommend reading in the following order:
- Hardware Specs: Understand the physical capabilities.
- Trust Chain: Understand how keys are generated securely.
- Minting: See how the physical and digital are linked.
- Verification: Learn how we prove authenticity on-chain.