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Doginals & DRC-20

Doginals are a numbering and tracking scheme for koinus (the smallest unit of DOGE) on Dogecoin. Inscriptions are arbitrary content — images, JSON, text — written onto individual koinus. DRC-20 is a fungible token standard on Dogecoin that uses inscriptions for deploy, mint, and transfer (similar to BRC-20 on Bitcoin). DogeVM is a smart contract layer on top of Dogecoin. You get both: native Doginals and DRC-20 on L1, plus programmable DeFi and smart contracts via DogeVM.

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Doginals — Koinus with Identity

Dogecoin’s native unit is the koinu (1 DOGE = 100,000,000 koinus). Doginal theory:
  • Assigns ordinal numbers to koinus (by mining order)
  • Allows tracking and transferring individual koinus
  • Does not require a sidechain or new token — it works on Dogecoin today
So: koinus become collectible and addressable. That’s the basis for inscriptions and DRC-20.

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Inscriptions — Content on a Koinu

An inscription is content (image, JSON, text, etc.) attached to a specific koinu. That koinu is then tracked like a digital artifact:
  • Stored on-chain (in Dogecoin transactions)
  • Transferable with normal DOGE transactions (with correct input/output ordering)
  • Holdable in any Dogecoin wallet that supports Doginals
Inscriptions are often used for:
  • NFTs — images or metadata on a koinu
  • DRC-20 — token deploy/mint/transfer instructions in JSON inscribed on koinus

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DRC-20 — Fungible Tokens via Inscriptions

DRC-20 is a standard for fungible tokens on Dogecoin using inscriptions:
  • deploy — inscribe a JSON that defines the token (tick, max supply, etc.)
  • mint — inscribe a mint instruction
  • transfer — inscribe a transfer instruction
Tokens are inscription-based: no separate smart contract VM on L1. Balances and transfers are derived by indexers that read inscriptions and apply the DRC-20 rules.

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DogeVM vs Doginals / DRC-20

Doginals / DRC-20 (L1)DogeVM (smart contracts)
Where it runsDogecoin L1 (inscriptions)DogeVM execution layer on Dogecoin
Token / stateInscription JSON, indexer stateWASM contracts, on-chain state
ProgrammabilityFixed ops (deploy, mint, transfer)Full Rust/WASM — AMMs, lending, custom logic
Native assetDOGE (koinus)vDOGE (1:1 with DOGE in vaults)
Use caseCollectibles, DRC-20 tokens, on-chain artDeFi, AMMs, composable contracts
Together: Use Doginals and DRC-20 for inscriptions and L1 tokens; use DogeVM for programmable contracts and vDOGE. Build apps that reference or complement the Doginals ecosystem.

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Summary

  • Doginals = ordinal-style numbering of koinus on Dogecoin.
  • Inscriptions = content (images, JSON, etc.) on a koinu.
  • DRC-20 = fungible token standard on Dogecoin using inscriptions (deploy/mint/transfer).
  • DogeVM = smart contract layer on Dogecoin (vDOGE, DeFi) — no ZK proofs, Dogecoin only.
For full Doginals/inscription specs and tooling, see the Doginals ecosystem and community docs. For building with DogeVM, start with Quick Start and Vault Deposits.