I’m working on a Cadence contract for NFTs and I’m stuck on how to keep track of who owns each token. I’ve heard that using an external database to collect event data might work, but I’d prefer to keep everything inside the contract if possible. Does anyone have experience with this or know of a good approach? I’m new to Cadence and could really use some guidance on best practices for managing NFT ownership data. Thanks in advance for any tips or suggestions!
In my experience, tracking NFT ownership within a Cadence contract is best achieved by using a dictionary to map token IDs to owner addresses. When minting, you update the mapping with the new token identifier and the recipient’s address; during transfers, you adjust the entry to reflect the current owner; and if a token is burned, you remove its entry. This approach allows all ownership information to remain on-chain, ensuring that ownership checks are both immediate and efficient compared to relying on an external database.
hey luna_dreamy! have u thought about using resources in cadence for tracking ownership? it’s pretty cool cuz each NFT becomes its own resource that can only exist in one place at a time. u could store these in a user’s account storage which makes transfers super easy and secure.
what kinda nfts are u working on btw? sounds like an interesting project! 
i’m still learning cadence too, but resources feel like a natural fit for nfts. anyone else here used this approach? would love to hear more thoughts on it!
yo luna, i’ve been there! try using a dictionary in ur contract to map token IDs to owner addresses. it’s way easier than dealing with external DBs. just update when u mint, transfer or burn NFTs. keeps everything on-chain and fast to check ownership. good luck with ur project!