Application of NFT and ERC-1155 Algorithm in Digital Certificate Verification Process

Abstract

Digital certificate forgery remains a real problem in education and employment because traditional verification processes rely on centralized databases, are vulnerable to manipulation, and often take a long time. This study designs and implements a blockchain-based digital certificate verification system that models certificates as Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) using the ERC-1155 standard on the Manta Pacific Layer 2 network, and incorporates a Soulbound Token (SBT) mechanism to ensure that certificates cannot be transferred. The research adopts a prototyping method through eight stages, starting from architecture design and prototype development to the integration of ERC-1155 smart contracts with IPFS and wallets, as well as testing of minting functions, QR code-based verification, and rejection of asset transfers. The results demonstrate successful on-chain certificate issuance with significantly reduced transaction costs compared to ERC-72 based certificates on Layer 1 networks reported in previous studies, while maintaining a decentralized audit trail. The SBT implementation successfully rejects every attempt to transfer certificates to other wallets, thereby preventing the sale or illicit transfer of credential ownership. These findings indicate that the combination of ERC-1155, SBT, and IPFS on a Layer 2 network has strong potential as an efficient, secure, and practically adoptable digital certificate verification model for educational institutions.