concept
The Five Genotypes
The five types of digital assets in Onli — Denomination, Hexadecimal, Symmetric, Serial, and Title — and when to use each.
Every Genome in Onli has a genotype — a classification that determines how ownership works for that asset. Choosing a genotype is the most important decision when creating a digital asset, because it defines what the asset can do.
There are three kinds of ownership and five genotypes.
Kind 1: Value — An Amount of Something
These genotypes represent how much you have, not which specific thing you have.
Denomination
Like cash.
A Denomination asset is fully divisible and recombinable. You own an amount, not a specific object. Just like how you can break a $20 bill into two $10s and recombine them later, Denomination Genomes can be split and merged.
Examples: Loyalty points, micro-currencies, dollar-pegged digital instruments.
Key property: Fungible — any unit is interchangeable with any other unit of the same amount.
Hexadecimal
Like a gift card balance.
A Hexadecimal asset holds a value that can change, but the object itself stays in place. The Genome doesn't move to a new owner — instead, the value inside it goes up or down.
Examples: Stored balances, credit scores, any asset where the number changes but the container stays put.
Key property: The value mutates in place. The asset doesn't change hands — its contents do.
Kind 2: Claim — A Specific Thing
These genotypes represent ownership of specific items, not amounts.
Symmetric
Like general admission tickets.
Every unit in a batch is identical. There's no difference between one Symmetric Genome and another in the same batch — they're completely interchangeable. One Genome = one item.
Examples: General admission event tickets, basic membership passes, identical collectibles.
Key property: All items in a batch are the same class. No tiers, no distinctions.
Serial
Like tiered event tickets.
Units have different classes or tiers, but they're all part of the same overall batch. Think VIP, Premium, and General sections at a concert — different experiences, same event.
Examples: Tiered tickets (VIP vs. Economy), graded memberships, differentiated collectible series.
Key property: Distinct classes, fixed at the time the asset is configured. You can't change tiers after creation.
Kind 3: Authority — Control Over Something
This genotype represents the right to control something else.
Title
Like a deed to a house.
A Title Genome gives its holder authority over a payload stored in a Crypt — a sealed, encrypted container. The Title and the thing it controls are architecturally separate, just like how a property deed is a separate document from the property itself.
When ownership of the Title changes hands, authority over the Crypt changes hands too. And when the Title holder opens the Crypt, the container is destroyed — it can only be opened once.
Examples: IP rights, legal contracts, wrapped financial assets, any scenario where owning a document means controlling something external.
Key property: Ownership = authority over an external payload. The Title and the payload are separate objects.
Choosing the Right Genotype
| If your asset is like... | Use this genotype |
|---|---|
| Cash, loyalty points, micro-currency | Denomination |
| A gift card balance, a score, a meter | Hexadecimal |
| General admission tickets, identical items | Symmetric |
| Tiered tickets, graded memberships | Serial |
| A deed, a contract, a right to control something | Title |
Learn More
- Genome — the object that carries a genotype
- Crypt — the sealed container used with Title genotypes
- UsePolicy — the rules that govern what an asset can do
- What Is Onli? — the big picture