Documentation

Unlock is a protocol for creating onchain memberships and subscriptions as NFTs

Explore our developer documentation including a complete  protocol reference,  developer tools and tutorials  in order to integrate Unlock into your website or application.

Why Unlock?

Details about how Unlock is built and the specific use cases it enables.

Developer Tools

Get up and running with libraries, APIs and integration tools.

Examples & Tutorials

Learn how to interact with the smart contracts or use our template repos.

New to web3?

Gain an understanding of key concepts unique to web3 but not specific to Unlock Protocol.

Glossary of Terms

In the Unlock ecosystem...

Membership

A connection between a creator, brand or project and a fan or community member. A membership usual confers benefits or special access to those who hold it. Members can also connect directly with each other.

Lock

a “Lock” is a smart contract that creates (or “mints”) NFTs. Locks also can be used to ensure “members-only” access to resources like online content, live events, online certifications, or other “members-only” experiences.

Key

a “Key” is an NFT (minted by a Lock) that has additional features added to it to facilitate the management of memberships, such as an expiration date.

Dashboard

A web app built by Unlock Labs for creating "Locks", managing "Keys", and more.

Quickstart overview and tutorials

Overview of Unlock Protocol

The Unlock Ecosystem

Front-end live coding tutorial

Back-end live coding tutorial