# Meta data Metadata is structured information that describes a blockchain asset and helps identify it, as well as verify its authenticity and integrity. In the context of our API, metadata includes both **on-chain** information stored directly on the blockchain and **off-chain** data stored outside the blockchain. Metadata allows a user or system to get a complete view of an asset: its origin, current state, and all changes. Each change also includes on-chain and off-chain attributes, ensuring transparency and traceability of all operations related to the asset. It is important to understand that metadata does **not** contain the asset itself (for example, a token or physical object) but only describes its properties, origin, and history of changes. This makes metadata a tool for verification and analysis, allowing users to confirm the authenticity and integrity of the asset without accessing the asset directly. In this way, metadata acts as a single source of truth for a blockchain asset, combining information about the contract, transactions, and related documents, and enabling automatic verification of authenticity and integrity both on-chain and off-chain. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://teos-docs.coreledger.net/guides/meta-data.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.