How to force the transfer of an NFT using Web3.js or Ethers.js

Question

I am trying to build an application, and part of it involves transferring an NFT from my account to the user's. Previously, I was using Moralis to accomplish this, but this code threw an error saying Error: Contract with a Signer cannot override from (operation="overrides.from", code=UNSUPPORTED_OPERATION, version=contracts/5.6.0) My previous code was:

async function giveNFTtoUser(address, token) {
  let userWallet = await getAddress();
  let web3 = await Moralis.enableWeb3({
        chainId: 0x13881,
        privateKey:
          "{private key for my account}"
  });
  console.log('in get nft')
  const options = {
      type: "erc721",
  receiver: userWallet,
  contractAddress: address,
    tokenId: token
    };
  let transaction = await Moralis.transfer(options);
  let result = await transaction.wait();
  return result;
}

How could I do something like this in web3 or ethers, where I use a different account's private key to transfer an NFT from that account to the account of the user that is logged in?

Answer 1

I personally prefer ethers.js. The following frontend code allows users to transfer their NFTs into your account:

// The ABI tells ethers.js or web3.js how to interact with a type of contract - the following is a generic EIP-721 ABI I found
let abi = [{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"approve","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"mint","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"safeTransferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"},{"internalType":"bytes","name":"_data","type":"bytes"}],"name":"safeTransferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"bool","name":"approved","type":"bool"}],"name":"setApprovalForAll","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"transferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"inputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"constructor"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"Transfer","type":"event"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"approved","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"Approval","type":"event"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"operator","type":"address"},{"indexed":false,"internalType":"bool","name":"approved","type":"bool"}],"name":"ApprovalForAll","type":"event"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"}],"name":"balanceOf","outputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"","type":"uint256"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"getApproved","outputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"","type":"address"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"operator","type":"address"}],"name":"isApprovedForAll","outputs":[{"internalType":"bool","name":"","type":"bool"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"ownerOf","outputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"","type":"address"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"bytes4","name":"interfaceId","type":"bytes4"}],"name":"supportsInterface","outputs":[{"internalType":"bool","name":"","type":"bool"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"}];
// Your NFT contract's address
let contractAddress = "0xPUTYOURCONTRACTADDRESSHERE";

// Information for the transfer
let tokenId = 1234;
let myAccount = "0xPUTYOURADDRESSHERE"

// The following setup is taken from https://docs.ethers.io/v5/getting-started/#getting-started--connecting

// A Web3Provider wraps a standard Web3 provider, which is
// what MetaMask injects as window.ethereum into each page
const provider = new ethers.providers.Web3Provider(window.ethereum);

// MetaMask requires requesting permission to connect users accounts
let accounts = await provider.send("eth_requestAccounts", []);
let account = accounts[0];

// The MetaMask plugin also allows signing transactions to
// send ether and pay to change state within the blockchain.
// For this, you need the account signer...
const signer = provider.getSigner();

// This code tells ethers.js how to interact with your NFT contract
const nftContractReadonly = new ethers.Contract(contractAddress, abi, provider);
// Connecting with a signer allows you to use all the methods of the contract
const nftContract = nftContractReadonly.connect(signer);

// Transfer
nftContract.safeTransferFrom(account, myAccount, tokenId);

If you want your account to transfer it to someone else's, the code is slightly different, and should be run privately in the backend:

// The ABI tells ethers.js or web3.js how to interact with a type of contract - the following is a generic EIP-721 ABI I found
let abi = [{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"approve","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"mint","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"safeTransferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"},{"internalType":"bytes","name":"_data","type":"bytes"}],"name":"safeTransferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"bool","name":"approved","type":"bool"}],"name":"setApprovalForAll","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"constant":false,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"transferFrom","outputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"function"},{"inputs":[],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"nonpayable","type":"constructor"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"from","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"to","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"Transfer","type":"event"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"approved","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"Approval","type":"event"},{"anonymous":false,"inputs":[{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"indexed":true,"internalType":"address","name":"operator","type":"address"},{"indexed":false,"internalType":"bool","name":"approved","type":"bool"}],"name":"ApprovalForAll","type":"event"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"}],"name":"balanceOf","outputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"","type":"uint256"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"getApproved","outputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"","type":"address"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"owner","type":"address"},{"internalType":"address","name":"operator","type":"address"}],"name":"isApprovedForAll","outputs":[{"internalType":"bool","name":"","type":"bool"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"uint256","name":"tokenId","type":"uint256"}],"name":"ownerOf","outputs":[{"internalType":"address","name":"","type":"address"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"},{"constant":true,"inputs":[{"internalType":"bytes4","name":"interfaceId","type":"bytes4"}],"name":"supportsInterface","outputs":[{"internalType":"bool","name":"","type":"bool"}],"payable":false,"stateMutability":"view","type":"function"}];
// Your NFT contract's address
let contractAddress = "0xPUTYOURCONTRACTADDRESSHERE";

// Information for the transfer
let rpcProvider = "https://node.asdf.com/";
let tokenId = 1234;
let myAccount = "0xPUTYOURADDRESSHERE";
let myAccountMnemonic = "your mnemonic is put here and should not be visible to users";
let targetAccount = "0xPUTTHEIRADDRESSHERE";


// The following setup is taken from https://docs.ethers.io/v5/getting-started/#getting-started--connecting

const provider = new ethers.providers.JsonRpcProvider(rpcProvider);

const signer = ethers.Wallet.fromMnemonic(myAccountMnemonic);

const nftContractReadonly = new ethers.Contract(contractAddress, abi, provider);
const nftContract = nftContractReadonly.connect(signer);

// Transfer
nftContract.safeTransferFrom(account, myAccount, tokenId);