What is IPFS?
This guide has been merged into a single, more comprehensive article. Read the current version here: What Is IPFS? The Ultimate Guide To Decentralized Storage.
Related Content
Content Moderation on IPFS: What Actually Happens
Pinning services can remove their own copy of a file. They cannot remove it from IPFS. Here is exactly what a takedown does and does not accomplish.
IPFS Transports: TCP vs. QUIC Explained
libp2p connections can run over more than one transport. Here is exactly what changes with QUIC instead of TCP, and why IPFS dials both at once.
GossipSub: How IPFS's PubSub Layer Actually Works
The DHT answers who has a CID. GossipSub answers a different question: how do peers push real-time updates to everyone listening, without a lookup at all.
Helia: IPFS's Modern JavaScript Implementation
js-ipfs is deprecated. Helia is what replaced it: a modular, TypeScript-first IPFS implementation built for the browser and Node.js. Here is how it fits.
IPLD Selectors: Fetching Part of a DAG, Not All of It
Not every retrieval needs the whole DAG. IPLD Selectors describe exactly which nodes to traverse and match, so a client can fetch a slice, not everything.
ipfs:// in the Browser: How It Actually Works
Almost no browser understands ipfs:// links natively. Here is exactly why, what IPFS Companion actually does about it, and why gateway URLs took over instead.