Use IPFS Storage

This is a follow-up guide to Working with assets guide for production use-cases. If you are testing asset deployments or participating in a hackathon, please use centralized file providers to save time during deployment.

If you want to set up your own workflow for uploading and retrieving files using a decentralized file storage, you can integrate IPFS on LUKSO by using the following repositories:

• tools-data-providers
• service-ipfs-proxy

To use IPFS as a file service through Pinata and Infura, you will have to:

1. Setup your Gateway Account: Register at Pinata and Infura and ensure the IPFS gateway is enabled on your Infura account. This will grant you access to their service endpoints.
2. Configure your Proxy: Deploy a proxy on Cloudflare using secrets from Infura and Pinata and a shared secret of your choice. This setup allows for a customized Pinata gateway for uploads and enables downloads via a subscription.
3. Upload your File Content: Utilize the LUKSO network tools for data providers to upload content. You can upload directly to Pinata using your Pinata credentials or to the proxy with the shared secret.

This approach offers flexibility in how you upload and manage your asset data. While direct uploads to Infura are possible, the recommended method involves using the proxy to ensure reliability and ease of use.

Storing Files

The setup will use Pinata as a file provider. Pinata is an IPFS pinning service that makes IPFS easy for creators. If you are not yet familiar with decentralized file services, you should read about them here:

• IPFS Network Documentation
• Pinata Developer Documentation

Accessing Files

The Infura service offers access to the IPFS, so you can easily add, pin, and access data on IPFS without hosting and managing your own IPFS node. Infura's IPFS gateway offers access to files stored on IPFS within the web browser without needing a dedicated IPFS client. By setting up a proxy through Cloudflare with credentials from both Infura and Pinata, you can create a robust and efficient system for uploading and accessing assets.

Resolving IPFS Files

After setting up the accounts and configuring the proxy, you can install the URL Resolver within your code repository to fetch files directly from your IPFS provider:

npm install @lukso/data-provider-urlresolver

import { UrlResolver } from '@lukso/data-provider-urlresolver';

// Example to resolve standard IPFS URL
const urlResolver = new UrlResolver([
  ['ipfs://', 'https://api.universalprofile.cloud/ipfs/'],
]);

// Example to customize URL resolution
const customResolver = new UrlResolver([
  ['ipfs://', 'https://some.proxy?cid='],
]);

Uploading IPFS Files

To upload files via IPFS using Infura, set up your gateway with necessary authorization headers and set up your Infura key and credentials as environment variables. You will then be able to upload files directly from your application:

npm install @lukso/data-provider-urlresolver

import { createReadStream } from 'fs';
import { IPFSHttpClientUploader } from '@lukso/data-provider-ipfs-http-client';

const provider = new IPFSHttpClientUploader(import.meta.env.INFURA_GATEWAY, {
  headers: {
    authorization: `Basic ${Buffer.from(
      `${import.meta.env.INFURA_API_KEY_NAME}:${import.meta.env.INFURA_API_KEY}`,
    ).toString('base64')}`,
  },
});

const file = createReadStream('./path-to-your-file');
const url = await provider.upload(file);

console.log('File URL:', url);

Proxy Configuration

You can also deploy your IPFS proxy service using the Service IPFS Proxy repository. The setup will enable managing GET and POST requests to access or upload files, allowing you to upload and access IPFS content in production without exposing credentials.