@shipp @solene I'll bite: IPFS isn't crypto. Some crypto-bros...

@shipp @solene I'll bite: IPFS isn't crypto.

Some crypto-bros use it
for 'NFTs' because of the 'CID' feature, which ensures that content cannot be changed without changing the CID, ensuring that the NFT's content stays the same. It also removes a central point of failure by not tying a NFT to a specific URL on a server that could fail: This has numerous non-crypto applications.

I highly recommend reading about how IPFS works; I find the details quite a bit fascinating: https://ipfs.tech/#how

Like 12 Jul 2023 at 23:14 | Wall-to-wall | Open on floss.social

8 comments

Tomodachi94

@shipp @solene I used IPFS for archiving a mirror of a dead FTP server, if you want an example of it not being used for crypto: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/bafybeihzzax2dxnsra47utc72rhslrlemuaww5t5tmln2odfkux36xa5xy/

There's also the above GitHub link which, again, is using IPFS without crypto.

12 Jul 2023 at 23:15 | Open on floss.social

Sojourn :coffefiedyellow:

@tomodachi94 it still needs to be paid for though, which it does through their crypto, filecoin

12 Jul 2023 at 23:22 | Open on mastodon.coffee

Tomodachi94

@shipp Filecoin is entirely optional to the operation of an IPFS node.

I'll amend my original claim: IPFS isn't *just* crypto, but there are crypto-related applications, just like HTTP has crypto and non-crypto applications.

12 Jul 2023 at 23:24 | Open on floss.social

James Cook

@shipp @tomodachi94 Isn't filecoin a separate project built on IPFS? I haven't used IPFS specifically, but my experience with P2P file sharing protocols is that they work just fine without money trading hands. (In fact, most of my experience with them is from before Bitcoin existed, so it's jarring to see them lumped in with cryptocurrencies.)

Someone is anyway already paying to host nix packages over (I assume) https; surely they could also pay to pin the files on IPFS.

13 Jul 2023 at 0:52 | Open on mastodon.sdf.org

James Cook

@shipp @tomodachi94 (And by paying to pin, I mean paying the hosting costs of a server pinning the files.)

13 Jul 2023 at 0:53 | Open on mastodon.sdf.org

Tomodachi94

@falsifian @shipp Yup! There's actually some services (like Pinata) that used to let you do that; I'm not sure if they still do.

13 Jul 2023 at 4:35 | Open on floss.social

Tomodachi94

@falsifian @shipp From my understanding, it is, but many of the IPFS contributors also have done work on Filecoin.

(I agree, I find it jarring that you can't really post about IPFS without someone immediately bringing up the crypto users.)

13 Jul 2023 at 4:33 | Open on floss.social

Solène :flan_hacker:

@shipp @tomodachi94 ipfs is a peer to peer file block transfer protocol. The main implementation kubo (ex go-ipfs) is open source and free of charge, everyone can run it.

13 Jul 2023 at 7:00 | Open on bsd.network