What is IPFS? IPFS, or interstellar file system, is a distributed storage system, which can complete all the things that the central server does, but does not depend on the central system. This enables it to withstand downtime, censorship, and attacks, while enabling it to lay the foundation for a decentralized Internet. In this article, we will discuss what IPFS means and how it works.

What is IPFS (Interplanetary File System)?

In the words of the founder of IPFS, the interstellar file system "is a distributed system for storing and accessing files, websites, applications and data." In other words, it is a system that can do everything that a centralized cloud can do, but there is no centralized storage system.

Want to know where these data are stored? The answer lies in the word "distributed". It is similar to the blockchain that relies on the node's contribution of computing power to verify data. IPFS has hundreds of thousands of nodes, which are connected to the independent computer system of IPFS to provide storage bandwidth to store files and content uploaded to the network.

This means that if Wikipedia uses IPFS to store its content, it will be stored on a distributed network rather than a central server. As long as at least one node storing a specific page is online, users can access the page by entering a link, including other platforms, websites and applications.

Because it is a decentralized node network, it is impossible to guess which node stores what data on the IPFS. This eliminates critical points of failure and minimizes opportunities for censorship and hacking.

2、 How does IPFS work?

Through the above introduction, you should have a basic concept of IPFS. In this chapter, we will learn more about how everything mentioned above is implemented and how it works as a complete system.

In location-based addressing, users point to the location of the file on the central server, while IPFS uses content-based addressing, and users use the unique ID of the file to request the file. The following is a step-by-step overview of uploading and accessing files and data on IPFS:

1. When you upload a file using the IPFS network, it will be divided into smaller parts and encrypted using a password hash

2. To identify a file, the network assigns it a unique identifier, called a hash or content identifier (CIDSTF).

3. Whenever you want to access this file, you can use this CID and ask the node network who owns the corresponding file. This is different from Web2, because you don't point to a location like on a central server or Web2, but directly request files.

4. Then, any node with the file in the system will send it to you and load it into your browser.

5. When you receive a file, your computer caches a copy of the file, and you become another provider of the file until you decide to clear the cache. If you want, you can also choose to store a copy of the content and become a permanent provider.

In fact, you access a file by pointing to its content rather than its location, which is why this method is called content-based addressing. Each time new data is added to a file, it creates a new file with a new CID, while retaining the previous version of the file on the IPFS. This means that the entire history of the file can be permanently saved in IPFS.

However, this does not mean that you must remember the complex hashes of each new version to access files. These files can be linked to the readable domain names on the domain name system, just like the current regular websites, pages and platforms.

summary

What is the Interplanetary File System (IPFS)? And how does IPFS work? The answer to these two questions. In general, IPFS is a solution to ensure that you enjoy accessing your favorite platform, your past birthday photos, your email, your chat and all other online content at any time. It brings you and everyone a commitment to protecting critical human data through decentralization.