IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)
A peer-to-peer protocol for storing and retrieving files by their content rather than their location, commonly used to host NFT media and decentralized app data.
IPFS is a distributed, peer-to-peer file storage and addressing protocol that identifies content by a cryptographic hash of the data itself, rather than by a server location like a traditional URL — meaning a file's address stays the same no matter which node ends up serving it, and changes automatically if the underlying content changes. Files are stored and served across a network of participating nodes, with no single server required to keep any one file online.
In crypto applications, IPFS is widely used to host NFT images and metadata (since storing large media files directly on-chain is prohibitively expensive) and decentralized application front ends, with an on-chain record typically storing only the compact IPFS content hash rather than the file itself. A key limitation is that IPFS doesn't guarantee permanence on its own — a file can become unavailable if no participating node continues storing ("pinning") it, which is why projects often pay for dedicated pinning services or combine IPFS with more persistence-focused storage like Arweave (see Kaavon's "Arweave" glossary definition).
Examples
- An NFT's on-chain metadata commonly stores only an IPFS content hash, with the actual image file served from IPFS rather than stored on the blockchain itself.
- Because IPFS availability depends on nodes actively pinning a file, projects often pay third-party pinning services to guarantee their content stays accessible over time.