Library · Crypto, word by word · Infrastructure and development
What is IPFS?
IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is a set of open protocols for finding and sharing files across a peer-to-peer network by what they contain rather than where they are stored. Each file gets a content identifier (CID) derived from its hash, so the same link always means the same bytes.
What it means for you
An ipfs:// link in an NFT or token proves which file is meant, not that anyone still keeps it. IPFS is not a storage provider: a file stays reachable only while at least one node holds it, and unpinned copies can be deleted. Check whether a token's files are pinned by a paid service, by the project, or by you.
A common mistake: “My NFT's image is on IPFS, so it is stored forever.”
In fact: IPFS only guarantees that a CID always refers to the same content. The file stays available only as long as some node pins it; if every copy is dropped, the link points to nothing.
How it works
A CID points to material in IPFS without saying where it is stored. It is built from a cryptographic hash of the content (SHA-256 by default), so any change to the content produces a different CID, and identical content added on different nodes with the same settings gives the same CID. Nodes cache what they fetch but run garbage collection that deletes data they treat as no longer needed. To persist, data must be pinned to one or more nodes. IPFS guarantees that content on the network is discoverable, not that it is persistently available.
Sources: IPFS docs: What is IPFS, IPFS docs: Content addressing and CIDs, IPFS docs: Persistence, permanence and pinning · checked 4 October 2026
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