IPFSs

IPFSs refer to the InterPlanetary File System, a distributed, content-addressed, peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol designed to make the web faster, safer, and more open. By addressing content by its cryptographic hash rather than its location, IPFSs enable decentralized storage and retrieval across a network of hosts, reducing reliance on central servers.

The protocol uses Content Identifiers (CIDs) to reference content. Data are stored as blocks organized into a Merkle Directed Acyclic Graph (Merkle DAG). A node can retrieve blocks from peers via libp2p networking and exchange data with the Bitswap protocol. UnixFS provides a file-system-like layer on top of the DAG.

When a client requests a CID, the system locates peers that can provide the data, using a distributed hash table (DHT) for peer discovery and routing. If the data are not in the local cache, the request propagates through the network until blocks are retrieved. Data can be pinned to ensure persistence, and HTTP gateways can serve IPFS content to traditional web clients.

Uses include hosting static websites, distributing large datasets, and archiving digital content. IPFSs are used in conjunction with incentive layers like Filecoin to improve data persistence. The approach has influenced decentralized web concepts and is supported by a growing ecosystem of tools, gateways, and integrations.

Limitations include variable data persistence without pinning, potential latency for uncached content, and privacy considerations due to content addressing and broad visibility. Governance and security concerns center on content availability, data permanence, and the risk of unavailable or censored data in some networks.