Filecoin is a decentralized storage network, but where does the data stored on Filecoin come from? First, add data to IPFS nodes, and negotiate with storage providers to store information on Filecoin.

IPFS is a decentralized system for storing and accessing files, data and applications. If you understand how file systems work, you know that they are accessed according to how data is organized. For example, the FAT file system uses allocation tables to look up data, the NTFS file system uses hard links and data streams, and IPFS uses content CIDs, which are content-based addressing. When developers need to access data or applications stored on the IPFS network, they only need to have a copy of this CID.

However, since browsers do not natively support IPFS, intermediary gateways are the only way to get this data. IPFS Gateway provides that functionality to developers and users. Any user with a CID can access data stored on the IPFS network.

For example, if a node goes down for some reason, that information can be used on other nodes as a backup. An IPFS gateway can simply load data from another backup node, using the CID to gain access to it.

You can think of Filecoin as a rental system, where developers or users rent storage space from Filecoin and pay for storing data. The blockchain is just a mechanism for intermediating and securing transactions. Storage providers fulfill these agreements by providing their own storage for developers and users to keep their IPFS data on-chain, thus making it available long-term.

If you want to understand how Filecoin and IPFS work together, you can refer to the previous article sent by Interstellar Vision:Demystifying | How Estuary Helps Filecoin Storage；NFT.Storage debuts: a free NFT distributed storage solution；Building Web3: Filecoin and Ethereum go hand in hand。

Why use three different storage systems

In fact, these three storage methods do similar things. They act as intermediaries, accepting data to be stored on the IPFS system, allowing CIDs to be collected, and providing a way for users to create contracts to store their data on the Filecoin chain.

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01、Estuary

Estuary is a way for developers to automate storage onto IPFS and the Filecoin network. It is a simple IPFS node that integrates a Filecoin library, making it easier to access the necessary functions for IPFS and Filecoin interaction. Estuary is focused on enabling high-volume storage transactions to Filecoin while supporting a development experience as IPFS developers know it.

Estuary is designed for customers with large data storage needs, currently supports 600 transactions per hour, and the storage capacity of each Estuary node pushes the upper limit of what exists in the ecosystem.

We may encounter such troubles when storing data; accessing IPFS nodes, negotiating storage and then doing the same with storage providers to store data on Filecoin. However, doing this can be tedious, especially when there are a lot of files to store. Estuary provides an easy way to store your files and supports protocol development, making creation easier.

Users can log in and upload files to IPFS with just a few clicks. Estuary will contact storage suppliers and conduct transaction negotiations with 6 of them. You can view the transaction information directly on Estuary. If the data size is below 3.57 GiB, it will be temporarily held in a staging area and transaction negotiations will take place over a few hours to add the data to the network in blocks.

Once the deal is done, a link to the CID will be given. You can use this CID in your application or website to retrieve data from any public IPFS gateway. Even if the data has not been backed up to Filecoin, the CID can still be retrieved from any IPFS gateway, allowing you to develop seamlessly without worrying about whether the data has been added to the Filecoin ecosystem.

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02、Web3.storage

Web3.storage is another iteration of an interactive gateway for IPFS and Filecoin. Similar to Estuary, this service provides a way to store data on IPFS. It provides users with free access to the IPFS network, storing data, and retrieving data.

The integration of IPFS and Estuary requires some preparatory work, but Web3.storage provides users with an opportunity to directly use IPFS and Filecoin for application development without in-depth research on integration.

Just like Estuary, you need an API key to access the system, it's just a simple matter of opening a free account and uploading your files. Once you have the file, you can use your API key to access it via curl or directly through your browser.

For easier building of web applications, there is a direct JavaScript interface to use IPFS and Filecoin with just a few lines of code. The script to build an IPFS node requires an API key to work, this can be copy-pasted from the documentation on the site.

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03、NFT.storage

Even though NFTs have become one of the hottest assets on the internet today, storing NFTs online still requires some upfront work for many users. NFT.storage is a dedicated interface for storing NFT on IPFS, which can be automatically copied to the Filecoin blockchain.

The only difference with NFT.storage is that it retains the metadata necessary to buy and sell NFTs. Since NFTs are collectible art in a blockchain environment, metadata will become critical in determining who owns these digital assets. NFTs require the ability to be stored long-term, and decentralized storage systems like IPFS provide this for free.

NFT.storage uses many of the same storage details as Estuary and Web3.storage. It provides CIDs for uploaded data and allows users to view the status of storage transactions on the Filecoin blockchain. All NFTs stored through NFT.storage can be accessed on IPFS through CID. Due to the simple and fast integration of the API and the development environment, NFT.storage has become an ideal storage space for NFT creators, allowing their works to be uploaded to the blockchain quickly and easily.

Some well-known NFT marketplaces already use IPFS and Filecoin to support their networks. For example Palm and VideoCoin already use IFPS to store and retrieve content. However, NFT.storage provides a way for users to interact with the network without going through an intermediary. It empowers NFT creators and provides them with powerful storage elasticity and decentralized storage networks like IPFS.

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Editor: Interstellar Vision IPFSNEWS Eric

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Editor: Interstellar Vision IPFSNEWS Eric

The article represents personal opinions only and does not constitute any investment advice