Available node types:
When in doubt, use External node running on your localhost:
- IPFS Desktop is a GUI app for Windows/Linux/Mac that installs and manages local IPFS node for you
- If you prefer more hands-on approach:
- install IPFS by following Getting Started guide
- or run it in Docker
- If you are using Brave, feel free to experiment with Embedded +
chrome.sockets.
You can always switch back to External with local IPFS Desktop
External node can be any instance of IPFS daemon that runs outside of web browser process and exposes Gateway and writable API over HTTP at TCP ports.
At this time go-ipfs daemon is preferred
implementation. It is easier on CPU and provides dhtclient mode which
decreases ambient bandwidth use and smaller battery drain (key characteristics
of something that is expected to run in background all the time).
A good practice is to run it on localhost (127.0.0.1) as it provides:
- Increased security (native IPFS used as end-to-end transport)
- Better UX in web browser (no mixed-content warnings)
- Improved performance (local loopback is used, no network overhead)
Don't know where to start? See Getting Started instructions.
Embedded node is a js-ipfs instance running in browser (in-memory), without need for any external software.
It is a work in progress but can be used for development and experimentation
eg. for testing a dapp that uses window.ipfs without having to install and
start up your own IPFS daemon.
Power users can provide custom config (eg. to enable experimental pubsub) via Preferences
Note: at the time this note was created, Embedded js-ipfs running within webextension (browser context) comes with some limitations:
- Can't act as an HTTP gateway (extension uses public one as a fallback)
- Known to be CPU-hungry (#450, ipfs/js-ipfs#1190) over time, which may drain your battery,
- Missing DHT (js-ipfs/#856)
- Default transports limited to websockets (js-ipfs/#1088)
- Lack of connection closing (ipfs/js-ipfs#962)
- Missing relay discovery (js-ipfs/v0.29.x/examples/circuit-relaying)
- The Embedded node does not run when External node is selected. Every time you switch back to the embedded node, a new instance is created on-demand. It can take a few seconds for a brand-new node to find peers.
When in doubt, run go-ipfs as External node instead.
This node type replaces regular Embedded type if browser vendor granted us access to chrome.sockets APIs.
Those powerful APIs enable embedded js-ipfs to provide true p2p experience without the need for external daemon:
- access IPFS resources over HTTP without relying on a public gateway
- automatically picks a free localhost port
- embedded js-ipfs is able to connect to go-ipfs
- go-ipfs is able to connect to embedded js-ipfs
- embedded node discovers go-ipfs in LAN and automatically connects to it
Note: this is still work in progress, see Embedded JS-IPFS in Brave for the current status.
Public node is not a part of the toggle UI. It is used as an implicit fallback for its Gateway functionality when External node is offline or Embedded node is used. It does not expose API port.