Get Started

IPFS is a collection of protocols, packages, and specifications that allow computers to send and receive data. Because of this, users can interact with and use IPFS in many different ways. A developer building network applications will use a different set of tools to interact with IPFS than someone who wants to store files on IPFS. Pick the one that best suits what you're here to do.

Publish files with a pinning service

Do you want to quickly and easily publish content with IPFS without complex tools? See the Publish with IPFS quickstart, where you'll learn how to use pinning services to pin files to the IPFS network.

IPFS Desktop

Anyone can use IPFS to store files in a decentralized way. The easiest way to get up and running is by installing the IPFS Desktop application. This app has Kubo built-in and lets you interact with the network through a simple user-interface. Check it out →

IPFS Kubo Node and CLI

Want to build decentralized applications and store your application data on IPFS? You'll likely want to install the command-line version of IPFS. There's no GUI to deal with, just raw input and output through your terminal. Find out more →

IPFS Helia for JS

Helia (opens new window) is a new implementation of IPFS in JavaScript that is designed to be more modular and lightweight than the deprecated js-ipfs project (opens new window).

To get started with a hands-on example, see Helia 101 (opens new window) in ipfs-examples/helia-examples (opens new window).

If you are looking for simple fetch (opens new window)-like API for use on the web, see @helia/verified-fetch (opens new window).

IPFS Cluster

Planning to set up several Kubo nodes within one network? You'll want to take a look at installing IPFS Cluster →

IPFS Companion Browser Extension

Some browsers such as Brave (opens new window) and Opera (opens new window) come with IPFS built-in. If your browser doesn't support IPFS yet, you can install an IPFS companion extension that will let you view decentralized web content! Learn more →