How to Publish Video on IPFS

Publishing a video on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) involves uploading the video file to the IPFS network and obtaining a Content Identifier (CID). Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Install IPFS

First, you need to install IPFS on your system.

Install IPFS Desktop (GUI)

Download and install the IPFS Desktop from the official IPFS website.

Install IPFS CLI (Command-Line)

Follow the installation instructions for your operating system:
- Linux/MacOS: Use wget or curl to download the IPFS binary.
- Windows: Use the provided .exe installer.

# Example for Linux/MacOS:

wget https://dist.ipfs.tech/go-ipfs/v0.21.0/go-ipfs_v0.21.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz

tar -xvzf go-ipfs_v0.21.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz

cd go-ipfs

sudo bash install.sh

Verify installation:


ipfs --version

2. Initialize IPFS

Run the following command to initialize your IPFS node:

ipfs init

Start the IPFS daemon:

ipfs daemon

This makes your node part of the IPFS network.

3. Add Video File to IPFS

To publish a video, you need to add it to the IPFS network.

Using CLI:

ipfs add /path/to/your/video.mp4

This will output something like:

added QmHash1234567890abcdef path/to/your-video.mp4

QmHash1234567890abcdef is the Content Identifier (CID) for your video.
This CID is unique and acts as the address to retrieve your file from IPFS.

Using IPFS Desktop:

Open the IPFS Desktop app.
Drag and drop the video file into the app.
It will generate a CID for your file.

4. Share the Video

You can share the video by providing its CID. Use the IPFS gateway to make it accessible on the web:

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/<CID>

For example:

https://ipfs.io/ipfs/QmHash1234567890abcdef

5. Pin the Video (Optional but Recommended)

By default, IPFS does not guarantee permanent storage unless the file is pinned. You can use a pinning service to keep your video always available.

Pin using your local node:

ipfs pin add QmHash1234567890abcdef

Pin using a pinning service:

Popular IPFS pinning services include:

Pinata (https://pinata.cloud/)
Web3.Storage (https://web3.storage/)

You can upload your video file directly to these services for long-term storage.

6. Access the Video

Once uploaded and pinned, anyone can access the video via its CID using:

Any IPFS gateway (e.g., https://ipfs.io)
An IPFS client on their local system:

ipfs get <CID>

7. Host the Video with a Decentralized Player (Optional)

To embed the video in a webpage or app:

Use a decentralized video player like Video.js.
Provide the IPFS link (https://ipfs.io/ipfs/<CID>) as the source URL.