What is an IPFS Hash That Could Be Included When Minting Assets on the Avian Network?

An IPFS hash is not your ordinary link; it’s a unique identifier within the IPFS hosting system. This hash is a string composed of a mix of upper and lower case letters and numbers, which may seem random at first glance. However, it serves a critical function: it contains information about the data that was hashed — processed mathematically to always yield the same result with same input data.

What is the IPFS system?

IPFS itself stands for InterPlanetary File System, a peer-to-peer network protocol designed for storing and sharing hypermedia and other data in a distributed, decentralized manner. The hash provided is used to uniquely identify each file hosted, ensuring it can be retrieved efficiently.

IPFS empowers users to receive and host their own content worldwide, without fear of it being taken down. It’s a free technology open to anyone interested in hosting files themselves by running node software that can be downloaded here:

IPFS Desktop | IPFS Docs

IPFS Desktop gives you all the power of IPFS in a convenient desktop app - a complete IPFS node, plus handy OS menu… docs.ipfs.tech

Additionally, many NFT hosting service providers utilize IPFS, as the global speed and reliability of the link depend on the number of nodes where the data is available. The more nodes that host the data, the easier and faster it can be retrieved around the world. These providers maintain the data and make it publicly available through the IPFS system via node software.

Why is an IPFS Hash an Option When Minting an Asset on the Avian Network?

The inclusion of an IPFS hash when minting an asset on the Avian network is essential due to the underlying mechanics of standard NFTs. Each NFT contains data, whether it’s an image or rarity attributes. These can be attached to an NFT or token on the Avian network’s blockchain, allowing anyone to easily access the data from IPFS and view what’s attached to the minted asset.

How to Mint an Asset on Avian Network with Just an Image Using IPFS?

Minting an asset with just an image on IPFS is straightforward. You can run IPFS node software, a user-friendly program where you upload the image. As long as the node remains online, anyone with the IPFS hash can access the data. Alternatively, you could use an IPFS hosting provider to ensure data availability. Remember, the hash for the same data will always remain consistent, regardless of where it’s hosted. The more decentralized the data across numerous nodes, the quicker and easier it is to retrieve. You can embed the image hash from IPFS on the minting page of platforms like Avian Emporium Marketplace, Avian Core Wallet, or Avian Electrum Wallet, effectively embedding the hash into the blockchain for public visibility.

Some of the NFT ipfs data hoting providers are:

infura.io, pinata.cloud, nft.storage and many more with different infrastructure for developers and pricing ranges.

How to Mint an Asset and Use IPFS for an Image, Along with Additional Attributes? The process differs slightly when you want to include additional attributes along with an image. The field where you enter IPFS hash remains the same, but content isn’t. Long story short, web programs commonly use the .json format to share and receive data, which allows for seamless integration into any program. Within this data, an image can be embedded using its IPFS hash. This practice is widespread in NFT minting. For instance, if attributes are intended to represent in-game elements, like a skin with a wear float value or other characteristics, the game’s program can interpret the .json format. Here’s an example of what such a .json file looks like:

JSON

{
  "imageIPFS": "QmUx38p8aDmXhnqZKS1x6V52B43mCL6NeiU3PkwB38vh2f",
  "skinName": "Magic Egg",
  "skinId": 101,
  "wearValue": 0.07,
  "rarity": "Legendary",
  "statTrak": true,
  "attributes": {
    "color": "Gold",
    "pattern": "Dragon",
    "finish": "Glossy"
  }
}

You would upload the skin1.json file to IPFS just as you would an image, and then that hash could be deployed on the blockchain which when retrieved would include all of the attributes data including the image.