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IPNS Publishing

TL;DR: IPNS allows you to create mutable links to IPFS content, letting you update your content while maintaining the same address. Publiish offers reliable IPNS publishing with fast propagation.

Understanding IPNS

IPFS is content-addressed, meaning that each piece of content has a unique identifier (CID) based on its hash. This creates immutability, but presents a challenge when you need to update content.

InterPlanetary Name System (IPNS) solves this by providing a way to create a persistent, mutable pointer to changing content.

Key Concept

Think of IPNS as a changeable signpost that can point to different IPFS content over time, while the signpost itself maintains the same address.

IPNS Benefits

  • Stable References: Keep the same link even as content changes
  • Content Versioning: Update content without breaking existing links
  • Simplified Updates: No need to update references across multiple systems
  • DNS Integration: Can be combined with DNSLink for human readable names

Using IPNS with Publiish

Publiish makes IPNS publishing simple and reliable:

Creating an IPNS Name

import { PubliishClient } from '@publiish/sdk';

const client = new PubliishClient({ apiKey: 'YOUR_API_KEY' });

async function createIPNSName() {
  try {
    // Generate a new IPNS key
    const result = await client.ipns.createKey('my-website');
    console.log('IPNS Key created!');
    console.log('Key Name:', result.name);
    console.log('IPNS Address:', result.ipnsId);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('IPNS key creation failed:', error);
  }
}

createIPNSName();

Publishing to IPNS

async function publishToIPNS() {
  try {
    // Publish a CID to an IPNS name
    const result = await client.ipns.publish('QmExampleContentCID123', {
      keyName: 'my-website',
      lifetime: '87600h', // Valid for 10 years
      ttl: '5m' // Cache for 5 minutes
    });
    
    console.log('Published to IPNS!');
    console.log('IPNS Address:', result.name);
    console.log('Pointing to CID:', result.value);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('IPNS publishing failed:', error);
  }
}

publishToIPNS();

Resolving IPNS Names

async function resolveIPNS() {
  try {
    // Resolve an IPNS name to its current CID
    const result = await client.ipns.resolve('k51qzi5uqu5dkknju2isuhotajrhi2tnvo88qv2qz89gm3qp8ldtq612kzkeoe');
    console.log('IPNS resolves to:', result.cid);
  } catch (error) {
    console.error('IPNS resolution failed:', error);
  }
}

resolveIPNS();

IPNS Record Management

Managing your IPNS records through the Publiish platform:

Listing IPNS Keys

const keys = await client.ipns.listKeys();
console.log('Available IPNS keys:', keys);

Revoking IPNS Keys

await client.ipns.removeKey('my-website');
console.log('IPNS key removed');

IPNS with DNSLink

For enhanced usability, you can combine IPNS with DNSLink to use domain names:

  1. Add a TXT record to your domain's DNS:

    _dnslink.example.com. IN TXT "dnslink=/ipns/k51qzi5uqu5dkknju2isuhotajrhi2tnvo88qv2qz89gm3qp8ldtq612kzkeoe"

  2. Access via gateway:

    https://gateway.publiish.xyz/ipns/example.com

Performance Considerations

IPNS operations can be slower than direct IPFS operations. Publiish optimizes this with:

  • Fast Propagation: Quick publishing across all Publiish nodes
  • Caching: Enhanced caching for faster resolution
  • High Availability: Redundant infrastructure for reliable IPNS operations

Next Steps