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Doesn't that ipfs.io URL contain an IPFS content address? And the JSON blob at that address also contains another IPFS content address of the actual image file?

Doesn't that ipfs.io URL contain an IPFS content address? And the JSON blob at that address also contains another IPFS content address of the actual image file? It's obviously true that the ipfs.io web server and/or domain could be taken down by the authorities, but it would be more difficult to take down all the peers hosting that IPFS content (assuming there was enough interest in these NFTs to have a decent number of independent parties hosting the content on IPFS). So I'm not sure if the "depends on external infrastructure" criticism really holds. It does require some participation in the IPFS peer-to-peer network, at least for you to download the content the first time, but that's also trivially true of the blockchain itself.

dale_glass 4y ago
> Doesn't that ipfs.io URL contain an IPFS content address? Some NFTs contain an HTTP URL to a specific IPFS proxy. This one in particular indeed doesn't, which is better. > but it would be more difficult to take down all the peers hosting that IPFS content True, but IPFS isn't private. If the authorities want it badly enough they can create a fair amount of trouble. > So I'm not sure if the "depends on external infrastructure" criticism really holds. It does require some participation in the IPFS peer-to-peer network, at least for you to download the content the first time, but that's also trivially true of the blockchain itself. IPFS is far more vulnerable than the blockchain. Arguably you're not participating in anything specific when you run a blockchain node. On IPFS you voluntarily mirror content. That means that to provide an extra source of data not only you must run IPFS, but you must voluntarily take the step to mirror this particular file. So while on say Ethereum there's as many copies of everything as there are nodes, on IPFS it's very possible there's just a single server in the entire world that's hosting that particular data.
FieryTransition 4y ago
I would worry that if the infrastructure to access these things would be taken down, either by law, war or some kind of great depression, people would value other things than a picture of a monkey and how to keep IPFS running.

dale_glass 4y ago

> Doesn't that ipfs.io URL contain an IPFS content address? Some NFTs contain an HTTP URL to a specific IPFS proxy. This one in particular indeed doesn't, which is better. > but it would be more difficult to take down all the peers hosting that IPFS content True, but IPFS isn't private. If the authorities want it badly enough they can create a fair amount of trouble. > So I'm not sure if the "depends on external infrastructure" criticism really holds. It does require some participation in the IPFS peer-to-peer network, at least for you to download the content the first time, but that's also trivially true of the blockchain itself. IPFS is far more vulnerable than the blockchain. Arguably you're not participating in anything specific when you run a blockchain node. On IPFS you voluntarily mirror content. That means that to provide an extra source of data not only you must run IPFS, but you must voluntarily take the step to mirror this particular file. So while on say Ethereum there's as many copies of everything as there are nodes, on IPFS it's very possible there's just a single server in the entire world that's hosting that particular data.

FieryTransition 4y ago

I would worry that if the infrastructure to access these things would be taken down, either by law, war or some kind of great depression, people would value other things than a picture of a monkey and how to keep IPFS running.