Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Glossary

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IPFS Hash

1 min read
Pronunciation
[eye-pea-efs hash]
Analogy
Like the fingerprint of a document: the hash uniquely identifies the document’s contents, regardless of its location.
Definition
A content identifier (CID) in IPFS, typically a multihash encoding of a file’s cryptographic hash (SHA‑256 or similar), used to retrieve content in a content‑addressed network.
Key Points Intro
IPFS hashes enable immutable, verifiable addressing of distributed content.
Key Points

Content addressing: CID derived from file bytes.

Merkle DAG: Files split into blocks, hashed into Merkle tree.

Versioning: CID version encodes multicodec and hash function.

Decentralized retrieval: Peers fetch by CID from network.

Example
An image uploaded to IPFS returns CID "Qm...", which anyone can use to fetch the same image from any IPFS gateway.
Technical Deep Dive
IPFS uses CIDv1: ``. Multihash wraps hash function code, length, and digest. Blocks stored in a DHT; content retrieved via libp2p bitswap using CID.
Security Warning
CID points to content, not availability; use pinning to ensure persistence.
Caveat
Large files produce large Merkle trees; retrieval may be slow without nearby peers.
Related Terms
libp2p

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