Brave web browser adds native support for the IPFS protocol. Brave has just launched version 1.19 of the browser, and for the first time, the integration and native support for the IPFS protocol are added to a browser natively. It is the next step to move towards the dWeb.
The acronym IPFS refers to the “Interplanetary File System”, a BitTorrent P2P protocol and network for sharing and storing data, and instead of using localized servers, it is built around a decentralized system where users have a portion of the data, as in the system we use when downloading torrents.
Brave is the first browser to add native support for the IPFS protocol
Why this browser, why this protocol, you might ask. Because it can help creators distribute their content by taking advantage of data replication, and the higher performance it offers by loading content by taking advantage of geographically distributed swarms.
Accessing content that has been censored either by corporations or by governments by not relying on the connection to a specific server is another reason. With IPFS you can even access content while you are disconnected from the network if you have seen it before.
IPFS support allows Brave users to download content using a hash, that hash is known as the Content ID (CID). In this case, unlike with HTTPS, there is no specific location for the content.
With Brave 1.19, content can now be accessed directly from IPFS by resolving ipfs:// addresses through a gateway or by installing an entire IPFS node in one click. By installing a full node the user can upload content through the IPFS P2P network, hosted on their own node.
By default, Brave will load the requested URI through a public HTTP gateway; however, it will also display an information bar asking if you want to use a local node to resolve IPFS URIs.
If you choose to use a local node, Brave will automatically download the go-ipfs as a component and direct future traffic through this node. There’s no need to manually manage an IPFS node or use an extension. Optionally, you can install the IPFS Companion extension and it will suggest you to use the node managed by Brave.
CTO and co-founder of Brave said: “We’re thrilled to be the first browser to offer a native IPFS integration with today’s Brave desktop browser release. Providing Brave’s 1 million+ verified content creators with the power to seamlessly serve content to millions of new users across the globe via a new and secure protocol, IPFS gives users a solution to the problem of centralized servers creating a central point of failure for content access. IPFS’ innovative content addressing uses Content Identifiers (CIDs) to form an address based on the content itself as opposed to locating data based on the address of a server. Integrating the IPFS open-source network is a key milestone in making the Web more transparent, decentralized, and resilient.”
