ipfs/ipfs-companion

Allow setting "IPFS Node type" to none

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#1,045 opened on Jan 13, 2022

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P2effort/hoursexp/intermediatehelp wantedkind/enhancement

Description

Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe. Some users may not want to run an external nor internal IPFS node in their browser, this may be due to resource constraints, bandwidth restrictions, etc.

Describe the solution you'd like Allow users to set "IPFS Node type" to none so ipfs:// and ipns:// addresses will simply redirect to *.{ipfs,ipns}.gateway.tld depending on the Gateway URL set in the settings. This allows src="ipfs://Qmfoo" to work without needing to run a node which benefits more minimal setups, it could also be useful as a fallback option if the internal node is found to of failed in some way.

Describe alternatives you've considered Alternative names for the none type, maybe redirect or Gateway URL to make it more descriptive?

Additional context I mainly got this idea after a user in the IPFS Matrix room was initially confused as to why it was required for you to run a node, they downloaded the extension and assumed that was all that was needed for ipfs:// links to work, but, it did not.

Contributor guide

Tech stack
javascript
Domain
frontend
Issue type
feature
DifficultyEstimated implementation difficulty for a new contributor, from 1 for very small changes to 5 for expert-level work.
3
Estimated timeA rough time range for an experienced contributor to investigate, implement, test, and prepare a pull request.
1-2 days
Activity statusHow available the issue appears right now: fresh, active, stale, blocked, or waiting on maintainer input.
stale
ClarityHow clearly the issue explains the expected change, acceptance criteria, and next step.
clear
Prerequisites
JavaScriptbrowser extension developmentIPFS basics
Newbie friendlinessA 1-100 score estimating how approachable this issue is for first-time contributors.
65
Research direction
Examine the settings UI, likely in src/options/ or similar, to add a new dropdown option for IPFS Node type with value 'none'. When selected, the extension should redirect ipfs:// and ipns:// URLs to the configured gateway instead of using a local node. Review background scripts that handle IPFS node logic to ensure the new mode is properly supported. Consider adding tests for the new setting and verifying that the extension still works correctly with existing node types.
Allow setting "IPFS Node type" to none · ipfs/ipfs-companion#1045 | Good First Issue