AWS SDK for Python

Learn how to pin files and folders to IPFS using the AWS SDK for Python.

What is AWS SDK - Python?

AWS SDKs (software development kits) help simplify coding and application development by supporting and providing code objects for use with S3-compatible services. There are a variety of different AWS SDKs, each for a different coding language. This guide covers AWS SDK - Python (boto3).

What is a .car file?

A .car file is a type of compressed archive file that contains multiple files, similar to a ZIP file. .car files are used by the FileCoin and IPFS networks, which utilize the metadata fields to include the IPFS CIDs of each file within the archive.

Read below to learn how to pin files and folders to IPFS using the AWS SDK for Python.

Prerequisites:

Download and install AWS CLI.
Configure AWS CLI for use with your Filebase account.
Download and install Python3 in your environment.
Download and install the AWS SDK for Python (boto3).
Sign up for a free Filebase account.
Have your Filebase Access and Secret Keys. Learn how to view your access keys here.

Pinning a Single File to IPFS

2. Once at the Buckets dashboard, create a new bucket by clicking the ‘Create Bucket’ option in the top right corner.

3. Enter a bucket name and choose your storage network.

4. Create a new file with the following AWS SDK for Python code:

The following code example uploads an object to the specified bucket. Replace the following values in the code to match your configuration:

filebase-access-key: Your Filebase Access Key

filebase-secret-key: Your Filebase Secret Key

filebase-bucket-name: The Filebase Bucket Name

object-name: The desired object name once uploaded

import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3',
	endpoint_url='https://s3.filebase.com',
	aws_access_key_id="filebase-access-key",
	aws_secret_access_key="filebase-secret-key")
data = open('ipfs-file', 'rb')
bucket_name = "filebase-bucket-name"
key_name = "ipfs-file"
s3.put_object(Body=data, Bucket=bucket_name, Key=key_name)

Pinning a Folder to IPFS using the AWS SDK for Python

1. Download the ipfs-car package with the following command:

git clone https://github.com/web3-storage/ipfs-car

2. Install the ipfs-car package:

npx ipfs-car

3. Next, use ipfs-car to package a folder of files into a .car file.

This has been tested with .car archives containing 10,000 or more files. Use any of the following commands, depending on your desired workflow:

Write a .car file to the current working directory

ipfs-car --pack path/to/file/or/dir

Write a .car file to a specific directory with a specified name

ipfs-car --pack path/to/files --output path/to/write/ipfs-car.car

4. Create a new file with the following AWS SDK for Python code:

The following code example uploads an object to the specified bucket. Replace the following values in the code to match your configuration:

filebase-access-key: Your Filebase Access Key

filebase-secret-key: Your Filebase Secret Key

filebase-bucket-name: The Filebase Bucket Name

/path/to/object/to/upload: The file path to the object that you want to be uploaded to IPFS

object-name: The desired .car file name once uploaded

import boto3
s3 = boto3.client('s3',
	endpoint_url='https://s3.filebase.com',
	aws_access_key_id="filebase-access-key",
	aws_secret_access_key="filebase-secret-key")
data = open('ipfs-car.car', 'rb')
bucket_name = "filebase-bucket-name"
key_name = "ipfs-car.car"
s3.put_object(Body=data, Bucket=bucket_name, Key=key_name)