IPFS Dedicated Gateways: Retrieving Your NFTs

Learn how to retrieve NFT assets using an IPFS Dedicated Gateway.

What is an IPFS Dedicated Gateway?

An IPFS gateway is an IPFS peer that accepts HTTP requests for IPFS CIDs. A dedicated gateway provides users with a convenient way to access IPFS content without needing to run an IPFS node themselves. The gateway acts as an intermediary between the user's web browser or application and the IPFS network, retrieving and serving content on behalf of the user.

For a deep dive into IPFS gateways and how they work, plus a full walkthrough of using IPFS gateways on Filebase, see our documentation here:

pageIPFS Gateways

IPFS dedicated gateways can be used to retrieve and share any IPFS CIDs, even if they are not pinned to your Filebase account. An example might be an NFT you’ve purchased from a collection. If the NFT’s assets, such as its image, are stored on IPFS, you can retrieve and share them using a Filebase IPFS dedicated gateway.

1. First, navigate to an NFT marketplace such as OpenSea.

View an NFT that you own. This example uses an NFT minted on Ethereum, but any chain can be used if the NFT’s assets are stored on IPFS.

2. On OpenSea, the detailed information for the NFT is below the NFT’s image on the left side of the screen.

The location of this detailed data will vary based on the marketplace.

3. From this information, click on the hyperlinked Token ID value.

On OpenSea, this Token ID brings up the NFT’s metadata file. This workflow may vary based on the marketplace you are using.

4. Once clicked, a JSON file stored on IPFS will be opened in a new tab.

Some marketplaces will display this information using a ‘View Original’ or ‘View Metadata’ button. Please note that this workflow is for NFTs on OpenSea that have been stored on IPFS. If an NFT has its assets stored on another platform like Arweave, this workflow will be different.

5. From this JSON file, take note of the IPFS CID listed for the ‘image’ field in the metadata.

The IPFS CIDs will have a file name listed after the CID value (In this example “/3294.png”).

6. Next, navigate to the Gateways page on the Filebase web console.

Filebase IPFS Dedicated Gateways are a feature only available to paid users. They are not available for users on the free tier.

7. Select the ‘Create Gateway’ button in the upper right corner.

8. A new window will open prompting you to provide a gateway name and choose 'Public' for the gateway’s access level.

Gateway names are subject to the same naming restrictions as bucket names. All gateway names must be lowercase, between 3-63 characters, and must be unique.

9. Next, navigate to the IPFS CID for your NFT’s image using your IPFS Dedicated Gateway in the following format:

https://gateway-name.myfilebase.com/ipfs/IPFS_CID

Replace gateway-name with your IPFS Dedicated Gateway name, and IPFS CID with your NFT’s IPFS CID.

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