NFT Storage with Dolpin
January 8th, 2023

With more and more people turning to blockchain technology, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are becoming increasingly popular. NFTs are digital assets stored on a distributed ledger system, enabling users to store, trade securely, and manage their digital assets without risk of counterfeiting or manipulation.

NFTs have accrued value as the assets cannot be seized, stolen, or destroyed. As ownership is proven on-chain - when someone buys an NFT, they buy a link that points to where the asset is stored. This link is immutable, which means it cannot be changed.

However, as the blockchain has limited capacity - assets are often stored off-chain. This means - the benefits of NFTs are invalid, unless necessary measures are taken.

Why does NFT Storage Matter?

In digital assets, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are highly sought after due to their scarcity and uniqueness. They have recently skyrocketed in popularity as they offer the potential to store value and own a secure asset.

That being said, how we store NFTs is an important decision, and directly affects longevity and security of the aforementioned assets.

For example, Decentraland is an NFT-based virtual world running on the Ethereum blockchain and is one of the most successful NFT projects today. Each NFT in Decentraland is stored on the Ethereum blockchain and thus backed by Ethereum's strong security infrastructure. This means that the owner of any given NFT cannot be denied access and will remain secure over time.

Another example is CryptoKitties, which allows users to create, collect, breed and trade unique digital cats stored as ERC-721 tokens on Ethereum's blockchain. CryptoKitties heavily utilize storage capacities to keep track of each game asset, from traits down to characteristics like fur color and eye shape. CryptoKitties utilize blockchain technology and off-chain resources to store its user’s data securely. This helps protect users’ investments without sacrificing user experience or scalability.

Overall, in NFT projects like Decentraland and CryptoKitties, storage plays a major role in protecting their users’ investments while providing an enjoyable gaming experience at the same time. Without secure storage solutions, these games could not exist as we know them today without being exposed to huge risk factors such as fraud or inaccuracy concerning their digital assets.

Dolpin is offering 100GB of Free Lifetime Storage, in addition to 10GB of Free-Storage to New Accounts signing up on the platform.
Dolpin is offering 100GB of Free Lifetime Storage, in addition to 10GB of Free-Storage to New Accounts signing up on the platform.

Problems with Existing NFT Storage

Centralisation on Platforms

Most storage for NFTs today are centralised. Centralised platforms have a single point of failure, and are therefore susceptible to third-party attacks, breaches, and data-loss.

Security Protocols

Security breaches in Web3 projects are commonplace. In most cases, this has to do with something such as backdoor exploits, off-chain storage, and whatnot. These lack of security protocols and due diligence makes it difficult to keep private keys safe.

Fees

Some storage solutions require users to pay hefty fees to store their assets securely, which can be prohibitively expensive for some users.

Decentralised Storage & IPFS for NFT Storage

Decentralised Storage is an increasingly popular option for storing non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Projects like IPFS, or the InterPlanetary File Storage rely on a network of computers instead of centralised servers. Today, it is becoming a go-to solution for NFT Storage, here’s why:

Security

The distributed nature of IPFS helps protect digital assets from attacks and theft while providing an extra layer of privacy by hiding data across the network. Additionally, using cryptographic techniques in IPFS provides one more layer of security than traditional authentication methods.

In other words, project or personal assets are better secured via IPFS.

Durability and accessibility

IPFS is more reliable than other storage solutions because it has no single point of failure. This means that data is still accessible even if one server goes down. Additionally, since data is stored across multiple nodes, it is less likely to become damaged over time than traditional storage solutions.

Cost efficiency

IPFS NFT storage is a good solution for storing non-fungible tokens. It is cheap for providers and users. Users only need to pay small transaction fees when storing or exchanging their assets. With IPFS, individuals can securely access their digital assets without worrying about censorship or losing control.

Decentralised storage pitfalls

There are however, many caveats to decentralised storage. Services like Pinata, or Filebase are not scalable and often compromise on reliability and speed.

Scalability Issues

Decentralised storage services often need help to keep up with the growing demand for storage space on their networks, leading to reduced efficiency and higher transaction fees. The impact of this is of

Poor User Experience

Decentralised storage services may have complicated interfaces, making them difficult to use or understand by users who are unfamiliar with the technology. Poor UX Design results in making the storage inaccessible to users migrating from Web2 storage.

Costly Fees

Substantial amounts of money must be spent on maintenance and operation fees to keep a decentralised storage service running efficiently. In June 2022, Pinata - one of the biggest storage services increased their prices by a drastic amount, with many competitors following suit.

Using Dolpin for NFT Storage

Dolpin’s feature stack makes it an excellent option for NFT storage, but if you’re looking to understand the technicalities behind it, check this out.

Upload CID, Files, or Folders

Dolpin allows users to upload their content directly via files or folders from local storage. Furthermore, Dolpin also supports upload via CID - which also references existing pinned files for users migrating from other services like Pinata.

Encrypted IPFS Storage

Dolpin offers encrypted storage using IPFS, setting it apart from it’s competitive landscape. Individual CIDs are easily distributed, and can result in unauthorised access. Via encryption, combined with the sharing feature - your data can be kept secure.

Peer to Peer Sharing Via Email or Metamask

Users can easily share files via Email or with Metamask without resorting to CID-based sharing, making it more workable and efficient than other methods. Furthermore, NFT project holders can create groups for easier and hassle-free distribution.

Dolpin Pinning API

Dolpin Pinning API currently allows you to upload, pin, and delete files to IPFS.
You can learn more here

Subscription Costs

Dolpin is working towards making its subscription costs more affordable to increase access for all users. In addition, they are also offering 10 GB of free IPFS storage – the highest among any competitor in the industry. You can view it here.

Dolpin pricing comparison schemes
Dolpin pricing comparison schemes

How to Use Dolpin for NFT Storage

Sign up on Dolpin

To begin using Dolpin for storing your NFT project files or folders, users must first sign up on the platform with their email addresses. Click here to get started.

Connect Metamask Wallet

Users have the option to connect their Metamask wallet to the platform. Support for other wallets, including hard wallets are yet to be implemented.

Upload Files / Folders

Users may upload their desired files or folders onto the platform, whether or not their wallet is connected to the platform. However, connection is recommended.

Share to Holders

The users can then share the files to users via one of three methods.

Share CID

Users may also share a Content Identifier (CID) link with individuals, allowing them to access the content referenced by the CID.

Share via Email

Users may add beneficiaries via email address, and accounts registered to the receiving email address may view the file in the shared with me tab.

Share via Metamask

Beneficiaries may also be added via Metamask wallet. However, receivers will only be able to view it once they have connected the Metamask wallet to their Dolpin Account.

BONUS: Users may also toggle encryption on their files, which will disable CID based sharing. However, the files may still be shared via Email or Metamask Beneficiaries.

Conclusion

Security, money, and accessibility considered - Dolpin is the best way to store NFTs you own. For NFT Project creators, it also offers immense value. With the 10 GB of free storage, you don’t have anything to lose with this either.

Learn more about the project here, or follow our Twitter Account.

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