Learn about encrypting data to be stored on Filecoin and gating access to data already stored on Filecoin.
Ensuring your dataset is encrypted is critical to good privacy hygiene when storing files on decentralized networks, including Filecoin and IPFS. Uploading an unencrypted file would allow the storage provider to read the files you store with them, and allow them to send copies to unknown third parties.
Ingredients:
Instructions:
There are two options for encrypting files being uploaded to Filecoin.
The first option is encrypting your uploaded file using the Kavach SDK in the backend of your app.
Alternatively, files can be encrypted with MetaMask in your browser application.
The following code also demonstrates how to encrypt JSON / text files stored on IPFS or Filecoin.
Lighthouse also provides a number of methods to gate access a given data set. In the below code, the variables are:
Sample Code:
The first method is “NFT-based access,” where a user is able to access a file if they own at least one NFT of a given ERC721 contract.
The second method is “Custom contract,” where a user is able to access a file if the returned value of a given function in the custom contract satisfies a certain condition. In the below example, the condition being checked is whether the “get()” function returns “1”.
The third method is to check native tokens. In the below example, the condition being checked is whether the wallet address looking to access a file owns at least 1 ETH.
The fourth and final method is to condition the access of a file on the block height, which is effectively time-based gate access. In the example below, a user can access the file above the block height of 133494.