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Increasing privacy, Brave had integrated the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) into its updated 'version 1.19' browser, strengthening access to the decentralised web.
By HELEN PARTZ - COINTELEGRAPH
Brave Browser, a popular blockchain-enabled web browser, has integrated native support of InterPlanetary File System, or IPFS, to strengthen the access to the decentralized web.
According to a Jan. 19 announcement, Brave has integrated IPFS into its desktop web browser for Windows, macOS and Linux, enabling users to install the protocol in a couple of clicks.
IPFS is a peer-to-peer hypermedia protocol designed to make the web faster, safer, and more open. The protocol aims to supplement or possibly even replace the Hypertext Transfer Protocol, or HTTP, which is a major client-based protocol used to transfer web pages across a network. In the announcement, Brave pinpointed some crucial issues associated with HTTP:
“The underlying protocol of the web today is HTTP, which dictates where power exists in those applications. HTTP puts publishers in complete control of service availability and data access, making end users passive receivers instead of having agency in the relationship.”
As such, the IPFS integration with Brave browser is a big step toward redefining existing internet architecture, putting individuals in control instead of publishers, Brave said. “IPFS changes this dynamic by enabling direct communication and sharing between users over a cooperative public network,” the firm added.
The initial release of native support for IPFS provides basic node functionality, and Brave plans to introduce more IPFS implementations in 2021 including adding IPFS support to Brave’s Android browser. The firm will also experiment with integrating the features and economic models of the Brave network’s utility token, Basic Attention Token (BAT) and Filecoin (FIL).
Brave is not the only company actively experimenting with IPFS. In March 2020, Opera browser officially released IPFS native addressing in their Android browser, introducing default support for IPFS on Android 57.
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By Jeff Benson - Decrypt
Since launching in 2018, Brave has built a loyal following by giving Web users what they want: more privacy and fewer ads.
Now, it’s letting users give back by making the internet more censorship-resistant.
The privacy-centric Brave browser has tucked a nifty new integration into today’s software update that lets Brave users view content via the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS).
Our CTO and co-founder @brianbondy details the work our team has done for the first deep @IPFS integration of its kind. https://t.co/POs0R9SOnL
— Brave Software (@brave) January 19, 2021
The IPFS is a decentralized system for sharing files in which websites are hosted not by companies but by other IPFS users running nodes. According to Protocol Labs, the makers of IPFS, the peer-to-peer protocol saves bandwidth, improves internet connectivity, and makes it easier to keep content online.
That especially goes for Web users in countries with blocked websites, pointed out IPFS Project Lead Molly Mackinlay.
“Today, Web users across the world are unable to access restricted content, including, for example, parts of Wikipedia in Thailand, over 100,000 blocked websites in Turkey, and critical access to COVID-19 information in China,” she said via a press release.
“Now anyone with an internet connection can access this critical information through IPFS on the Brave browser.”
That fits well with the ethos of Brave, which already aims to put control into users’ hands. For example, it already rewards users who view advertisements with its native token, the Basic Attention Token (BAT). Users can then use BAT to tip publishers or exchange it for cash. Brave also allows users to block things like trackers and cookies.
To use IPFS on Brave, users must first have version 1.19 installed. Then, they have two routes. The first is to just plug an IPFS URL into the browser. Here’s one. That allows the user to access the content via a public gateway.
The second method is to install a local IPFS node, which would make the network stronger and also allow users to look at prior content while offline. If Brave detects IPFS content, it will give users the option of using a local node.
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