js-ipfs 0.36.0 released

Alan Shaw
js-ipfs 0.36.0 released
#js-ipfs #breaking change
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URL safe CIDs, refs commands, DOM File support and more!

# πŸ”¦ Highlights

# 🧬 Base32 encoding for v1 CIDs

As a stepping stone towards switching to CIDv1 by default for all CIDs, we're shipping a small change to v1 CIDs that means their string form is base32 encoded instead of base58btc. So, instead of:

$ jsipfs add --cid-version 1 guardian.jpg
added zb2rhk6GMPQF3hfzwXTaNYFLKomMeC6UXdUt6jZKPpeVirLtV guardian.jpg

You'll now get back a base32 encoded CID:

$ jsipfs add --cid-version 1 guardian.jpg
added bafkreibu6pkzh33dfwfa3bg3twih7uiohu6d6cr34txljekdn3cvwoujiu guardian.jpg

You can read more about this change here (opens new window).

PR: https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/pull/2050

# πŸ‘‰ Added refs and refs local commands

We've added the refs and refs local commands to the core, CLI and HTTP API. These commands allow you to list out all the CIDs referenced by a given DAG node or all the CIDs in your local repo. You can even choose the display format.

PR: https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/pull/2004

# πŸ—„ Support for adding DOM File objects

Finally! You can just add a File (opens new window) to IPFS without having to jump through hoops converting it to a Buffer first. Sensational!

A File, by the way, is what you'll get back from a <input type="file"> or the drag and drop API, so being able to easily take that file and add it to IPFS makes onboarding new frontend devs way easier (as well as way more convenient for all you old frontend devs 😜).

PR: https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/pull/2013

# πŸ”¬ MDNS discovery compatibility

The libp2p discovery module for finding IPFS nodes over MDNS has been updated so that your JS IPFS node is now able to find Go IPFS nodes on the local network too. It's a backwards compatible change so older nodes will still be able to find your node and you'll still be able to find them.

PR: https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p-mdns/pull/80

# 🚀 28% faster stream multiplexing

We switched the multiplexing implementation to one that's simpler, smaller and faster. We're estimating it to be around 28% faster than the old implementation (opens new window).

PR: https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/pull/1884

# β›© Gateway improvements

The IPFS HTTP gateway that JS IPFS exposes when run as a daemon in Node.js has been upgraded to support a number of HTTP features like conditional requests, byte range requests as well as getting some bug fixes, mini features and other improvements. There's too much to list here but check out the PR for and in depth description of what's changed.

PR: https://github.com/ipfs/js-ipfs/pull/1989

# πŸ” Pubsub message signing

Messages sent over Pubsub will now be automatically signed by the initial publisher, and included as a signature property on each Pubsub message. IPFS and Libp2p will be verifying the signatures of Pubsub messages by default in future releases, which will enable us to verify the authenticity of all messages sent over the network before they are processed. Verification is not yet required by default, but it will be in future releases, and all unsigned messages will not be processed or forwarded.

PR: https://github.com/libp2p/js-libp2p/pull/362

# πŸ— API Changes

  1. BREAKING: The default string encoding for version 1 CIDs has changed to base32
  2. BREAKING: IPLD formats have been updated to the latest versions. IPLD nodes returned by ipfs.dag and ipfs.object commands have significant breaking changes. If you are using these commands in your application you are likely to encounter the following changes to dag-pb nodes (the default node type that IPFS creates):
    • DAGNode properties have been renamed as follows:
      • data => Data
      • links => Links
      • size => size (Note: no change)
    • Additionally, the Links property of a DAGNode now returns plain JS objects with Hash, Name and Tsize properties, NOT DAGLink instances
    • DAGLink properties have been renamed as follows:
      • cid => Hash
      • name => Name
      • size => Tsize
    • See CHANGELOGs for each IPLD format for it's respective changes, you can read more about the dag-pb changes in the CHANGELOG (opens new window)
  3. Commands refs and refs local have been added to core, the CLI and the HTTP API
  4. Support for DOM File (opens new window) objects has been added to ipfs.add (opens new window)

# ❀️ Huge thank you to everyone that made this release possible

In alphabetical order, here are all the humans that contributed to the release:

# πŸ™ŒπŸ½ Want to contribute?

Would you like to contribute to the IPFS project and don't know how? Well, there are a few places you can get started:

# ⁉️ Do you have questions?

The best place to ask your questions about IPFS, how it works and what you can do with it is at discuss.ipfs.tech (opens new window). We are also available at the #ipfs channel on Freenode.