Chapter 6

Pinning Services

Pinning means telling an IPFS node to keep a CID and refuse garbage collection. Without pins, content propagates while someone cares but drifts offline as nodes reboot or prune cache. Pinning services are the practical persistence layer most dApps actually depend on.

Services differ on free tiers, Filecoin backup, API ergonomics, and whether they target NFT creators or general app storage.

Common pinning options

Service	Best for	Notable trait
Pinata	NFT and media projects	Mature API, dedicated gateways, paid tiers at scale
NFT.Storage	NFT metadata bundles	Free NFT-focused pinning backed by Filecoin deals
Web3.Storage	General dApp uploads	Simple uploads with Filecoin persistence layer
Self-hosted Kubo	Full control	You run the node, backups, and monitoring

Self-hosting a Kubo node gives full control but you own uptime, security patches, and egress bandwidth. Most teams start with a hosted pin and graduate to hybrid setups.

Pinning is not backup by itself. Replicate important CIDs across two providers or combine IPFS pins with an Arweave transaction for high-value assets. Document which wallet or API key owns each pin so a departed contractor does not take your collection offline.

Monitor gateway health and CID resolution in CI. A green mint page means nothing if the metadata CID 404s six months later. Automated checks that fetch every tokenURI and verify image hashes catch broken pins before collectors do.