IPFS Hosting (Advanced)

This guide is for teams who specifically need to manage IPFS hosting themselves. Most creators should use the Scatter Uploader instead.

When to Use IPFS

Use manual IPFS hosting only if you already run an IPFS pipeline, need custom pinning behavior, or require a specific gateway setup. If you want reveal-on-mint, use Instareveal and coordinate with the Scatter team.

File Prep (Quick Check)

  • Media files must be numbered 1 to N with no prefixes.
  • JSON files must be named 1, 2, 3 with no .json extension.
  • See Metadata for fields and structure.

Pinata (Advanced)

Create a Pinata ↗ account.

Upload images and get the images CID:

  • Click Add and select folder upload. If you use the Pinata mobile app, the folder upload feature is not available, so you should use the desktop or try Filebase.
  • Select the folder with your images in it.
  • Once uploaded you will receive a unique CID for the images folder. Save it.

Generate or edit metadata:

  • Once you've uploaded your images, you will have the images CID needed to create JSON files. Each JSON file must point to the correct image, for example "image": "ipfs://CID/1.png".
  • If you already have metadata, update the image links with the new CID. You can use https://webtools.scatter.art/update-image-fields/ ↗.

Upload metadata and get the metadata CID:

  • Click Add again and select folder upload.
  • Select the folder with your completed JSON files.
  • Once uploaded you will receive a unique CID for the metadata folder. Save it.
  • This second CID is used as your base URI.

Filebase (Advanced)

If you prefer Filebase, follow the Filebase for IPFS guide.

Set Your Base URI

After pinning metadata, set your base URI in the Contract tab using the metadata CID. The correct format is ipfs://CID/.

Unrevealed Metadata

If you want a delayed reveal (not reveal-on-mint), see Generate Unrevealed.