IPFS helpers does not work with Node JS

[nicolapertosa]

Dear Ternoa developers,

I installed 1.3.0-alpha0 Ternoa-js version because I wanted to test IPFS helpers for collections and NFT's metadata creations.
Actually, I'm using some Ternoa features in the back-end running with NodeJs and during invocation of collectionIpfsUpload, I get the following error message :
ReferenceError: FormData is not defined in ternoa-js/helpers/ifps.js
In fact, FormData is native to the browser but not known in Node js and because there is no third party library imported in the ipfs helper to manage Files creation, it failes.

Could you please consider my request by using npm form-data dependency to avoid this error when using ipfs helpers with node JS.
https://www.npmjs.com/package/form-data

Thank you in advance for your help.

[ipapandinas]

hi @nicolapertosa,

Thank you for pointing this wrong behaviour out.
An Alpha release is intended to be used for internal testing. This feedback will help us to stabilise this helper before the upcoming Release Candidate version. I will come back here to provide a better solution after the 1.3.0-rc0 release.

[ipapandinas]

I faced the same error after testing this helper from a NodeJs back-end. Your pull request #105 was merged and included in the 1.3.0-rc0 release (changelog).
This version will be tested for a few weeks before going stable. Let us know if everything works better on your side now.

Thank you so much for your help to fix this issue, you are the first external contributor to Ternoa.js 🏆

[nicolapertosa]

Hi @Victor-Salomon,

Unfortunately, there is no equivalent for "new File()" function in NodeJs.
However, in the form-data documentation, streams are allowed : https://www.npmjs.com/package/form-data

var FormData = require('form-data');
var fs = require('fs');

var form = new FormData();
form.append('my_field', 'my value');
form.append('my_buffer', new Buffer(10));
form.append('my_file', fs.createReadStream('/foo/bar.jpg'));

And looking further in ipfs-core documentation, buffers are handled as well : https://dev.to/rtagliavia/how-to-add-images-to-ipfs-with-nodejs-and-ipfs-core-3heo

import * as IPFS from 'ipfs-core'
import fs from 'fs'

const imagesDir = './src/images'

const files = fs.readdirSync(imagesDir)

const ipfs = await IPFS.create()

for(let file of files) {
  const buffer = fs.readFileSync(`${imagesDir}/${file}`)
  const result = await ipfs.add(buffer)
  console.log(result)
}

But this was working before with streams, so I don't know why this is happening now.

[Victor-Salomon]

@nicolapertosa let me come back to you as soon as possible with a solution.

[Victor-Salomon]

@nicolapertosa it should be good now.

As explained by Igor (ipapandinas), we will move to an Alphanet/Mainnet gateway which will need a proper apiKey that you will have to request yourself. We are now focus on this, but this is not completely ready yet so we (re)setup the node on https://ipfs.ternoa.dev/. Please let me know if its good. I just set a small express server and it worked with your code on my side.

[nicolapertosa]

Hi @Victor-Salomon,

Thank you very much. This is working like a charm since you reactivated the node.
Don't hesitate to update us when the new IPFS Gateway is ready so that we can switch to the new one.

One more point, I was looking into the IPFS uploads with Ternoa-js SDK and I can already predict that the file nft/utils.ts will not work in NodeJs as well because Blob and File objects don't exist in that environment :
https://github.com/capsule-corp-ternoa/ternoa-js/blob/main/src/nft/utils.ts (line : 31/32 and 55/56).

Do you want me to open a pull request and propose my solution for this ?

[Victor-Salomon]

@nicolapertosa, great reading that IPFS is working for you. We will keep an update about it in the every github discussion that concern IPFS. I already looked at the first key generator mockup/mvp and it looks mint 💎.

About, the others helpers (nft/collection and marketplace upload), I've had the same reflexion after launching the express server the other day. We used to upload on IPFS from our frontend UI, and as you said, it's not possible to directly use any new Blob or new Flie instances in a Node environement. I need to think about it a bit. The helper should be adaptable in a Node environement, since the generic IPFS upload is working properly.

We really appreciate your consideration and commitment into our products 🔥. Before we start working on it, feel free to help us on this. You can either open a pull request (according to our contribution guidelines), or keep discussing with us here.