# How to Use IPFS

OmniHub makes it easy to use IPFS-hosted metadata for your NFTs. Follow this step-by-step guide to ensure your metadata is correctly formatted, uploaded, and integrated for seamless deployment.

### **1. Prepare Your Metadata**

Before uploading, ensure your metadata follows the correct JSON format. Each NFT should have a separate metadata file containing essential attributes such as:

```
{
  "name": "Your NFT Name",
  "description": "Your NFT description",
  "image": "ipfs://your_image_cid",
  "attributes": [
    {
      "trait_type": "Background",
      "value": "Blue"
    },
    {
      "trait_type": "Rarity",
      "value": "Legendary"
    }
  ]
}
```

#### **Metadata Preparation**

* **Use consistent naming** – Each metadata file should match the corresponding image file (e.g. `/1.png`).
* **Optimize images** – Ensure they are compressed and in the correct format (PNG, JPEG, or GIF).
* **Check JSON validity** – Use tools like [JSONLint](https://jsonlint.com/) to validate your metadata files.
* **Store metadata on IPFS** – Use decentralized storage solutions to keep your metadata available long-term.

***

### 2. Upload Files to IPFS

To store images and metadata on IPFS, you can use one of the following services:

* [**Pinata**](https://www.pinata.cloud/)
* [**NFT.Storage**](https://nft.storage/)
* [**Web3.Storage**](https://web3.storage/)

#### **How to Upload**

1. **Upload all image files first** – This will generate a **CID (Content Identifier)** for the folder.
2. **Update the `image` field in your metadata** – Replace the placeholder with the actual CID, e.g.:

```
"image": "ipfs://bafybeibn.../1.png"
```

3. **Upload the metadata folder** – Once updated, upload the metadata files to IPFS to receive a new CID.

***

### 3. Generate Your IPFS Link

After uploading your metadata folder, reference it using the correct IPFS format:

#### **For IPFS Uploads:**

```
https://ipfs.io/ipfs/{CID}
```

#### **For External Storage:**

If you are using custom storage, make sure your metadata URLs are structured properly. Example:

```
https://your-storage.com/path/
```

***

### 4. Integrate Metadata in OmniHub

When setting up your NFT collection on OmniHub, input the **IPFS link** in the "**Metadata URL**" field. The platform will automatically recognize and apply your metadata.

#### Final Steps

* **Test your links** – Use an IPFS gateway like [https://ipfs.io/ipfs/{CID}](https://ipfs.io/ipfs/%7BCID%7D) to verify accessibility.
* **Ensure correct formatting** – Invalid JSON or broken links may prevent NFTs from displaying correctly.
* **Ensure supply matches metadata** – If your collection has 100 NFTs, make sure there are `{CID}/1.png`→ `{CID}/100.png`files in the folder.
* **Proceed with minting** – Once everything is verified, continue with the minting process.