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Filecoin Documentation

website·Indexed 42 days ago

https://docs.filecoin.io/

Documentation for Filecoin, a decentralized peer-to-peer network for storing and retrieving data. Covers core concepts including the Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM), storage models, retrieval paths, crypto-economics, and the InterPlanetary Consensus (IPC). Includes guides on programming on Filecoin, managing storage deals, and utilizing the Filecoin Plus program.

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What's inside Filecoin

  1. Overview of FEVM Indexers

    FEVM Indexers allow developers to query Filecoin chain data efficiently by processing raw blockchain data into retrieve-optimized formats. They eliminate the need for developers to run archival nodes, parse entire blockchain histories (tipsets), or spend significant compute power on complex smart contract interconnections. Most FEVM indexers leverage GraphQL for a better developer experience.

  2. Overview of Hardhat for Filecoin (FEVM)

    Hardhat is an open-source development environment for building, testing, and deploying smart contracts. While originally for Ethereum, the Filecoin Ethereum Virtual Machine (FEVM) allows Hardhat to be used for developing and deploying contracts on the Filecoin network.

  3. Overview of Wrapped FIL (wFIL)

    Wrapped FIL (wFIL) is the canonical ERC-20 wrapper token for the native Filecoin (FIL) token, maintaining a 1-to-1 ratio. It enables FIL to be used in Ethereum-compatible decentralized applications (dapps), such as decentralized exchanges (DEXs) and lending platforms, on blockchains where native FIL is not supported. Users deposit FIL into the wFIL contract to mint wFIL and burn wFIL to unlock the original FIL.

  4. Overview of the Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM)

    The Filecoin Virtual Machine (FVM) is a runtime environment that enables the deployment of smart contracts (called actors) on the Filecoin blockchain. It adds a programmability layer on top of Filecoin's base storage and retrieval capabilities, allowing developers to combine computational logic with storage primitives. Key technical specifications include:

    • WASM-based: A polyglot execution environment for IPLD data, supporting any language that compiles to WebAssembly (WASM).
    • FEVM Compatibility: Compatible with the Ethereum runtime and Solidity, allowing Ethereum developers to use the Filecoin Solidity library.
    • VM Agnostic: Designed to potentially support other foreign VMs in the future, acting as a hypervisor for cross-runtime invocations.

  5. Overview of Filecoin Relay and Meta Transactions

    Relay is a service that enables users to interact with the Filecoin network via meta-transactions. In a meta-transaction, a third party (the relayer) pays the gas fees on behalf of the user. This allows users to interact with dApps without needing to hold FIL tokens or manage their own wallets.

  6. Overview of Filecoin.sol library

    Filecoin.sol is a set of external Solidity libraries that allow developers to interact with Filecoin's built-in actors and storage market from within smart contracts. It provides:

    • Interfaces for built-in actors (e.g., Market, Miner, Power).
    • Filecoin-specific data types such as FilAddress, FilActorId, and Cid.
    • CBOR serialization and deserialization for parameters and return data.
    • Utility libraries for data conversion.

    These libraries are embeddable and do not need to be deployed on-chain; they are imported directly into the Solidity project.

  7. Overview of InterPlanetary Consensus (IPC)

    InterPlanetary Consensus (IPC) is a framework designed for on-demand horizontal scalability of networks. It allows the deployment of 'subnets' that can run different consensus algorithms based on the specific requirements of a decentralized application (dApp). IPC aims to balance performance, decentralization, and security by allowing blockchains to scale their ability to process transactions and achieve consensus across an increasing number of users.

  8. Overview of Filecoin Multisig Wallets

    Multisig wallets on Filecoin enhance security and decentralization by requiring a predefined number of signatures (approvals) from multiple participants before a transaction can be executed. This prevents any single party from having full control over funds or application state and enables decentralized governance and collaborative fund management.

  9. Overview of FILForwarder smart contract

    The FilForwarder is a smart contract designed to solve the incompatibility between Ethereum-style (f4) addresses and other Filecoin address spaces (f0, f1, f2, f3). Because EVM-based wallets (like MetaMask) cannot recognize f1, f2, or f3 formats, they cannot send FIL directly to them. FilForwarder provides a forward method that accepts a byte-level definition of an f-style address and a value, using internal Filecoin EVM runtime APIs to reliably transfer funds and create actor IDs for new receiving addresses if necessary.

  10. Overview of the Filecoin decentralized storage network

    Filecoin is a peer-to-peer network that provides decentralized file storage using economic incentives and cryptographic proofs. The network operates as an open market where clients pay storage providers (data centers) to store data. To ensure reliability, storage providers must lock Filecoin as collateral and provide daily cryptographic proofs that the data is still present; failure to do so results in the burning of their collateral. Clients can evaluate storage providers based on their history, credentials, and compliance records before selecting them.

  11. Overview of Filecoin Pin for IPFS persistence

    Filecoin Pin is a decentralized persistence layer for IPFS content. It allows users to pin IPFS data to the Filecoin network, providing verifiable persistence through cryptographic proofs of storage. It integrates with standard IPFS Mainnet tooling (such as Kubo, Helia, and IPFS HTTP Gateways) while ensuring that storage providers must prove daily that data is being served. Key benefits include economic incentives (payment only upon verified proofs), decentralized infrastructure, and sovereign data control.

  12. Overview of Gelato Web3 Functions for Filecoin

    Gelato Web3 Functions allow Filecoin dapps to automate smart contract tasks by bridging off-chain data (APIs, subgraphs) and computation with on-chain logic. This enables features like price feeds and data verification that are otherwise limited by the deterministic nature of the Filecoin network.