Step 1: Create a Pinata account
Before you can begin pinning files to IPFS with Pinata, you must sign up for a Pinata account.
Head over to the Pinata website, click on the "Get Started" button in the top right corner and create an account if you don't already have one. You will receive a confirmation email to activate your account.
Step 2: Choose your plan
Step 3: Upload your file
Once logged into your Pinata account, you’ll land straight on your dashboard. Ensure you’re inside your “Files” tab, and click the “+ Upload” button in the top right corner.
You can upload a folder, file, or CID (content identifier). You can upload any file type, including images, videos, audio, and documents, and each file may be up to 250MB.
Once uploaded, Pinata automatically pins it to the IPFS network. Pinning a file means storing it on multiple IPFS nodes, ensuring it's 24/7 available to anyone who wants to access it. Pinning also helps to ensure permanence so that the file is not deleted from the network.
Step 4: Retrieving a pinned file
Now that your file is pinned and lives on IPFS, how do you retrieve it from amongst the masses? Pinata makes file retrieval fast and easy. Return to your dashboard, and you will see the details of your freshly pinned file.
Clicking on your file name will take you directly to your media. You can also copy the CID and paste it into a public or private IPFS gateway to view it.
