With Pinata, you can upload files and make them private while still maintaining the IPFS content addressability. We call this submarining. When you submarine a file on Pinata, the file is not added to the public IPFS network, but a content identifier (CID) is generated by the IPFS protocol.
Note: This functionality is only available to Pro Plan customers and requires a dedicated gateway to have been created.
With your file private, you can control who accesses the file and when. You can generate an access token from the user interface by clicking the more link and then choosing the share option. Let's walk through the whole flow.
Submarining a File
To start, click the upload button like you normally would:
Next, select your file then give it a name. You'll see on the page where you can name your file a new feature. To submarine a file simply toggle that switch:
That's it. Finish the upload and you just submarined a file on Pinata!
How To Share a Submarined File
Once you've uploaded and submarined your file, you can share this file with anyone by generating an access link. Access links are valid for one hour.
Find the file in your Pin Manager and click the More button:
Click the Share File button, and you'll be prompted to generate an access link:
When you click the Share button, the access link will be created. It will use your dedicated gateway URL and a timed token to create a full share link. Just click the URL to copy it and then you can share it with anyone you'd like:
