The InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) is a protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system. IPFS uses content-addressing to uniquely identify each file in a global namespace connecting all computing devices
Official website ipfs.io
Our take
By far the most popular tool here by stars, but read the category carefully: IPFS is content-addressed distributed storage, not an anonymity network, and it does not hide who is requesting or providing a file. Treating it as private would be a real mistake. It shines for resilient, deduplicated, censorship-resistant data sharing where integrity matters more than anonymity. If your goal is hiding your identity rather than addressing content, this isn’t it.
GitHub at a glance
ipfs/kubo
Stars
17,053
+ 5 this week
Last commit
1d ago
healthy
Latest release
v0.42.0
11d ago
Stars, last 10d
Listed in
IPFS alternatives
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Orbot Free, open-source Tor VPN app for Android and iOS that routes device traffic through the Tor network. Supports per-app Tor routing and access to .onion services on Android.
Lokinet Uses Oxen Service Nodes (also used by Session ) as routers to safeguard user privacy and anonymity.
I2P The Invisible Internet Project (I2P) is an anonymous network layer that allows for censorship-resistant, peer-to-peer communication. Anonymous connections are achieved by…
Hyphanet Hyphanet, formerly Freenet, is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant, anonymous communication. It uses a decentralized distributed data store to keep and deliver information, and has a…
Retroshare Peer-to-peer communication and file sharing app based on a friend-to-friend network built on GNU Privacy Guard (GPG). Optionally, peers may communicate certificates and IP…