Selecting an asset database provider
📝In this article, we cover:
- How and where to store NFT metadata
Introduction
In our previous article: Efficient Metadata Design, Storage, and Retrieval we explained the pros and cons of having metadata on-chain vs off-chain. This article will explain the choice after that decision: how and where you can store your NFT metadata. This is an important consideration as it will impact how easily you’ll be able to update your assets' metadata - an aspect core to gaming different to the rest of web3. There are 3 main choices you can make in selecting an asset database provider.
- Cloud storage
- IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)
- On-chain
Below is a table that outlines summarises the impact of these choices.
Summary of asset database providers
Database provider | Cloud storage | IPFS | On-chain |
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Description | Metadata is stored on centralised cloud servers such as AWS, Google Cloud, Azure. | Metadata is stored in a distributed file storage protocol with a distributed network of computers. When data is ‘pinned’ to this protocol, a unique hash of that data is provided which is then used to locate the image on IPFS. Assets using IPFS as a database would store this hash on-chain. | Metadata is stored directly on the blockchain. It is tamper-proof and transparent, however requires cost to update. More information in previous article:Efficient Metadata Design, Storage, and Retrieval |
Advantages |
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Disadvantages |
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* Not an advantage or disadvantage for all cases, but provides game developers this optionality