boom.fyi

What It Is

boom.fyi is an “exploding link” short-link service for IPFS. Users can drag and drop files to upload them; the service encrypts the file, adds it to IPFS, and generates a new IPFS hash, encryption key, and shareable boom.fyi short link. Links can be limited by number of visits and expiration time, and become invalid as soon as either condition is met. The default is 1000 visits or 24 hours. The page states a maximum upload size of 5MB.

Core Features and Tech Stack

Its core value is separating the IPFS content address, encryption key, and final access link. Visitors only need the short link and do not see the underlying hash or key; the server retrieves the IPFS content via Textile cafe, decrypts it, and returns it. It also supports using an existing IPFS hash and can generate new links repeatedly for the same content—for example, giving one person a single-use link this week, then issuing a new link to someone else next week. In terms of its technical ecosystem, the page explicitly says it is built with Textile, interacts with IPFS, and is related to tools and workflows such as Textile bot, IPFS @Pinbot, and the Pinata API.

Pricing, API, and Self-Hosting

The main text does not disclose pricing, accounts, payment methods, or commercial plans. For the API, the FAQ only says that projects wanting to use the API can join Slack to discuss it; no public API documentation or SDK is provided. For self-hosting, the page says “anyone can run this service,” which suggests it is theoretically self-hostable, but it does not provide source code, deployment steps, or operational requirements. As a result, this should be viewed as a possibility rather than an out-of-the-box capability.

Pros and Cons

The main advantage is that the product concept is clear: encrypt a file, put it on IPFS, and issue a short link that expires by time or number of visits. This makes it suitable for temporary, secure file distribution while avoiding direct exposure of the content address. The drawbacks are also obvious: it describes itself as an experiment, and users must trust boom.fyi to retrieve and decrypt content on their behalf. The service does not pin data and only caches it, so long-term availability depends on users pinning the content themselves. The 5MB limit is small, and public documentation, API details, SLA commitments, and security information are limited.

Who It’s For and Access from China

It is suitable for IPFS/Textile developers, decentralized storage experimenters, and technical users who need to share encrypted files temporarily. It is less suitable for production systems that require compliance audits, a stable SLA, or large-file distribution. The source text does not provide information on accessibility from mainland China. IPFS-related connectivity may depend on the actual network environment. If it is unavailable, alternatives include the Pinata API, a self-hosted IPFS node with an added encrypted sharing layer, or tools from the Textile ecosystem.