ipfs-update

The ipfs-update tool is a command-line utility that can be used to install, uninstall, downgrade and upgrade IPFS Kubo.

See the project repository (opens new window) if you'd prefer to build ipfs-update from source.

Install ipfs-update

The ipfs-update tool can be downloaded using pre-built binaries from dist.ipfs.tech (opens new window). Binaries are also available from the IPFS Update GitHub release page (opens new window).

Windows

1. Download the Windows binary from dist.ipfs.tech (opens new window).

   wget https://dist.ipfs.tech/ipfs-update/v1.9.0/ipfs-update_v1.9.0_windows-amd64.zip -Outfile ipfs-update_v1.9.0_windows-amd64.zip
   

2. Unzip the file to a sensible location, such as ~\Apps\ipfs-update_v1.9.0:

   Expand-Archive -Path ipfs-update_v1.9.0_windows-amd64.zip -DestinationPath ~\Apps\ipfs-update_v1.9.0
   

3. Move into the ipfs-update_v1.9.0 folder:

   cd Apps\ipfs-update_v1.9.0\ipfs-update\
   

4. Check that the ipfs-update.exe works:

   .\ipfs-update.exe --version
   

   At this point, ipfs-update is usable. However, it's strongly recommended that you first add ipfs-update.exe to your PATH using the following steps:

5. Print the current working directory and copy it to your clipboard:

   pwd
   

6. Check if a profile file for PowerShell already exists:

   Test-Path $profile
   

   If a profile already file exists, skip the next step and proceed to step 8.

7. Create a new PowerShell profile file:

   New-Item -path $profile -type file –force
   

8. Add the address copied in step 5 to PowerShell's PATH by adding it to the end of the Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 file stored in Documents\WindowsPowerShell:

   Add-Content C:\Users\<username>\Documents\WindowsPowerShell\Microsoft.PowerShell_profile.ps1 "[System.Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable('PATH',`$Env:PATH+';;C:\Users\<username>\Apps\ipfs-update_v1.9.0\ipfs-update')"
   

9. Close and reopen your PowerShell window.

10. Test that your PATH is set correctly by going to your home folder and asking ipfs-update for the version:

    ipfs-update --version
    

    TIP

    If an error occurs on the next startup of PowerShell while loading the profile file, change the PowerShell ExecutionPolicy to Unrestricted, as described in the Microsoft PowerShell documentation (opens new window).

macOS

1. Download the macOS binary from dist.ipfs.tech (opens new window).

   curl -O https://dist.ipfs.tech/ipfs-update/v1.9.0/ipfs-update_v1.9.0_darwin-amd64.tar.gz
   

2. Unzip the file:

   tar -xvzf ipfs-update_v1.9.0_darwin-amd64.tar.gz
   

3. Move into the ipfs-update folder

   cd ipfs-update
   

4. Run the install script:

   sudo bash install.sh
   

5. Check that ipfs-update installed properly:

   ipfs-update --version
   

Linux

1. Download the Linux binary from dist.ipfs.tech (opens new window).

   wget https://dist.ipfs.tech/ipfs-update/v1.9.0/ipfs-update_v1.9.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz
   

2. Unzip the file:

   tar -xvzf ipfs-update_v1.9.0_linux-amd64.tar.gz
   

3. Move into the ipfs-update folder:

   cd ipfs-update
   

4. and run the install script:

   sudo bash install.sh
   

5. Test that ipfs-update has installed correctly:

   ipfs-update --version
   

Install Kubo

The ipfs-update tool can be used to install Kubo. You can install the latest version, or specify a specific version.

Latest version

To install the latest release of Kubo, use the latest tag:

ipfs-update install latest

Specific version

To install a specific Kubo <version-number>, run:

ipfs-update install <version-number>

TIP

When ipfs-update install is run and a version of IPFS is already installed, that version is stashed and can be reverted to later.

Roll-back Kubo version

Use the revert function to roll-back to a previous version of Kubo:

ipfs-update revert

The revert function is useful if a newly installed version needs to be reverted to a more stable version, or you want to test or use older versions of Kubo.

Uninstall ipfs-update

To uninstall IPFS Update, delete the binary and ipfs-update from your PATH variable.

Windows

1. Find the location of the ipfs-update.exe file:

   gci -recurse -filter ipfs-update.exe -File -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
   

2. Remove the ipfs-update directory:

   Remove-Item -Recurse -Force C:\Users\<username>\Apps\ipfs-update_v1.9.0
   

3. Delete the ipfs-update directory from the PATH variable.

   TIP

   This process differs between Windows installations, so please check the Microsoft documentation for details (opens new window).

MacOS

1. Find the location of the ipfs-update file:

   sudo find / -name ipfs-update
   

2. Remove the file:

   sudo rm /usr/local/bin/ipfs-update
   

Linux

1. Find the location of the ipfs-update file:

   sudo find / -name ipfs-update
   

2. Remove the file:

   sudo rm /usr/local/bin/ipfs-update