Keep NFT Files Available on IPFS

An NFT can remain on Hedera while its image or metadata becomes hard to retrieve. The token's existence and the availability of the files it references are separate responsibilities.

For a collection you maintain, keep the original files, know the published addresses and check the services storing them.

Keep a collection archive

Save the artwork, metadata JSON and a record of the token ID and minted serials. Keep a mapping from each item to its published file addresses.

Store that archive somewhere you control in addition to the working folder used during creation. A screenshot of an NFT is not a replacement for its original media and metadata.

Understand what pinning does

Pinning asks an IPFS node to retain content instead of removing it during normal storage cleanup. A pinning service provides that retention under its own terms.

A CID does not mean every IPFS participant stores the file forever. Review who is retaining the media and JSON, and maintain the arrangement required to keep them available.

DreamForge pinning confirmation showing file details and a quote — Review the current quote for the files in this operation.

Check both the JSON and the media

Test the metadata address and the files it references. A JSON file can load successfully while its image does not. The reverse is possible too: you might still have the image even though the NFT's description is unavailable.

Compare the addresses with the record you kept at mint time. Changed content has a different content address under the corresponding import settings, so an arbitrary replacement file is not automatically the original asset.

Separate a gateway problem from missing content

A gateway is a retrieval service. If one gateway fails, check whether the same content can be retrieved elsewhere before concluding that the files are gone.

If you still have the original content, investigate appropriate pinning with the existing address and import details. Do not change token metadata or remint merely because a single gateway has an outage.

Set a maintenance routine

After a launch, test a sample from each collection periodically and after storage-provider changes. Include unusual formats and larger files in the sample, not only the cover image.

Keep the results and dates so a future issue has a useful starting point. Read the metadata guide for the layers to inspect, or contact support with the token ID, serial and affected address.