WebFS Explorer

Why

I find it painful to browse the contents of NPM packages and IPFS directories. That's why I created a web application to make it easier. There were several reasons that drove me to build this app:

  • I dislike navigating through the complex node_modules directory and prefer a simpler solution
  • I don't want to install a different version of a package in my node_modules just to view its contents
  • IPFS directories are difficult to browse with syntax highlighting, which makes it challenging to edit code stored in the IPFS file system

Both NPM packages and IPFS directories are file systems that can be more easily managed through a browser, so I decided to create this web app to explore the WebFS.

Try it at https://webfs.gera2ld.space/ or ipns://webfs.gera2ld.space/ if you are also an IPFS enthusiast.

webfs

Browse any NPM package or IPFS file in the browser.

Features

webfs

Browsing NPM packages

It can browse any NPM package at any version from any NPM registry.

It can even browse packages from a private NPM registry as long as they can be accessed from your browser.

The web app downloads the tarball at runtime and load it in your browser.

Browsing Files from IPFS

It can browse any IPFS file / directory from the IPFS network.

The web app runs an IPFS node in the browser and connects to the IPFS network. So it can access everything with a CID.

Managing IPFS MFS

It can Manage files stored in a local IPFS node.

It can connect to a local IPFS node and manage the files in MFS. So I can easily modify the files and store the new versions to the IPFS network without manually downloading and uploading.

Sharing

The focused file and the package it belongs to can be easily shared with another person by sharing the full URL.

Final Thoughts

Everything that works in the browser will finally be moved to the browser, and it makes things easier!


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