The official JavaScript client library for the Kubo RPC API is kubo-rpc-client (formerly js-kubo-rpc-client). It allows Node.js and browser applications to control a running Kubo IPFS daemon via HTTP.

Installation and Setup

Install via npm:

npm install kubo-rpc-client
   

Basic Usage

Create a client instance and call API methods:

import { create } from 'kubo-rpc-client';

// Connect to local daemon (default: http://localhost:5001)
const client = create();

// Example: Add content
const { cid } = await client.add('Hello world!');
console.log(cid.toString());
   

Configuration

The create() function accepts a URL string, Multiaddr, or an options object:

• URL: create('http://127.0.0.1:5001/api/v0')

• Options: { host: 'localhost', port: 5001, protocol: 'http' }

• Custom Headers: Pass { headers: { authorization: 'Bearer <token>' } } for nodes with API authorizations enabled.

Browser Usage

Load via CDN script tag, exposing KuboRpcClient in the global namespace:

<script src="https://unpkg.com/kubo-rpc-client/dist/index.min.js"></script>
<script>
  const client = KuboRpcClient.create({ host: 'localhost', port: 5001 });
</script>
   

Key Notes

• Not Core API: This library implements the HTTP RPC API only, not the full IPFS Core API (which is available via Helia or js-ipfs).

• Daemon Required: A local or remote Kubo daemon must be running and accessible on the specified port (default 5001).

• Utilities: Includes helpers like globSource and urlSource for adding files.