Solana NFT Storage: IPFS and Arweave
Where your NFT image and metadata live, and how to keep them available.
Solana stores only a small amount of data on-chain: the mint and a metadata account with a URI. The image and full metadata JSON live off-chain. The two most common choices for that storage are IPFS and Arweave.
IPFS
IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is a content-addressed network. You upload a file and get a CID (content identifier). The URI in your NFT metadata is typically ipfs://Qm.... As long as at least one node has the content pinned, it stays available. Uploading to IPFS usually involves a pinning service (Pinata, NFT.Storage, etc.) so the content is not garbage-collected. Many Solana minting tools upload and pin for you.
Arweave
Arweave is a permanent storage network. You pay once to store data; it is designed to persist indefinitely. NFT images and metadata are often stored on Arweave and referenced with an Arweave URL in the metadata. It is a strong option when you want to avoid relying on pinning services. Some minting platforms use Arweave by default or as an option.
What Goes Where
You upload the image file and the metadata JSON. Each gets a URI (IPFS or Arweave). The metadata JSON contains the image URI. The on-chain metadata account stores the URI of the metadata JSON. So the chain points to metadata; metadata points to the image. Wallets and marketplaces fetch the metadata JSON and then the image.
Choosing IPFS vs Arweave
IPFS is widely used and supported; you must keep content pinned. Arweave is pay-once, permanent, but has different economics and tooling. Many creators use whichever their minting tool uses. Our Create NFT flow handles upload and pinning so your URI stays valid.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Is my NFT image on the Solana blockchain?
- No. The chain stores a URI (link) to the image. The image file is on IPFS, Arweave, or another storage layer. Storing large files on-chain would be too expensive.
- What if the IPFS pin expires?
- If no one pins the content, it can become unavailable and the NFT image may not load. Use a reliable pinning service or permanent storage like Arweave for long-term assurance.
- Can I change where my NFT image is stored after minting?
- The on-chain metadata stores a URI. If the metadata account is mutable, you could update it to a new URI, but that depends on how the mint was set up. Many mints are immutable.
- Does your tool use IPFS or Arweave?
- Our platform uploads and pins your image and metadata to decentralized storage so the URI remains valid. Check the product docs for the current storage backend.
If you want to create and mint your NFT without coding you can use our Solana NFT creator tool which lets you generate metadata and mint NFTs directly on the Solana blockchain.
Create Your Solana NFT
We handle storage and pinning. You upload, we mint.
Create NFT