# IPFS helps you build the future web
Welcome, builders! No matter who you are or what you're creating, the InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) makes it easier for you to build the decentralized apps and services that will power the next generation of the internet.
# What is IPFS?
IPFS is a content-addressed system for storing and delivering data over a globally distributed network of peers. As a critical ingredient in a wide variety of decentralized applications and services powering the future of the internet, IPFS is an important complement to blockchains, decentralized identity, verifiable storage like Filecoin (opens new window), and other ingredients in a distributed web (dWeb) stack.
# Who's building on IPFS
Individuals and organizations worldwide are using IPFS to build successful apps and services for a truly amazing variety of use cases and industries. Whether you're interested in NFTs or networked communities, streaming music or social media, IPFS can play a critical part in your decentralized tech stack. Check out these resources:
- Case Study Series — Success stories in industries ranging from big data to e-commerce and more.
- IPFS Ecosystem Explorer (opens new window) — Traverse the full landscape of companies shipping apps, services, and more built on IPFS.
- Awesome IPFS (opens new window) — Community projects of all shapes and sizes, from production apps to open-source data sets to experimental repos.
Or, check out the Building Web3 video series (opens new window) to meet the visionaries who are building the future using IPFS and other web3 tools!
# IPFS and you
What can you build using IPFS? Thanks to a rapidly growing developer community, global traction for a wide variety of use cases, and active open-source development, the possibilities are virtually endless. Check out these usage ideas and examples for inspiration, plus these pointers for getting started integrating IPFS into your project:
- With implementations in Go (opens new window) and JavaScript (opens new window) (plus Rust (opens new window) in the works), options for directly integrating IPFS into your codebase are versatile.
- For IPFS-based deployment and dev tools, the options are growing every day — including Fleek (opens new window) (deployment, storage, and app tooling), Textile (opens new window) (databases, storage, CDN, Filecoin integration), and Fission (opens new window) (front-end app publishing using web3 back-end tools), to name just a few.
- Want to integrate Filecoin into your architecture in addition to IPFS? Learn how Filecoin and IPFS work together (opens new window).
- For hosting large amounts of data on multiple nodes, IPFS Cluster (opens new window) helps you with data orchestration across many peers.
- Or, to ensure availability without having to maintain your own IPFS infrastructure, you can use a third-party pinning service to host your files on their own nodes.
# Get started right now
Ready to roll up your sleeves and dive in? Start with these resources:
- Just want to get hacking right away? Install IPFS through the command line and start exploring.
- Check out the API and CLI reference guides to learn more about hands-on use, or dig into the how-tos and tutorials here in the docs.
- Ask questions or start a discussion in the official IPFS forums (opens new window).
- Find virtual and in-person hackathons and other events (opens new window) on the IPFS Blog & News (opens new window) page.
- Learn the basics of IPFS concepts like content addressing and peer-to-peer sharing here in the docs, or try hands-on examples over at ProtoSchool (opens new window).
- Interested in IPFS because of the important role it plays in NFTs? Learn more about NFT development at NFT School (opens new window).