---
# System prepended metadata

title: 'IPFS Data Indexing, Searching and Linking'

---

# IPFS Data Indexing, Searching and Linking

General requirements questions
* What does your architecture look like? Where does IPFS live in it?
* Are you using go-ipfs or js-ipfs or something else?
* Do you need these features local to your deployment or is using a remote service ok?
* Is your data public or private?
* Does your application use the public IPFS network, or connect only to other nodes you control? (private network)
* Is your data encrypted or unencrypted?

## Indexing

"As as user we need a simple way to index files directly on IPFS"

* Any particular requirements for this? Eg, programming language?
* Network connected or integrated into a running application?
* What is the index being used for and by who?

## Semantic binding

"As a user we need a way to create links between multiple files"

* This sounds like IPLD - https://ipld.io/
* What are the use-cases you have? That will determine the right solution

## Search

"As a user I need to search and retrieve data/files by name and other meta information"

* Is this using the index need noted above?
* Can you share example data sizes and types?
* Who's retrieving and what are the performance requirements? eg async operations for long running processes, or is this user-interactive?
* Are the results being operated on locally, or shipped across the network?