3. Installation

3.1 Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation of the application, ensure that the following prerequisites are met:

• Node.js: Make sure Node.js is installed on your system. You can download and install Node.js from the official website (https://nodejs.org/).

• IPFS (InterPlanetary File System): Install IPFS, a peer-to-peer decentralized file system, which will be used in conjunction with OrbitDB for storage. You can install IPFS by following the instructions provided on the official website (https://ipfs.io/#install).

3.2 Installation Steps

To install and set up the project, follow these steps:

Install Dependencies:

All the project dependencies are in Package.json file that is installed using the following command.

npm install 
OR
npm i

Set Up IPFS:

Start the IPFS daemon: To start the IPFS daemon, use the following command:

ipfs daemon

This command initializes the IPFS daemon, which is responsible for managing local IPFS node operations, including content storage, retrieval, and network communication.

Running IPFS daemon with Tor proxy:

To run the IPFS daemon with network traffic routed through the Tor network, use the following command:

torsocks ipfs daemon --enable-pubsub-experiment

• torsocks: This command is used to route network traffic through the Tor network. It ensures that all network requests made by IPFS are anonymized through Tor, enhancing privacy and security.

• --enable-pubsub-experiment: This flag enables the experimental pubsub feature in the IPFS daemon. Pubsub allows for real-time communication and event notification between IPFS nodes, facilitating decentralized applications and services.

Ensure that IPFS is running and accessible:

Before running the IPFS daemon with Tor proxy, ensure that Tor is running on your system. You can start Tor using the following command:

sudo tor

This command starts the Tor service, which acts as a proxy for routing network traffic through the Tor network. It's necessary to have Tor running to facilitate the anonymization of IPFS traffic through the Tor network.