Pinata consultants

Q: What does Pinata actually do?

Pinata provides APIs for uploading files, pinning them to IPFS for decentralised storage, and serving them through dedicated gateways with built-in CDN. It also offers image optimisation (resizing, format conversion on the fly), video streaming support, and access control for private content. You upload via their API or SDK and retrieve files through your custom gateway URL.

Q: Is Pinata only for NFT and Web3 projects?

No. While Pinata started in the NFT space for hosting token metadata and images on IPFS, it now serves as a general file hosting and delivery platform. Any application that needs to upload, store, and serve files can use Pinata. The IPFS pinning is optional; you can use it purely as a file API with HTTP gateway delivery.

Q: Can Pinata handle private files with access control?

Yes. Pinata supports signed URLs and access tokens for private content delivery. You can upload files as private and generate time-limited signed URLs for authorised access. This makes it suitable for applications where files should not be publicly accessible, such as internal documents, paid content, or user-specific assets.

Q: What file types and sizes does Pinata support?

Pinata handles any file type: images, videos, PDFs, JSON, 3D models, and more. File size limits depend on your plan, with paid plans supporting uploads well into the gigabyte range. The image optimisation features (resize, crop, format conversion) work with standard image formats like JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF.

Q: What should we consider before using Pinata for file storage?

Consider your expected storage volume and bandwidth usage (pricing scales with both), whether you need IPFS permanence or just fast HTTP delivery, your data residency requirements, and how your application will handle Pinata gateway URLs in production. Also evaluate whether the built-in image optimisation covers your needs or if you require more advanced processing.

We can help you automate your business with Pinata and hundreds of other systems to improve efficiency and productivity. Get in touch if you’d like to discuss implementing Pinata.

Get in touch

Book a call

About Pinata

Pinata is a file storage and delivery platform built on IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) that gives developers APIs for uploading, pinning, and serving files through dedicated gateways. While it started as an NFT metadata hosting service, Pinata has expanded into a general-purpose file infrastructure tool that handles image optimisation, video streaming, and content delivery for any application that needs reliable, fast file hosting.

The problem Pinata solves is file infrastructure complexity. Hosting files reliably, serving them quickly across regions, handling image resizing on the fly, and managing access permissions requires stitching together multiple services (cloud storage, CDN, image processing). Pinata bundles these capabilities behind a single API with both IPFS-based and traditional HTTP delivery options.

Osher integrates Pinata into automated data processing workflows where files need to be stored, transformed, and served programmatically. This includes document management systems where uploaded files are automatically processed and made available through Pinata’s CDN, or applications where user-generated content needs fast, reliable delivery. Our system integration team connects Pinata’s upload and retrieval APIs to your existing application stack.

Pinata FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about how Pinata consultants can help with integration and implementation

What does Pinata actually do?

Is Pinata only for NFT and Web3 projects?

How does Pinata compare to AWS S3 or Cloudinary?

Pinata combines file storage with built-in CDN delivery and image optimisation in a single API, which is simpler than wiring together S3 + CloudFront + an image processing service. It also adds IPFS pinning if you need content-addressed storage. The trade-off is less granular control compared to building your own stack on AWS, but faster time to production for most file hosting needs.

Can Pinata handle private files with access control?

What file types and sizes does Pinata support?

What should we consider before using Pinata for file storage?

How it works

We work hand-in-hand with you to implement Pinata

As Pinata consultants we work with you hand in hand build more efficient and effective operations. Here’s how we will work with you to automate your business and integrate Pinata with integrate and automate 800+ tools.

Step 1

Process Audit

We review your current file storage, delivery, and processing setup. This includes mapping where files originate (user uploads, system-generated, third-party imports), how they are stored, how they are served to end users, and what transformations (resizing, format conversion) are applied along the way.

Step 2

Identify Automation Opportunities

We identify file handling processes that can be streamlined with Pinata’s API. Common opportunities include replacing manual upload workflows with API-driven ingestion, adding automatic image optimisation to content pipelines, setting up CDN delivery for files currently served from slow storage, and automating IPFS pinning for content that needs permanence.

Step 3

Design Workflows

We architect the file pipeline: upload flow (direct from client or server-side), metadata tagging strategy, gateway configuration (custom domain, image optimisation settings), access control rules for private content, and integration points with your application backend and database for tracking file references.

Step 4

Implementation

We integrate Pinata’s SDK or REST API into your application, configure your dedicated gateway with custom domain and optimisation settings, set up upload workflows with proper error handling, and connect file metadata to your database. We also configure access control for any private content requirements.

Step 5

Quality Assurance Review

We test upload reliability across file types and sizes, verify gateway delivery speeds from target regions, confirm image optimisation output quality, test access control enforcement for private files, and validate that file metadata is correctly synced with your application database.

Step 6

Support and Maintenance

After launch, we monitor storage usage and bandwidth costs, review gateway performance metrics, handle any API updates or SDK version changes, and optimise your file pipeline as storage volumes grow or new file types need to be supported.

Transform your business with Pinata

Unlock hidden efficiencies, reduce errors, and position your business for scalable growth. Contact us to arrange a no-obligation Pinata consultation.

Get in touch

Book a call