Can't connect to ipfs daemon from node 'ready' callback.

[10thfloor]

• Version: js-ipfs version: 0.27.7
• Platform: 17.3.0 Darwin Kernel Version 17.3.0: root:xnu-4570.31.3~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

Type: Question

Severity: Low

Description:

Hello, I have a question about the intended functionality of the ipfs node instance.

const IPFS = require('ipfs');
const API = require('ipfs-api')

const node = new IPFS()

node.on('ready', () => {

    const ipfs = API('localhost', '5002', { protocol: 'http' })
   
    // Attempt to ask the API for anything. 
    // ipfs.id is used as an example here but all other methods fail.

    ipfs.id(function (err, identity) {
      if (err) {
        throw err
      }
      console.log(identity)
    })
})

Steps to reproduce the error:

Running the above code with node produces:

{ Error: connect ECONNREFUSED 127.0.0.1:5002
    at Object._errnoException (util.js:1031:13)
    at _exceptionWithHostPort (util.js:1052:20)
    at TCPConnectWrap.afterConnect [as oncomplete] (net.js:1195:14)
  errno: 'ECONNREFUSED',
  code: 'ECONNREFUSED',
  syscall: 'connect',
  address: '127.0.0.1',
  port: 5002 }

I'm wondering if the ipfs constructor starts an ipfs daemon, or if the daemon must be started manually, from the cli?

Does new IPFS() start the ipfs daemon? The docs are unclear about this. (At least for me).

Thanks! ✌️

[daviddias]

Hi @10thfloor. The new IPFS() starts an IPFS instance, not the daemon. You don't need to connect to it with the ipfs-api (which is the HTTP Client Library).

To start a js-ipfs Daemon, you can use the ipfsd-ctl module

[10thfloor]

Excellent. The ipfs-ctl module is what I was looking for. It works perfectly. Thank you!

[daviddias]

Awesome :)