Hello! I’m just starting with IPFS and am working on an OrbitDB application that uses libp2p as an implementation of IPFS.
I have a very basic question. I’m still trying to wrap my head around how IPFS works. While doing some basic tasks with IPFS Desktop, I noticed that it connects to a public IPFS network. And, while setting up libp2p for my OrbitDB, I realized that I’m not really setting any restrictions on it, in terms of who may connect to it. It seems that anyone with the bootstrap node address could connect to it.
Can IPFS be used privately, or is it intended to be a public network, similar to how some blockchains are public? Can I have my private cluster of IPFS nodes that only my company can work with?
UPDATE: I’ve tested IPFS Desktop removing all bootstrap addresses, and it still discovering peers. I don’t understand how it does that.