# What "http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/hash" real do?

**URL:** <https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596>\
**Category:** Help\
**Tags:** go-ipfs\
**Created:** [August 10, 2018, 11:20am UTC](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596 "2018-08-10T11:20:05Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![hank](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discuss.ipfs.tech/hank/32/2424_2.png) [@hank](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/u/hank)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:20am UTC](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596/1 "2018-08-10T11:20:06Z")

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I want to know if I download a file use [http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/hash](http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/hash) like this:  
[http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6](http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6)

what it do in commond line ?  
Does it equals to “ipfs cat QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6 \>\> file”  
and does it do “ipfs get QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6” in the end?

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**Author:** ![roscoevanderboom](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discuss.ipfs.tech/roscoevanderboom/32/2797_2.png) [@roscoevanderboom](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/u/roscoevanderboom)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:41am UTC](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596/2 "2018-08-10T11:41:41Z")

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I clicked your link and it just displayed in the browser. So it’s like ‘ipfs cat’.  
If your browser asks you if you want to download the file then it is like ‘ipfs get’.

If the file added can be viewed in the browser, it will display by default in the browser = ipfs cat  
example  
[http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/Qmf8MxPycz5zXmpaH7MCqX5Nk4yLpwXyXG4s93FYuqdfvf](http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/Qmf8MxPycz5zXmpaH7MCqX5Nk4yLpwXyXG4s93FYuqdfvf)

If the browser cannot read the file, it will ask to download it = ‘ipfs-cat’ or open with an external application like media player.  
example  
[http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/QmVBza7E47fDQzL1AUTEyzZkrQDyziwpzVyJ365EkPpMm5](http://127.0.0.1:8080/ipfs/QmVBza7E47fDQzL1AUTEyzZkrQDyziwpzVyJ365EkPpMm5)

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**Author:** ![roscoevanderboom](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discuss.ipfs.tech/roscoevanderboom/32/2797_2.png) [@roscoevanderboom](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/u/roscoevanderboom)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 11:51am UTC](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596/3 "2018-08-10T11:51:27Z")

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If you type ‘ipfs cat QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6’ in the command line, it will show raw data of the file…which cannot be displayed in the command line.

if you type ‘ipfs get QmayLEpx61XxcJ4TJB9CvdSUWpg16Ey57yziM8tPZFdAH6’ the file will be downloaded to local storage and you can open it with the correct application.

 ![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/uploads/ipfs1/original/2X/6/690073e8bb2c3f4d8fefa16767a7907257aae9e3.PNG)

The top of the picture is ‘ipfs cat’ output  
The ipfs hash in the directory is your file. You just have to change the file extension back to jpg to view the file.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![roscoevanderboom](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/discuss.ipfs.tech/roscoevanderboom/32/2797_2.png) [@roscoevanderboom](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/u/roscoevanderboom)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2018, 12:08pm UTC](https://discuss.ipfs.tech/t/what-http-127-0-0-1-8080-ipfs-hash-real-do/3596/4 "2018-08-10T12:08:29Z")

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If you want ‘ipfs get’ in the browser, just right-click the video or picture and “Save file as”.