Hippius User

Overview

Hippius is a decentralized cloud storage platform on Bittensor (Subnet 75) offering S3-compatible object storage with a decentralized backend. This skill helps users interact with Hippius for uploading files, querying storage metrics, and managing their decentralized storage account.

IMPORTANT: The public Hippius IPFS endpoint (store.hippius.network) has been deprecated with no replacement. The recommended storage path is now the S3-compatible endpoint (s3.hippius.com). The hippius Python CLI requires a self-hosted IPFS node for store/download commands — without one, only the S3 path works.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when the user:

• Asks to upload files to Hippius
• Has questions about Hippius features, pricing, or capabilities
• Needs to query their storage status (files, buckets, usage)
• Wants to set up Hippius storage (CLI or S3)
• Needs help with Hippius authentication or environment configuration
• Asks about IPFS vs S3 storage options
• Needs to check account balance or storage credits

Quick Start Decision Tree

User request about Hippius?
|
+-- "Upload file to Hippius"
|   +-> Go to: S3 Upload Workflow (recommended)
|
+-- "Set up Hippius" or "Configure storage"
|   +-> Go to: S3 Setup Workflow
|
+-- "Check my files" or "List storage"
|   +-> Go to: S3 Query Workflow
|
+-- "How does Hippius work?" or "IPFS vs S3?"
|   +-> Reference: references/storage_guide.md
|
+-- "Set up authentication"
|   +-> Reference: references/authentication.md
|
+-- "Install hippius CLI"
|   +-> Go to: CLI Installation (note: requires self-hosted IPFS node for most commands)

Core Workflows

1. S3 Setup Workflow (Recommended)

The fastest way to use Hippius storage:

Prerequisites:

1. AWS CLI installed (aws --version) - install with pip install awscli or platform installer
2. Hippius S3 credentials from console.hippius.com

Credentials:

• Access keys start with hip_ prefix
• Generated at console.hippius.com > Settings > API Keys
• Two types: Main keys (full access) and Sub keys (scoped access)

Quick Setup:

# Set credentials as environment variables
export HIPPIUS_S3_ACCESS_KEY="hip_your_access_key_here"
export HIPPIUS_S3_SECRET_KEY="your_secret_key_here"

# Or use AWS CLI directly with env vars
export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID="$HIPPIUS_S3_ACCESS_KEY"
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY="$HIPPIUS_S3_SECRET_KEY"

# Test connection
aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 ls

Create a bucket:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 mb s3://my-bucket

2. S3 Upload Workflow

Upload a file:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized \
    s3 cp /path/to/file.txt s3://my-bucket/file.txt

Upload a directory:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized \
    s3 sync ./local-dir/ s3://my-bucket/remote-dir/

Python (boto3):

import boto3

s3 = boto3.client(
    's3',
    endpoint_url='https://s3.hippius.com',
    aws_access_key_id='hip_your_access_key',
    aws_secret_access_key='your_secret_key',
    region_name='decentralized'
)

s3.upload_file('local_file.txt', 'my-bucket', 'remote_file.txt')

JavaScript (MinIO client):

const { Client } = require('minio');

const client = new Client({
  endPoint: 's3.hippius.com',
  port: 443,
  useSSL: true,
  accessKey: 'hip_your_access_key',
  secretKey: 'your_secret_key',
  region: 'decentralized'
});

await client.fPutObject('my-bucket', 'file.txt', '/path/to/file.txt');

3. S3 Query Workflow

List buckets:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 ls

List files in a bucket:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 ls s3://my-bucket/

List all files recursively:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 ls s3://my-bucket/ --recursive

Download a file:

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized \
    s3 cp s3://my-bucket/file.txt /local/path/file.txt

4. CLI Installation Workflow (Advanced)

The hippius Python CLI is available but most commands require a self-hosted IPFS node.

Install:

pip install hippius

Configure (HIPPIUS_KEY from console.hippius.com):

hippius config set hippius hippius_key "your_hippius_key_here"
hippius config set ipfs local_ipfs false

Available commands that work without IPFS node:

• hippius config list - Show configuration
• hippius account list - List accounts
• hippius account login - Login with HIPPIUS_KEY
• hippius account login-seed - Login with seed phrase (interactive, for miners)

Commands that REQUIRE a self-hosted IPFS node:

• hippius store <file> - Upload file
• hippius download <CID> <output> - Download file
• hippius credits - Check credits
• hippius files - List stored files
• hippius pin <CID> - Pin a CID
• hippius exists <CID> - Check if CID exists
• hippius cat <CID> - Display file content

All of these will fail with:

ERROR: Public https://store.hippius.network has been deprecated.

To use these commands, set up a local IPFS node and configure:

hippius config set ipfs api_url http://localhost:5001
hippius config set ipfs local_ipfs true

5. Authentication Setup Workflow

For S3 (recommended):

1. Go to console.hippius.com
2. Navigate to Settings > API Keys
3. Generate a new key pair
4. Access Key ID starts with hip_
5. Save both keys securely

For CLI (advanced):

1. Get HIPPIUS_KEY from console.hippius.com
2. Run: hippius config set hippius hippius_key "your_key"
3. Optionally set seed phrase: hippius config set substrate seed_phrase "your 12 words"

Security Warnings:

• Never commit credentials to version control
• Use environment variables, not hardcoded values
• Secure .env files: chmod 600 .env
• There is NO password recovery for mnemonics

Common User Requests

"Upload this file to Hippius"

1. Check if AWS CLI is installed (which aws)
2. Check for S3 credentials (HIPPIUS_S3_ACCESS_KEY)
3. Upload: aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 cp <file> s3://<bucket>/<key>
4. Confirm upload with s3 ls

"Set up Hippius for me"

1. Install AWS CLI if needed
2. Get S3 credentials from console.hippius.com
3. Set env vars: HIPPIUS_S3_ACCESS_KEY, HIPPIUS_S3_SECRET_KEY
4. Create bucket: aws ... s3 mb s3://my-bucket
5. Test with small upload

"What files do I have stored?"

aws --endpoint-url https://s3.hippius.com --region decentralized s3 ls s3://bucket-name/ --recursive

"Can I use IPFS with Hippius?"

The public IPFS endpoint is deprecated. Options:

1. Self-hosted IPFS node: Run ipfs daemon, then hippius config set ipfs api_url http://localhost:5001
2. S3 endpoint (recommended): Use s3.hippius.com with hip_ access keys
3. The hippius CLI commands (store, download, pin, credits, files) all require an IPFS node

Key Facts

Troubleshooting

"Public store.hippius.network has been deprecated"

This means the hippius CLI cannot reach an IPFS node. Solutions:

1. Use S3 instead (recommended) - see S3 Setup Workflow
2. Run a local IPFS node: ipfs daemon and hippius config set ipfs api_url http://localhost:5001

S3 Authentication Errors

• Verify access key starts with hip_
• Check endpoint is https://s3.hippius.com
• Region must be decentralized (not us-east-1)
• Keys from console.hippius.com > Settings > API Keys

CLI Login Issues

• hippius account login expects HIPPIUS_KEY (API key), not seed phrase
• hippius account login-seed is for seed phrases but is interactive (needs TTY)
• Use hippius config set for non-interactive setup

Resources

references/

• storage_guide.md - IPFS vs S3 comparison, S3 code examples
• authentication.md - Security guide for credentials
• cli_commands.md - Full hippius CLI command reference
• api_reference.md - RPC API documentation

External

• Hippius Docs: docs.hippius.com
• Hippius Console: console.hippius.com
• Hippius Stats: hipstats.com
• CLI GitHub: github.com/thenervelab/hippius-cli

Important Notes

1. S3 is the primary path - IPFS endpoint is deprecated, S3 works reliably
2. Region is decentralized - not us-east-1 or any AWS region
3. Access keys start with hip_ - generated at console.hippius.com
4. No password recovery - lost mnemonics = permanent account loss
5. hippius CLI is limited - most commands fail without a self-hosted IPFS node
6. Environment security - never commit credentials, use .env files with chmod 600