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# download()

## Overview

Downloads file content from IPFS by CID using the configured gateway.

## Purpose

Use `download()` to fetch binary content previously uploaded with `upload()` or otherwise available by CID.

## Endpoint / Method

```ts
async download(cid: string): Promise<Blob>
```

Gateway request:

```http
GET {gatewayUrl}/{cid}
```

## Parameters

| Name  | Type     | Required | Description                         |
| ----- | -------- | -------- | ----------------------------------- |
| `cid` | `string` | Yes      | Raw CID or URL containing `/ipfs/`. |

### Request schema table

| Field | Type     | Required | Notes                                                                                                           |
| ----- | -------- | -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `cid` | `string` | Yes      | Normalized by trimming, extracting the `/ipfs/` segment, removing query strings, and removing trailing slashes. |

## Response

Returns `Promise<Blob>`.

| Value  | Description                           |
| ------ | ------------------------------------- |
| `Blob` | File content returned by the gateway. |

### Response schema table

| Type   | Description                                              |
| ------ | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| `Blob` | Result of `response.blob()` from the configured gateway. |

## Examples

### Example request

```ts
const blob = await meshkit.download("bafybeifileexamplecid");
const text = await blob.text();
```

### Example response

```ts
// Blob
console.log(blob.size);
console.log(blob.type);
```

## Errors

| Error                                          | Cause                                          |
| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| `Invalid CID`                                  | CID is empty after trimming and normalization. |
| `Failed to fetch from gateway. HTTP error 404` | Gateway could not resolve the CID.             |
| Network error                                  | Runtime could not reach the gateway.           |

### Error schema table

| Field     | Type     | Description                                                  |
| --------- | -------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `name`    | `string` | Standard JavaScript error name.                              |
| `message` | `string` | `Invalid CID`, gateway HTTP error, or network error message. |

## Notes

* Use `retrieve()` for JSON content that should be parsed automatically.
* The returned `Blob.type` depends on gateway response headers.

## Best Practices

* Convert the `Blob` only after checking expected size and content type where possible.
* Use object URLs carefully and revoke them when no longer needed in browser contexts.
* Store original filenames separately if your app needs to restore them.

## Related APIs

* [upload()](/meshkit-documentation/api/upload.md)
* [retrieve()](/meshkit-documentation/api/retrieve.md)


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