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Hardhat is a development environment for Ethereum software that helps developers manage and automate recurring tasks involved in building smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps).
Hardhat Tutorial: For new users, the Hardhat tutorial provides step-by-step instructions and explains essential concepts for developing smart contracts.

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Prerequisites

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Node.js

Install Node.js following the official documentation. MANTRA Chain requires Node.js ≥ 18.0, but we recommend using the latest LTS version (currently v22).
nvm is an excellent tool to easily manage multiple Node.js versions on your local machine. More details here!

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Installation

Create a new Hardhat project: 
mkdir my-project
cd my-project
npm init -y
npm install --save-dev hardhat
npx hardhat init
Follow the prompts to set up your project. Choose:
  • JavaScript or TypeScript project
  • Create a sample project to get started quickly

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Configuring for MANTRA Chain

Update hardhat.config.js (or hardhat.config.ts) to add MANTRA Chain networks: 
require("@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox");

module.exports = {
  solidity: "0.8.23",
  networks: {
    mantra_mainnet: {
      url: "https://evm.mantrachain.io",
      chainId: 5888,
      accounts: process.env.PRIVATE_KEY ? [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY] : [],
    },
    mantra_testnet: {
      url: "https://evm.dukong.mantrachain.io",
      chainId: 5887,
      accounts: process.env.PRIVATE_KEY ? [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY] : [],
    },
  },
};

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Building Contracts

Compile your contracts: 
npx hardhat compile

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Testing

Run tests: 
npx hardhat test

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Deploying

Create a deployment script in scripts/deploy.js: 
async function main() {
  const MyContract = await ethers.getContractFactory("MyContract");
  const myContract = await MyContract.deploy();
  
  await myContract.waitForDeployment();
  console.log("Contract deployed to:", await myContract.getAddress());
}

main()
  .then(() => process.exit(0))
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error(error);
    process.exit(1);
  });
Deploy to testnet: 
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network mantra_testnet
Hardhat Ignition is useful when you want repeatable deployments as “modules”.
  1. Add a network entry (example using Hardhat config vars):
require("@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox");
const { vars } = require("hardhat/config");

const TEST_PRIVATE_KEY = vars.get("TEST_PRIVATE_KEY");

module.exports = {
  solidity: "0.8.23",
  networks: {
    mantra_testnet: {
      url: "https://evm.dukong.mantrachain.io",
      chainId: 5887,
      accounts: [TEST_PRIVATE_KEY],
    },
  },
};
  1. Set the private key (interactive):
npx hardhat vars set TEST_PRIVATE_KEY
  1. Deploy an Ignition module:
npx hardhat ignition deploy ./ignition/modules/Token.js --network mantra_testnet

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Example Project

Check out our example project and follow the README for a complete walkthrough.

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Next Steps