Smart contracts have gained widespread popularity in recent years due to their ability to automate business processes, eliminate intermediaries, and reduce costs. They are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller directly written into lines of code. This blog will guide you through writing, compiling, deploying, and executing a smart contract using Hardhat and Web3Client.app.
Write a Smart Contract
First, you need to write a smart contract in the Solidity language. Solidity is a contract-oriented programming language used for creating smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. Below is a sample smart contract called "Greetings" that can be used to greet users.
solidity >=0.7.0 <0.9.0;
contract Greetings {
string public name;
string public gPrefix = "Hello ";
constructor(string memory initName) {
name = initName;
}
function setName(string memory newName) public {
name = newName;
}
function getGreeting() public view returns(string memory) {
return string(abi.encodePacked(gPrefix, name));
}
}
Compile the Smart Contract
After writing the smart contract, you need to compile it. To compile the smart contract, navigate to the root directory of your Hardhat project and run the following command:
npx hardhat compile
Create a Deployment Script
To deploy the smart contract, you need to write a deployment script. Here is an example of a deployment script that deploys the "Greetings" contract on the local Hardhat network.
const hre = require("hardhat");
async function main() {
const Greet = await hre.ethers.getContractFactory("Greetings");
const lock = await Greet.deploy("World");
await lock.deployed();
console.log(`Greet with 1 ETH in ${lock.address}`);
}
main().catch((error) => {
console.error(error);
process.exitCode = 1;
});
Start the Local Hardhat Network
To start the local Hardhat network, run the following command in your terminal:
npx hardhat node
Deploy the Smart Contract
With the deployment script ready, you can deploy the smart contract on the local Hardhat network by running the following command in your terminal:
npx hardhat run scripts/deployGreet.js --network localhost
Execute the Smart Contract with Web3Client.app
To execute the smart contract, you can use Web3Client.app, a web-based platform that enables interaction with the Ethereum blockchain. Follow these steps to execute the smart contract using Web3Client.app:
Open Web3Client
Select "Create new ABI."
Enter the ABI name and Contract ID obtained when you deployed the smart contract.
Select "Add Network Manually" in the "Add Network" section and fill in the Chain Name, Chain ID, and Local RPC URL.
Example:
Click "Submit" to create a new ABI.
Click on the created ABI and select "New Method."
Enter the method name and click "Send" to execute.
Example:
Method Name : setName
In this greetings example contract, setName method is used to set current name in contract.
Method Name : getGreeting
In this greetings example contract, getGreeting method is used to getGreeting from contract, it returns string
Conclusion
This blog has provided a step-by-step guide on how to write, compile, deploy, and execute a smart contract using Hardhat and Web3Client.app. By following these steps, you can easily create and interact
Github Link:
https://github.com/Poriyaalar/hardhat-example
