Intermediate
How to Deploy Smart Contracts on Ethereum
Welcome to our tutorial on deploying smart contracts on Ethereum! In this guide, we’ll cover the basics of what a smart contract is and the process of deploying them on the Ethereum blockchain. Whether you’re a seasoned developer or new to smart contracts and Ethereum, this tutorial will provide you with the knowledge and resources you need to get started.
Deploying Smart Contracts on Ethereum
A smart contract is a self-executing contract with the terms of the agreement written directly into lines of code. It facilitates, verifies, and enforces the negotiation or performance of a contract. These contracts are stored and replicated on a blockchain network.
Ethereum is a popular blockchain platform that supports the creation and execution of smart contracts. To deploy a smart contract on Ethereum, you’ll need to first write the contract code in a high-level programming language such as Solidity and then use a compiler to convert it into machine-readable bytecode. Once the bytecode is generated, it can be deployed to the Ethereum blockchain using a tool like Remix, Truffle, or Geth.
This tutorial will cover the different tools and techniques for deploying smart contracts on Ethereum, including command-line tools and integrated development environments (IDEs). By the end of this tutorial, you will have the skills and knowledge to deploy your own smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain.
You need to deploy your smart contract for it to be available to users of an Ethereum network.
To deploy a smart contract, you merely send an Ethereum transaction containing the compiled code of the smart contract without specifying any recipient.
PREREQUISITES
You should understand Ethereum networks, transactions, and the anatomy of smart contracts before deploying smart contracts.
Deploying a contract also costs ether (ETH), so you should be familiar with gas and fees on Ethereum.
Finally, you’ll need to compile your contract before deploying it, so make sure you’ve read about compiling smart contracts.
HOW TO DEPLOY A SMART CONTRACT
What you’ll need
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your contract’s bytecode – this is generated through compilation
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ETH for gas – you’ll set your gas limit like other transactions so be aware that contract deployment needs a lot more gas than a simple ETH transfer
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a deployment script or plugin
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access to an Ethereum node, either by running your own, connecting to a public node, or via an API key using a node service like Infura or Alchemy.
Steps to deploy a smart contract
The specific steps involved will depend on the tooling you use. For example, check out the Hardhat documentation on deploying your contracts or Truffle documentation on networks and app deployment. These are two of the most popular tools for smart contract deployment, which involve writing a script to handle the deployment steps.
Once deployed, your contract will have an Ethereum address like other accounts.
RELATED TOOLS
Remix – Remix IDE allows developing, deploying, and administering smart contracts for Ethereum-like blockchains
Tenderly – Simulate, debug and monitor anything on EVM-compatible chains, with real-time data
Hardhat – A development environment to compile, deploy, test, and debug your Ethereum software
Truffle – A development environment, testing framework, build pipeline, and other tools.