Deploying Your First Smart Contract on Base: A Whimsical Guide

1. Editor Pane:

This is where your code comes to life. You'll write, edit, and compile your smart contracts here. If you see any (!) signs, it means there's an issue in your code that needs attention.

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2. Terminal/Output:

This section displays logs of your transactions and any errors that occur. It's essential for tracking what's happening with your contracts and debugging issues.

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3. Left Panel:

The Left Panel is your main navigation hub. You can switch between different tools and plugins, manage your files, and debug your contracts. It provides easy access to everything you need to develop and test your smart contracts.

4. Plugins:

In Remix, most features are available as plugins, and the most commonly used ones are active by default. You can manage plugins by clicking the plug icon in the lower-left corner, just above the settings gear. From there, you can activate or deactivate plugins as needed. Some plugins, like the Debugger, may automatically activate when required by other parts of the editor.

5. Solidity Compiler

The Solidity Compiler is one of the default plugins you'll frequently use. Make sure to enable the Auto compile option. Since smart contracts are usually small, auto-compiling won't impact performance significantly.

The Compile and Run script button in this plugin can be a bit confusing. It's not typically used for running tests on your contracts. You can click the information icon (i) for more details about this feature.

Let's get down to business. Start by opening remix.ethereum.org and create a new file named Storage.sol in the contracts folder of your default workspace. This is where the magic happens!

Here's a simple Storage.sol contract to get you started:

This contract is like a digital notepad that stores a number. Not exactly rocket science, but it’s perfect for learning the ropes!

Before we deploy our contract, we need a wallet. Think of this as your digital passport to the blockchain world. If you don’t have one, set up a Coinbase or MetaMask wallet. Remember, always use separate wallets for development and real funds – you don’t want a bug draining your life savings!

Once your wallet is set up, add the Base Sepolia network to it. This is like setting your GPS to the right destination. You can get some testnet Ether from a faucet like this, just follow the instructions.

Now, make sure the network is set to "Custom (84532)" for Base Sepolia. If everything looks good, hit that big orange Deploy button. Your wallet will pop up asking for confirmation. Double-check everything (especially the gas fees – even testnet Ether isn’t infinite!) and click Confirm.

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Congrats! You've just deployed your first smart contract on the Base Sepolia testnet. Now you can view it on sepolia.basescan.org by searching for your contract address.

Once verified, you can play around with your contract on Etherscan. Just head to the "Read Contract" section to test out the retrieve function, or use the "Write Contract" section to store a new number.

1. forge: The core tool for developing, testing, compiling, and deploying smart contracts.
2. cast: A command-line tool for interacting with Ethereum RPC, sending transactions, and retrieving on-chain data.
3. anvil: A local testnet node for testing contract behavior.
4. chisel: A Solidity REPL for experimenting with Solidity code.

With Foundry, you'll write contracts, tests, and deployment scripts all in Solidity, benefiting from fast feedback loops thanks to its Rust-based implementation.

1. Foundry: Install Foundry with the following commands:

   COPY

   1curl -L <https://foundry.paradigm.xyz> | bash
   2foundryup
   3

   For more details, refer to the Foundry Book installation guide.

2. Coinbase Wallet: Download and set up Coinbase Wallet for deploying contracts. Ensure your wallet is funded with ETH to cover gas fees. For Base Sepolia testnet, use a faucet to get test ETH.

Create a new directory and initialize a Foundry project by using these commands one by one

1mkdir myproject
2cd myproject
3forge init
4

Here is the basic layout of the foundry project created:

1.
2├── foundry.toml
3├── script
4│   └── Counter.s.sol
5├── src
6│   └── Counter.sol
7└── test
8    └── Counter.t.sol
9

Create an NFT Smart Contract: Replace the content in src/Counter.sol with the following ERC-721 NFT contract:

1. Install OpenZeppelin Contracts:

   COPY

   1forge install openzeppelin/openzeppelin-contracts
   2

2. Compile the Contract:

   COPY

   1forge build
   2

1. Store Your Private Key: Import your private key into Foundry's keystore:

   COPY

   1cast wallet import deployer --interactive
   2

   Make sure you do not commit this key to any public repository.

2. Add Base Network Configuration: Create a .env file with the following content:

   COPY

   1BASE_MAINNET_RPC="<https://mainnet.base.org>"
   2BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC="<https://sepolia.base.org>"
   3ETHERSCAN_API_KEY="<YOUR API KEY>"
   4

   Load environment variables:

   COPY

   1source .env
   2

1. Deploy to Base Sepolia Testnet:

   COPY

   1forge create ./src/NFT.sol:NFT --rpc-url $BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC --account deployer
   2

   Enter the password for the deployer account when prompted.

2. (Optional) Deploy to Mainnet:

   COPY

   1forge create ./src/NFT.sol:NFT --rpc-url $BASE_MAINNET_RPC --account deployer
   2

Verify the Contract on BaseScan:

1. COPY

   1forge verify-contract <DEPLOYED_ADDRESS> ./src/NFT.sol:NFT --chain 84532 --watch
   2

   Replace <DEPLOYED_ADDRESS> with your contract's address.

   You will receive a response with verification status, such as Pass - Verified.

    

1. Perform a Call:

   COPY

   1cast call <DEPLOYED_ADDRESS> --rpc-url $BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC "balanceOf(address)" <YOUR_ADDRESS_HERE>
   2

   You should see the balance of your account, which should be zero initially.

2. Sign and Publish a Transaction:

   COPY

   1cast send <DEPLOYED_ADDRESS> --rpc-url=$BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC "mint(address)" <YOUR_ADDRESS_HERE> --account deployer
   2

3. Confirm NFT Minting: Run the call command again to verify the balance reflects the new NFT.

   COPY

   1cast call <DEPLOYED_ADDRESS> --rpc-url $BASE_SEPOLIA_RPC "balanceOf(address)" <YOUR_ADDRESS_HERE>
   2

And the response: 0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001 (1 in hex) — you deployed a contract and minted an NFT with Foundry. GG!

Make Sure You Install Node.js v18+

Ensure you have Node.js version 18 or higher installed. If you are using nvm to manage Node.js versions, you can install Node.js v18 with:

1nvm install 18
2

Creating a Project

1. Initialize a Node.js project:

   COPY

   1npm init --y
   2

2. Install Hardhat and create a new Hardhat project:

   COPY

   1npm install --save-dev hardhat
   2npx hardhat init
   3

   • Select Create a TypeScript project and confirm the project root.
   • Choose Yes for adding a .gitignore and loading the sample project.

Configuring Hardhat with Base

Add Base network configurations to hardhat.config.ts:

1. Install Hardhat toolbox and dotenv:

   COPY

   1npm install --save-dev @nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox dotenv
   2

2. Create a .env file:

   COPY

   1WALLET_KEY="<YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY>"
   2

   Replace <YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY> with your wallet's private key. Do not commit this to a public repository.

Compiling the Smart Contract

Write your smart contract:

Add OpenZeppelin Contracts library:

1npm install --save @openzeppelin/contracts
2

Replace contracts/Lock.sol with the new smart contract in contracts/NFT.sol.

Compile the smart contract:

1npx hardhat compile
2

Deploying the Smart Contract

1. Create a deployment script scripts/deploy.ts:

   

2. Deploy to Base Sepolia test network:

   COPY

   1npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.ts --network base-sepolia
   2

   Note: Ensure your wallet has testnet ETH for this operation.

Verifying the Smart Contract

1. Configure Base Sepolia in hardhat.config.ts:

   COPY

   1etherscan: {
   2  apiKey: {
   3    "base-sepolia": "PLACEHOLDER_STRING"
   4  },
   5  customChains: [
   6    {
   7      network: "base-sepolia",
   8      chainId: 84532,
   9      urls: {
   10        apiURL: "<https://api-sepolia.basescan.org/api>",
   11        browserURL: "<https://sepolia.basescan.org>"
   12      }
   13    }
   14  ]
   15}
   16

2. Verify the contract:

   COPY

   1npx hardhat verify --network base-sepolia <deployed address>
   2

   Replace <deployed address> with the contract address returned from the deployment script.

Interacting with the Smart Contract

Once verified, you can interact with your contract on Basescan. Connect your wallet and use the Read Contract and Write Contract tabs to interact with the deployed contract.

And there you have it! You've successfully deployed and interacted with your first smart contract on Base Sepolia. The journey to becoming a blockchain wizard starts with a single contract, and now you have the basics down. Whether you're building the next big decentralized app or just experimenting, you've taken a big step into the exciting world of Web3.

As you continue writing smart contracts and developing your projects, it's crucial to avoid common mistakes, especially when deploying to production. Errors can be costly and risky. To help safeguard your work, consider using tools like QuillShield, an AI agent developed by us to spot vulnerabilities in smart contracts. It's a valuable resource for ensuring your code is secure and robust.

So, what's next? Keep exploring, keep coding, and most importantly, have fun! The blockchain is your playground, and the possibilities are endless.

Happy coding!