How to start programming and deploying smart contracts on the blockchain

During Bitcoin’s early years, there wasn’t much discussion about smart contracts; they were not well known to the general community although their creation really predates Bitcoin (Nick Szabo pre- conceptualized it in 1997).

However, it didn’t take long for blockchain platforms like Ethereum and RSK to become part of the daily discussion, providing essential resources for the development of such programs in distributed networks.

When we think of a contract, we almost accidentally refer to lots of documents with little letters, signatures all over the place, and a lawyer we don’t trust very much, but he’s the one we have.

The smart contracts they subtly differ from this concept. Like computer programs,Bridge Smart Contract Development Services they have the ability to run automatically once configured based on agreements made between the parties.

They function as gatekeepers to real-world deal making, executing irreversibly and unquestionably. For this they depend on the oracles , entry points for information from outside the blockchain.

The agreed terms of compliance must be very clear between its participants and transmitted to programmers and developers so that they configure the smart contract, because, in a way,

Increasingly, the professional market rewards those who know computer programming. Cross chain bridge development, as a disruptive and innovative tool related to the world of cryptocurrencies, are not far behind.

In this article, we will explain the steps to create and deploy a smart contract. We will mention the key data to develop contracts based on Ethereum and RSK, blockchain networks with their own characteristics, but which keep a common framework between them, such as the Solidity programming language.

Truffle
The main tool for programming EVM-based smart contracts is Truffle . This digital environment allows you to view contracts and configure their evolution over time, as well as connect and interact with other contracts and protocols.

Using Truffle We can develop smart contracts and deploy them in other compatible blockchain protocols, private or public, opening up the possibility of creating a variety of decentralized applications (Dapps). In addition, it allows various contracts to be linked together and compiled efficiently, making it easier to manage together and migrate to other working environments or networks.

In this way, if we have a smart contract developed in one of the programming languages compatible with Ethereum, they can be imported into RSK. Thus, this open source framework allows connecting an RSK node and testing previously created smart contracts, such as simulating a network in which various participants and contracts interact securely.

ganache
ganache is the simulated testnet built into the Truffle suite, allowing you to deploy contracts on a network with the latest Ethereum updates, configure mining and block issuance, and debug the network errors and protocol inconsistencies, without risk and without additional costs.

VisualStudio
VisualStudio, a console for inserting and editing code with a more intuitive and visual interface, is another tool available. This program allows developers to see how their lines of code relate to each other.

One of the most important features of this program is that you can modify the code live directly in a running application.

Builder
Buidler is the tool recommended by Ethereum to verify the correct functioning of smart contracts,Build a cross chain bridge in a risk-free test environment where additional plugins and tools are integrated.

Metamask
One of the essential requirements for interacting with smart contracts is to use an appropriate wallet. One of the best known is Metamask, which, once installed as an extension in the web browser, will allow us to manipulate Ether and ERC-20 tokens. With this wallet, we will be able to interact with smart contracts and carry out transactions of this type. It is one of the best known, although there are others such as MyEtherWallet.

With these tools, we can deploy previously designed smart contracts, connecting them to a node in the public network. This suite of tools is very versatile for Ethereum and RSK. Remember that EVM and its programming language are compatible with other platforms such as RSK or private networks such as Microsoft Azure.

Deploy the smart contract on Ethereum
To deploy a smart contract on the public Ethereum network, we must first have deposited some Ethers in our wallet, in order to carry out the transaction that will put our contract online; and pay for the “gas” of the network.

Once we’ve tested and debugged the contract, we use Truffle to display it, using the deploy truffle command. When deploying the contract, we will get its address, through which users of the contract can interact with it.

In the case of Ethereum, there are a variety of testnets, with different characteristics to choose from depending on developer preferences.

We have Ropsten, a blockchain based on the Proof of Work (PoW) algorithm that even allows Ether mining.

We also have Kovan, a Proof of Authority (PoA) based blockchain developed by the Parity team. In this case, the Ethers are not mined, but are acquired through a faucet .

On the other hand, Rinkeby, also based on the Authority Test and developed by the Geth team. Ethers also cannot be mined, but acquired by tap .