> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.caldera.xyz/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Hardhat

> Deploying Smart Contracts using Hardhat

## What is Hardhat?

Hardhat is a development environment for Ethereum that helps developers manage and automate the common tasks involved in building smart contracts and decentralized applications.
It can directly interact with Caldera's Ethereum API, allowing for the deployment of smart contracts into the Caldera network.

Additionally, Hardhat is a comprehensive set of tools for creating Ethereum-based software, which includes various components that aid in editing, compiling, debugging, and deploying smart contracts and decentralized applications. All of these components work together to create a complete development environment.

## Creating a Hardhat Project

1. Create a directory for your project:
   ```
   mkdir hardhat && cd hardhat
   ```
2. Initialize the project, which will create a `package.json` file
   ```
   npm init -y
   ```
3. Install Hardhat
   ```
   npm install hardhat
   ```
4. Create a project
   ```
   npx hardhat
   ```
5. Create an empty `hardhat.config.js` and install the Ethers plugin to use the Ethers.js library to interact with the network.
   ```
   npm install @nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers ethers
   ```

## Creating Your Smart Contract

1. Create a `contracts` directory
   ```
   mkdir contracts && cd contracts
   ```
2. Create `your_contract.sol` file in `contracts` directory
   ```
   touch your_contract.sol
   ```

## Creating Your Configuration File

Modify the Hardhat configuration file and create a secure file to store your private key in.

1. Create a `secrets.json` file to store your private key
   ```
   touch secrets.json
   ```
2. Add your private key to `secrets.json`
   ```
   {
       "privateKey": "YOUR-PRIVATE-KEY-HERE"
   }
   ```
3. Add the file to your project's `.gitignore`, and never reveal your private key.
4. Modify the `hardhat.config.js` file
   * Import the Ethers.js plugin
   * Import the `secrets.json` file
   * Inside the `module.exports` add the Caldera network configuration
   ```javascript hardhat.config.js theme={null}
   require('@nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers');
   const { privateKey } = require('./secrets.json');

   module.exports = {
   solidity: "0.8.1",
   defaultNetwork: "rinkeby",
   networks: {
       rinkeby: {
       url: "https://eth-rinkeby.alchemyapi.io/v2/123abc123abc123abc123abc123abcde",
       accounts: [privateKey]
       },
       caldera: {
       url: "RPC URL",  // Insert your RPC URL Here
       }
   },
   }
   ```

## Deploying Your Smart Contract

1. Compile the contract
   ```
   npx hardhat compile
   ```
2. Create a new directory for the script and name it scripts and add a new file to it called `deploy.js`
   ```
   mkdir scripts && cd scripts
   touch deploy.js
   ```
3. Create a deployment script, like the one below
   ```javascript scripts/deploy.js theme={null}
   async function main() {
   // 1. Get the contract to deploy
   const Your_Contract = await ethers.getContractFactory('your_contract');
   console.log('Deploying Your_Contract...');

   // 2. Instantiating a new smart contract
   const your_contract = await Your_Contract.deploy();

   // 3. Waiting for the deployment to resolve
   await your_contract.deployed();

   // 4. Use the contract instance to get the contract address
   console.log('Your_Contract deployed to:', your_contract.address);
   }

   main()
   .then(() => process.exit(0))
   .catch((error) => {
       console.error(error);
       process.exit(1);
   });
   ```
4. Deploy `your_contract.sol` using the command below
   ```
   npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network caldera
   ```