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Setup development environment

Summary: In the previous steps, we learned the concept of a smart contract and basic ways of interacting with TON Blockchain through wallet apps and explorers.

This guide covers the basic steps of setting up your smart contract development environment using Blueprint SDK and creating a basic project template.

Prerequisites​

  • Basic programming skills.
  • Familiarity with the command-line interface.

Setup development environment​

For this guide, we will rely on the Blueprint SDK and Node.js/TypeScript stack for writing wrappers, tests, and deployment scripts for your smart contract, as it provides the easiest, ready-to-use environment for smart contract development.

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Using native tools and language-dependent SDKs for smart contract development is covered in more advanced sections here:

Step 1: install Node.js​

First, visit the installation page and execute the download commands in PowerShell or Bash corresponding to your operating system (Windows/Linux).

Check that npm and node are installed by executing the following command:

npm -v
node -v

Step 2: choose a smart contract development language​

During the guide, we provide examples in FunC, Tolk, and Tact. You can choose any of them and even combine smart contracts in different languages. To proceed through the guide, there is no need for a deep understanding of the chosen language—basic programming skills will be enough.

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You can find a brief overview of the languages here: Programming languages

Step 3: set up Blueprint SDK​

Change the directory to the parent folder of your future project and run the following command:

npm create ton@latest

This will run an interactive script to create the project template. You can enter anything you want, but if you want to follow the same paths as in this guide, choose the following:

  1. Project name: Example
  2. First contract name: HelloWorld
  3. Project template: a simple counter contract in FunC, Tolk or Tact

Finally, change your current directory to the generated project template folder and install all required dependencies:

cd ./Example
npm install

Step 4 (optional): IDE and editor support​

The TON community has developed plugins that provide syntax support for several IDEs and code editors. You can find them here: Plugin List.

Also, consider installing plugins that support JavaScript/TypeScript tools for your preferred IDE or code editor, specifically Jest, for debugging smart contract tests.

Choose the programming language​

Now that your environment is set up choose a programming language to get started:

  • FunC or Tolk: estimated time to learn is 25 min for each.
  • Tact: estimated time to learn is 15 min.

Start with FunC or Tolk

Start with Tact
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