Compiling, Deploying, Verifying, Testing Smart Contract Through Hardhat.

Hello, everybody.
If you’re a developer looking to deploy your first smart contract using Hardhat, this guide is for you. I’ll walk you through the process step-by-step, from setting up your project to deploying your contract on the Ethereum network.

Step 1: Project Setup
Create a new project directory:
mkdir smart-contract-guide

cd smart-contract-guide

Initialize a Node.js project and install Hardhat:

npm init -y 
npm install --save-dev hardhat

Step 2: Write the Smart Contract

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.7;

import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/ERC721.sol";

contract BasicNft is ERC721 {
    string public constant TOKEN_URI =
        "ipfs://bafybeig37ioir76s7mg5oobetncojcm3c3hxasyd4rvid4jqhy4gkaheg4/?filename=0-PUG.json";
    uint256 private s_tokenCounter;

    constructor() ERC721("Dogie", "DOG") {
        s_tokenCounter = 0;
    }

    function mintNft() public returns (uint256) {
        _safeMint(msg.sender, s_tokenCounter);
        s_tokenCounter = s_tokenCounter + 1;
        return s_tokenCounter;
    }

    function tokenURI(uint256 tokenId) public view override returns (string memory) {
        // require(_exists(tokenId), "ERC721Metadata: URI query for nonexistent token");
        return TOKEN_URI;
    }

    function getTokenCounter() public view returns (uint256) {
        return s_tokenCounter;
    }
}

Step 3: Deployment using ignition module.
Inside the ignition/module directory, create a file named BasicNft.ts:

import { buildModule } from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-ignition/modules";


const DeployMyTokenModule = buildModule("DeployMyTokenModule", (m) => {
  const myToken = m.contract("BasicNft");

  return { myToken };
});

export default DeployMyTokenModule;

Step 4: Configure Hardhat
Create a file named hardhat.config.js:

module.exports = {
  solidity: "0.8.0",
  networks: {
    // Define your networks here, such as "sepolia", "goerli", "mainnet", etc.
    // Example:
    // sepolia: {
    //   url: "<SEPOLIA_RPC_URL>",
    //   accounts: ["0xYOUR_PRIVATE_KEY"],
    // },
  },
};

Step 5: Test Your Contract
Step 6: Deploy Your Contract

npx hardhat ignition deploy ./ignition/modules/BasicNft.ts --network <networkname>

Congratulations! 🎉 You’ve completed the guide on deploying and interacting with a simple smart contract using Hardhat. This hands-on experience sets you on the path to exploring more complex contract functionality and advanced features.

Keep exploring the exciting world of Ethereum smart contracts and enjoy your coding journey! 💡🚀