Ethereum Development: Foundry or Hardhat

When comparing Hardhat and Foundry, two popular development frameworks for Ethereum smart contracts, several factors come into play. Both tools aim to simplify and streamline smart contracts' development, testing, and deployment, but they have different features and design philosophies.

Hardhat

Overview:

Hardhat is a development environment built and maintained by Nomiclabs. It is an extensible Javascript framework that provides a set of tools and features for managing the smart contract lifecycle, including compiling, deploying, testing, and debugging. It is designed to help Ethereum developers manage and automate recurring tasks in smart contract development. It includes a flexible and extensible task runner and provides a local Ethereum network for testing.

Key Features:

1. Task Runner:

   • Hardhat uses a task-based workflow, which allows developers to define and run custom tasks.
   • Built-in tasks for compilation, testing, deployment, and debugging.

2. Local Ethereum Network:

   • Hardhat Network is a local Ethereum network designed for development.
   • Fast and efficient, with instant block mining.

3. Plugins:

   • Extensive plugin system that integrates with many tools and services (e.g., Ethers.js, Waffle, Truffle).
   • Official and community plugins for extended functionality.

4. Error Messages and Stack Traces:

   • Improved error messages and stack traces that make debugging easier.

5. Flexibility:

   • Highly customizable and can be tailored to specific project needs.

Use Cases:

• Ideal for projects that need a robust and extensible development environment.
• Suitable for developers who want to leverage various plugins and tools.

To use
To install it, run

yarn add --dev hardhat
or
npm install --save-dev hardhat

You can use

yarn/npx hardhat init

to start a new project and

yarn/npx hardhat compile

to compile.

More commands can be found in the documentation

Foundry

Overview:

Foundry is a newer framework focusing on smart contract development speed and efficiency. It is an Ethereum toolkit written in Rust. Inspired by Dapp Tools, it lets you write, run, test, and deploy smart contracts, all in Solidity. It aims to provide a seamless development experience with a strong emphasis on Solidity-native tooling.

Key Features:

1. Speed:

   • Designed for high performance, Foundry is known for its fast compilation and testing speeds.
   • Optimized for quick feedback cycles.

2. Solidity-Focused:

   • Foundry provides native support for Solidity and offers tools that are closely integrated with the language.
   • Forges-specific tools like Forge (for smart contract testing) and Cast (for interacting with contracts).

3. Built-in Testing Framework:

   • Powerful testing framework that includes features like fuzz testing, property-based testing, and invariant testing.

4. Simplicity:

   • Aims to be simple to use, with minimal setup required.
   • Less reliant on plugins compared to Hardhat, with more built-in functionality.

5. Open Source:

   • Actively developed and maintained by the Ethereum community.

Use Cases:

• Ideal for developers looking for a fast and efficient development cycle.
• Suitable for projects that prioritize Solidity-native tooling and integrated testing features.

To use
To install, run

curl -L https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | bash
foundryup

You can use

forge init

to start a new project and

forge build

to compile.

More commands can be found in the documentation

Comparison Summary

• Ease of Use: Hardhat may have a steeper learning curve due to its extensive configuration options and plugin system, while Foundry aims to be simpler and quicker to get started with.
• Speed: Foundry is generally faster in terms of compilation and testing, making it suitable for rapid development cycles.
• Flexibility and Extensibility: Hardhat’s extensive plugin ecosystem allows for greater customization and integration with various tools.
• Community and Ecosystem: Hardhat has been around longer and thus has a larger ecosystem and community support, but Foundry is quickly gaining traction.

Choosing Between Hardhat and Foundry

• For a project that requires extensive integration with other tools and a highly customizable development environment, Hardhat is likely the better choice.
• For a project that prioritizes speed and a streamlined, Solidity-centric development experience, Foundry would be more suitable.

Ultimately, the choice between Hardhat and Foundry will depend on the specific needs and preferences of the development team. Hardhat is great for building Ethereum applications with JavaScript familiarity and extensive tooling while foundry is ideal for advanced smart contract analysis, auditing, and fast execution of Solidity tests.