Hardhat is primarily designed for Ethereum development, but it can also be adapted for use with non-Ethereum blockchains that support the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This allows developers to leverage Hard

Hardhat is primarily designed for Ethereum development, but it can also be adapted for use with non-Ethereum blockchains that support the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). This allows developers to leverage Hardhat's powerful features, such as testing, deployment, and debugging, on other blockchains like Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, and Avalanche. Below, we will explore how to set up Hardhat for these non-Ethereum blockchains.

1. Setting Up Hardhat for Non-Ethereum Blockchains

To use Hardhat with a non-Ethereum blockchain, you need to configure the network settings in the Hardhat configuration file. This involves specifying the RPC URL of the target blockchain and the accounts to use for deployment.

Example Configuration:

require("@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox");

module.exports = {
    solidity: "0.8.18",
    networks: {
        bsc: {
            url: "https://bsc-dataseed.binance.org/",
            accounts: [""]
        },
        polygon: {
            url: "https://polygon-rpc.com/",
            accounts: [""]
        }
    }
};

In this example, we configure Hardhat to connect to the Binance Smart Chain (BSC) and Polygon networks. Replace with your actual private key.

2. Deploying Smart Contracts

Once you have configured the network settings, you can deploy your smart contracts to the specified non-Ethereum blockchain using Hardhat's deployment scripts.

Deployment Script Example:

const hre = require("hardhat");

async function main() {
    const MyContract = await hre.ethers.getContractFactory("MyContract");
    const myContract = await MyContract.deploy();
    await myContract.deployed();
    console.log("Contract deployed to:", myContract.address);
}

main()
    .then(() => process.exit(0))
    .catch((error) => {
        console.error(error);
        process.exit(1);
    });

This script deploys a contract named MyContract to the configured network. You can run this script using the following command:

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network bsc

3. Testing Smart Contracts

Hardhat allows you to write tests for your smart contracts, which can also be executed on non-Ethereum blockchains. You can use the same testing framework (Mocha and Chai) to ensure your contracts behave as expected.

Testing Example:

const { expect } = require("chai");

describe("MyContract", function () {
    it("Should deploy and return the correct value", async function () {
        const MyContract = await ethers.getContractFactory("MyContract");
        const myContract = await MyContract.deploy();
        await myContract.deployed();

        expect(await myContract.someFunction()).to.equal("Expected Value");
    });
});

Run your tests with the following command:

npx hardhat test --network bsc

4. Interacting with Deployed Contracts

After deploying your contracts, you can interact with them using Hardhat's console or scripts. This allows you to call functions and send transactions to your deployed contracts on non-Ethereum blockchains.

Interaction Example:

const hre = require("hardhat");

async function main() {
    const contractAddress = "";
    const MyContract = await hre.ethers.getContractAt("MyContract", contractAddress);
    
    const result = await MyContract.someFunction();
    console.log("Result from contract:", result);
}

main();

Replace with the address of your deployed contract. You can run this script similarly to the deployment script.

Conclusion

Using Hardhat for non-Ethereum blockchains is straightforward, thanks to its EVM compatibility. By configuring the network settings, deploying contracts, writing tests, and interacting with deployed contracts, developers can take full advantage of Hardhat's features across various blockchain platforms.