◻️Deploying to ZONA with Hardhat

Hardhat is one of the most popular development environments for Ethereum. Since ZONA is EVM-compatible, you can use Hardhat to compile, test, and deploy your smart contracts to ZONA Testnet or Mainnet with minimal configuration changes.

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✅ Prerequisites

Make sure you have:

• Node.js installed (v14+)

• A wallet with ZONA testnet tokens

• MetaMask or a private key ready

• RPC/Chain ID details (once available)

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1. 📦 Create a Hardhat Project

If you haven’t already, initialize a new Hardhat project:

mkdir zona-hardhat && cd zona-hardhat
npm init -y
npm install --save-dev hardhat
npx hardhat

Choose “Create a basic sample project” when prompted.

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2. 🧱 Install Dependencies

For deploying and interacting with contracts:

npm install --save-dev @nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox dotenv

Create a .env file:

PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key_without_0x

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3. ⚙️ Configure ZONA Network

In your hardhat.config.js file, add the ZONA network:

jrequire("@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox");
require("dotenv").config();

module.exports = {
  solidity: "0.8.20",
  networks: {
    zonaTestnet: {
      url: "https://rpc-testnet.zonaprotocol.org", // Replace with actual RPC
      chainId: 9999,                                // Replace with actual Chain ID
      accounts: [`0x${process.env.PRIVATE_KEY}`]
    }
  }
};

Replace the RPC URL and chain ID once ZONA Testnet details are finalized.

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4. ✍️ Write Your Contract

In contracts/, create ZonaToken.sol:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.20;

import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/ERC20.sol";

contract ZonaToken is ERC20 {
    constructor(uint256 initialSupply) ERC20("ZonaToken", "ZONA") {
        _mint(msg.sender, initialSupply);
    }
}

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5. 📜 Create a Deployment Script

In scripts/deploy.js:

async function main() {
  const ZonaToken = await ethers.getContractFactory("ZonaToken");
  const token = await ZonaToken.deploy(ethers.utils.parseEther("1000000"));
  await token.deployed();
  console.log(`ZonaToken deployed to: ${token.address}`);
}

main().catch((error) => {
  console.error(error);
  process.exitCode = 1;
});

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6. 🚀 Deploy to ZONA Testnet

Run:

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

If successful, you'll see:

ZonaToken deployed to: 0xYourContractAddress

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✅ What’s Next?

• Verify your contract on ZONA Explorer (Coming Soon)

• Interact with your contract via CLI, Web3.js, or front-end

• Share testnet contract with your community

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You're now building on ZONA fast, scalable, and developer-first.