Skip to Content
EVMEVM with Hardhat

Sei EVM Smart Contract Development with Hardhat

This tutorial will guide you through setting up Hardhat for Sei V2 EVM development and using OpenZeppelin contracts to build secure, standardized smart contracts. We’ll cover environment setup, contract creation, deployment, and show how to leverage OpenZeppelin’s pre-built components.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js  (v16.0.0 or later)
  • npm  (v7.0.0 or later) or yarn 
  • A code editor (VS Code recommended)
  • Basic knowledge of Solidity and JavaScript

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Let’s create a new project and set up Hardhat:

# Create a new directory for your project
mkdir sei-hardhat-project
cd sei-hardhat-project
 
# Initialize a new npm project
npm init -y
 
# Install Hardhat and necessary dependencies
npm install --save-dev hardhat @nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox @openzeppelin/contracts dotenv

After installation, initialize a new Hardhat project:

npx hardhat init

When prompted, select “Create a JavaScript project” and follow the setup instructions.

Configuring Hardhat for Sei V2 EVM

Next, we’ll need to configure Hardhat to work with the Sei V2 EVM. Update your hardhat.config.js file:

require('@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox');
require('dotenv').config();
 
// Load environment variables
const PRIVATE_KEY = process.env.PRIVATE_KEY || '0x0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000';
 
/** @type import('hardhat/config').HardhatUserConfig */
module.exports = {
  solidity: {
    version: '0.8.28',
    settings: {
      optimizer: {
        enabled: true,
        runs: 200
      }
    }
  },
  networks: {
    // Sei testnet configuration
    seitestnet: {
      url: 'https://evm-rpc-testnet.sei-apis.com',
      accounts: [PRIVATE_KEY],
      chainId: 1328, // Sei testnet chain ID
      gasPrice: 2000000000 // 2 gwei = 2 nsei
    },
    // Sei mainnet configuration
    seimainnet: {
      url: 'https://evm-rpc.sei-apis.com',
      accounts: [PRIVATE_KEY],
      chainId: 1329, // Sei mainnet chain ID
      gasPrice: 2000000000 // 2 gwei = 2 nsei
    },
    // Local development with Hardhat Network
    hardhat: {
      chainId: 31337
    }
  },
  paths: {
    sources: './contracts',
    tests: './test',
    cache: './cache',
    artifacts: './artifacts'
  },
  mocha: {
    timeout: 40000
  }
};

Create a .env file in your project root to store your private key:

PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key_here

Add .env to your .gitignore file to prevent committing sensitive information.

Using OpenZeppelin Contracts

OpenZeppelin provides a library of secure, tested smart contract components that you can use to build your applications. First, let’s install the OpenZeppelin Contracts package:

npm install @openzeppelin/contracts

For upgradeable contracts, also install:

npm install @openzeppelin/contracts-upgradeable @openzeppelin/hardhat-upgrades

Update your hardhat.config.js to import the upgrades plugin:

require('@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox');
require('@openzeppelin/hardhat-upgrades');
require('dotenv').config();
 
// Rest of your configuration...

Creating and Deploying an ERC20 Token

Let’s create a simple ERC20 token using OpenZeppelin contracts. Create a new file in the contracts directory called SeiToken.sol:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.22;
 
import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/ERC20.sol";
import "@openzeppelin/contracts/access/Ownable.sol";
 
contract SeiToken is ERC20, Ownable {
    constructor(address initialOwner)
        ERC20("Sei Token", "SEI")
        Ownable(initialOwner)
    {
        // Mint 1 million tokens to the contract deployer (with 18 decimals)
        _mint(msg.sender, 1000000 * 10 ** decimals());
    }
 
    // Function to mint new tokens (only owner)
    function mint(address to, uint256 amount) public onlyOwner {
        _mint(to, amount);
    }
 
    // Function to burn tokens
    function burn(uint256 amount) public {
        _burn(msg.sender, amount);
    }
}

Now, create a deployment script in the scripts directory called deploy-sei-token.js:

const { ethers } = require('hardhat');
 
async function main() {
  const [deployer] = await ethers.getSigners();
  console.log('Deploying contracts with the account:', deployer.address);
 
  // Get the contract factory
  const SeiToken = await ethers.getContractFactory('SeiToken');
 
  // Deploy the contract
  const seiToken = await SeiToken.deploy(deployer.address);
  await seiToken.waitForDeployment();
 
  console.log('SeiToken deployed to:', await seiToken.getAddress());
}
 
main()
  .then(() => process.exit(0))
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error(error);
    process.exit(1);
  });

To deploy the token to the Sei testnet:

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy-sei-token.js --network seitestnet

Creating and Deploying an ERC721 NFT

Now, let’s create an ERC721 NFT contract. Create a new file SeiNFT.sol in the contracts directory:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
// Compatible with OpenZeppelin Contracts ^5.0.0
pragma solidity ^0.8.22;
 
import {ERC721} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/ERC721.sol";
import {ERC721Burnable} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/extensions/ERC721Burnable.sol";
import {ERC721Enumerable} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/extensions/ERC721Enumerable.sol";
import {ERC721Pausable} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/extensions/ERC721Pausable.sol";
import {ERC721URIStorage} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC721/extensions/ERC721URIStorage.sol";
import {Ownable} from "@openzeppelin/contracts/access/Ownable.sol";
 
contract SeiNFT is ERC721, ERC721Enumerable, ERC721URIStorage, ERC721Pausable, Ownable, ERC721Burnable {
    uint256 private _nextTokenId;
 
     // Base URI for metadata
    string private _baseTokenURI;
 
    constructor(address initialOwner, string memory baseTokenURI)
        ERC721("Sei NFT Collection", "SEINFT")
        Ownable(initialOwner)
    {
        _baseTokenURI = baseTokenURI;
    }
 
    // Function to update the base URI (only owner)
    function setBaseURI(string memory baseTokenURI) public onlyOwner {
        _baseTokenURI = baseTokenURI;
    }
 
    // Override the baseURI function
    function _baseURI() internal view override returns (string memory) {
        return _baseTokenURI;
    }
 
    function pause() public onlyOwner {
        _pause();
    }
 
    function unpause() public onlyOwner {
        _unpause();
    }
 
    function safeMint(address to, string memory uri)
        public
        onlyOwner
        returns (uint256)
    {
        uint256 tokenId = _nextTokenId++;
        _safeMint(to, tokenId);
        _setTokenURI(tokenId, uri);
        return tokenId;
    }
 
    // The following functions are overrides required by Solidity.
 
    function _update(address to, uint256 tokenId, address auth)
        internal
        override(ERC721, ERC721Enumerable, ERC721Pausable)
        returns (address)
    {
        return super._update(to, tokenId, auth);
    }
 
    function _increaseBalance(address account, uint128 value)
        internal
        override(ERC721, ERC721Enumerable)
    {
        super._increaseBalance(account, value);
    }
 
    function tokenURI(uint256 tokenId)
        public
        view
        override(ERC721, ERC721URIStorage)
        returns (string memory)
    {
        return super.tokenURI(tokenId);
    }
 
    function supportsInterface(bytes4 interfaceId)
        public
        view
        override(ERC721, ERC721Enumerable, ERC721URIStorage)
        returns (bool)
    {
        return super.supportsInterface(interfaceId);
    }
}

Create a deployment script deploy-sei-nft.js:

const { ethers } = require('hardhat');
 
async function main() {
  const [deployer] = await ethers.getSigners();
  console.log('Deploying contracts with the account:', deployer.address);
 
  // Base URI for your NFT metadata
  const baseURI = 'https://your-metadata-server.com/metadata/';
 
  // Get the contract factory
  const SeiNFT = await ethers.getContractFactory('SeiNFT');
 
  // Deploy the contract
  const seiNFT = await SeiNFT.deploy(deployer.address, baseURI);
  await seiNFT.waitForDeployment();
 
  console.log('SeiNFT deployed to:', await seiNFT.getAddress());
 
  // Mint an example NFT
  console.log('Minting an example NFT...');
  const mintTx = await seiNFT.safeMint(deployer.address, '1.json');
  await mintTx.wait();
  console.log('NFT minted with ID: 1');
}
 
main()
  .then(() => process.exit(0))
  .catch((error) => {
    console.error(error);
    process.exit(1);
  });

Deploy the NFT contract to the Sei testnet:

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy-sei-nft.js --network seitestnet

Testing Your Smart Contracts

Hardhat makes it easy to test your contracts before deploying them. Create a test file test/sei-token-test.js:

const { expect } = require('chai');
const { ethers } = require('hardhat');
 
describe('SeiToken', function () {
  let SeiToken;
  let seiToken;
  let owner;
  let addr1;
  let addr2;
 
  beforeEach(async function () {
    // Get signers
    [owner, addr1, addr2] = await ethers.getSigners();
 
    // Deploy the token
    SeiToken = await ethers.getContractFactory('SeiToken');
    seiToken = await SeiToken.deploy(owner.address);
  });
 
  describe('Deployment', function () {
    it('Should set the right owner', async function () {
      expect(await seiToken.owner()).to.equal(owner.address);
    });
 
    it('Should assign the total supply of tokens to the owner', async function () {
      const ownerBalance = await seiToken.balanceOf(owner.address);
      const totalSupply = await seiToken.totalSupply();
      expect(totalSupply).to.equal(ownerBalance);
    });
 
    it('Should have correct name and symbol', async function () {
      expect(await seiToken.name()).to.equal('Sei Token');
      expect(await seiToken.symbol()).to.equal('SEI');
    });
  });
 
  describe('Transactions', function () {
    it('Should transfer tokens between accounts', async function () {
      // Transfer 50 tokens from owner to addr1
      await seiToken.transfer(addr1.address, 50);
      expect(await seiToken.balanceOf(addr1.address)).to.equal(50);
 
      // Transfer 50 tokens from addr1 to addr2
      await seiToken.connect(addr1).transfer(addr2.address, 50);
      expect(await seiToken.balanceOf(addr2.address)).to.equal(50);
    });
 
    it("Should fail if sender doesn't have enough tokens", async function () {
      const initialOwnerBalance = await seiToken.balanceOf(owner.address);
 
      // Try to send 1 token from addr1 (0 tokens) to owner
      await expect(seiToken.connect(addr1).transfer(owner.address, 1)).to.be.reverted;
 
      // Owner balance shouldn't change
      expect(await seiToken.balanceOf(owner.address)).to.equal(initialOwnerBalance);
    });
  });
 
  describe('Minting', function () {
    it('Should allow owner to mint new tokens', async function () {
      await seiToken.mint(addr1.address, 1000);
      expect(await seiToken.balanceOf(addr1.address)).to.equal(1000);
    });
 
    it('Should not allow non-owners to mint', async function () {
      await expect(seiToken.connect(addr1).mint(addr1.address, 1000)).to.be.reverted;
    });
  });
});

Run your tests with:

npx hardhat test

Deploying to Sei Testnet and Mainnet

Once you’ve tested your contracts, you can deploy them to the Sei testnet or mainnet. To deploy, you’ll need:

  1. SEI tokens in your wallet for gas fees
  2. Your private key in the .env file

Deploy to the testnet:

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy-sei-token.js --network seitestnet

Deploy to the mainnet (only when you’re ready for production):

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy-sei-token.js --network seimainnet
Last updated on
EVM (General)EVM with Foundry