Mastering Ethereum

Appendix D. Development Tools, Frameworks, and Libraries

Frameworks

Frameworks can be used to ease Ethereum smart contract development. By doing everything yourself you get a better understanding of how everything fits together, but it’s a lot of tedious, repetitive work. The frameworks described in this section can automate certain tasks and make development easier.

Truffle

GitHub: https://github.com/trufflesuite/truffle

Website: https://truffleframework.com

Documentation: https://truffleframework.com/docs

Truffle Boxes: http://truffleframework.com/boxes/

npm package repository: https://www.npmjs.com/package/truffle

Installing the Truffle framework

The Truffle framework comprises several Node.js packages. Before you install truffle, you need to have an up-to-date and working installation of Node.js and the Node Package Manager (npm).

The recommended way to install Node.js and npm is to use the Node Version Manager (nvm). Once you install nvm, it will handle all the dependencies and updates for you. Follow the instructions found at http://nvm.sh.

Once nvm is installed on your operating system, installing Node.js is simple. Use the --lts flag to tell nvm that you want the most recent “long-term support” (LTS) version of Node.js:

$ nvm install --lts

Confirm you have node and npm installed:

$ node -v
v8.9.4
$ npm -v
5.6.0

Next, create a hidden file, .nvmrc, that contains the Node.js version supported by your DApp so developers just need to run nvm install in the root of the ...