Web3 developer tool chain - Hardhat, Truffle, The Graph, IPFS, Arweave-web3 series Section 22

In the Web3 world, developers are like builders. Whether it is DeFi, GameFi or SocialFi, a complete "tool chain" is needed behind it to support: writing, testing, deploying contracts, querying data on the chain, storing front-end and user content...

In the past few years, when I was working on projects, the most common thing I used wasHardhat, Truffle, The Graph, IPFS, Arweavethese types of tools. They almost constitute the "standard" for Web3 development.

Today, I would like to share with you the positioning, characteristics, applicable scenarios of these tools, as well as some real project cases.

Why do you need a dedicated Web3 toolchain?

Web2 development is already very mature, with standardized tools such as GitHub, MySQL, and AWS.

But the characteristics of Web3 determine that we need new tools:

1. The contract cannot be changed——Must be fully tested before winding.
2. The data on the chain is complex——Block data is not naturally readable and requires indexing tools.
3. Decentralized storage——Front-end, pictures, and documents cannot completely rely on centralized servers.

Therefore, developers must learn to use a new "development tool chain" to build applications efficiently and safely.

Hardhat - Flexible Ethereum development environment

position: Hardhat is an Ethereum development environment that supports compiling, deploying, testing and debugging smart contracts.

Features

• Powerful debugging tools:built-inconsole.log, convenient for printing and debugging.
• local network: Hardhat Network, which can simulate the on-chain operating environment.
• Plug-in ecology: Supports integration with Ethers.js, Waffle, OpenZeppelin, etc.

Case

When I was helping develop an NFT project, Hardhat’sforkingfunction is particularly useful. It can simulate the state of the Ethereum main network and allow us to test contract logic locally without risking wasting gas on the main network.

Truffle - a veteran development framework

position: Truffle is one of the earliest popular smart contract development frameworks, including contract compilation, deployment, and testing tools.

Features

• Long history and complete documentation: Many early tutorials use Truffle as an example.
• Ganache tools: Quickly start the local blockchain and simulate the deployment environment.
• High integration: Support the complete contract development life cycle.

challenge

Compared to Hardhat, Truffle lags behind in plug-in ecology and flexibility. So now more teams will choose Hardhat, but Truffle is still common in teaching and traditional projects.

Case

Many early DeFi projects (such as early versions of Compound) used Truffle for development and testing.

The Graph – the “Google” of blockchain

position: The Graph is a decentralized indexing protocol that helps developers efficiently query on-chain data.

Why is it needed?

If you directly use RPC to call data on the chain, you will find it inefficient and difficult. For example, if you want to query all transactions of a certain user, you need to traverse the blocks, which is very inefficient.

The Graph bySubgraph, processing the data on the chain into an API that can be quickly queried, just like adding a "database index" to the blockchain.

Features

• Decentralized index: Services are provided by nodes and do not rely on a single server.
• GraphQL queries: Developers can obtain data in a familiar way.

Case

The front end of Uniswap V3 uses The Graph to query pool and transaction data. The price and transaction depth that users see when they click are all supported by data provided by Graph.

IPFS - decentralized file system

position: IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) is a point-to-point distributed file system.

Features

• content addressing: Files are located by hash value instead of traditional URL.
• censorship-resistant: Files are stored in a distributed network and do not rely on a single server.
• Common scenarios: NFT images, front-end web pages, user-uploaded content.

Case

Many NFT projects store images and metadata on IPFS, such as BAYC (Boring Ape). In this way, even if the official server is down, users can still obtain images through the hash address.

Arweave - permanent storage

position: Arweave is a blockchain project focusing on "permanent storage".

Features

• Pay once, store forever: Users pay a fee when uploading, and the network guarantees that the files will be permanently accessible in the future.
• Blockchain combined with storage: Data cannot be tampered with and is suitable for long-term storage.
• Common scenarios: Decentralized application front-end, on-chain contract data backup, long-term NFT assets.

Case

Mirror (a decentralized writing platform) uses Arweave to store articles to ensure that the content will not be deleted or tampered with.

Tool chain combination use

In actual development, these tools are oftenUse in combinationof:

• useHardhat/TruffleDevelop and test smart contracts;
• useThe GraphProvide efficient data query interface;
• useIPFS/ArweaveStores front-end and user content.

This forms a complete development path:

Write contract → test deployment → data index → ​​front-end display → decentralized storage.

Comparison table

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: Which one should I choose between Hardhat and Truffle?

A1: If it is a new project, I recommend Hardhat, which is more flexible and has an active community. If you are learning or maintaining old projects, Truffle is also good.

Q2: Is The Graph centralized?

A2: The Graph’s hosting service has a centralized component, but the core protocol is decentralized and community nodes are constantly increasing.

Q3: Why should NFT images be placed in IPFS/Arweave instead of AWS?

A3: Because the centralized server may go offline at any time, the user's NFT will become a "black image". Using decentralized storage can ensure long-term access.

Q4: What is the difference between Arweave and IPFS?

A4: IPFS prefers "file system" and requires continuous storage of nodes; Arweave emphasizes "one-time payment for permanent storage", which is suitable for long-term storage of important data.

Conclusion

The Web3 developer toolchain is still evolving, butHardhat, Truffle, The Graph, IPFS, Arweavehas become a mainstream combination.

For developers, these tools are not just “tools for writing code”;Ensure safety, improve efficiency, and support long-term operationcritical infrastructure.

I often tell my team:Mastering the tools is equivalent to getting the key to building the future Internet.If you are learning Web3 development, you might as well start with these tools and gradually build your own tool chain.

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