A quick and dirty guide on how to create and deploy a contract as fast as possible

This guide strives to be very lean, and only captures the most essential steps

Two steps towards your first smart contract

• Install metamask
• Creating and deploying a contract

Metamask

Metamask enables you to interact with the ethereum blockchain.
Get it here : https://metamask.io/

Keep track of the password and seed phrase

Contract - Creation and Deployment

Typical applications run in different environments like development, staging, pre-production and finally production.
Analogous to that, in the ethereum network, they have the following environments -

• Rinkeby (Test net)
• Ropsten (Test net)
• Kovan (Test net)
• Homestead (Main net)

We will be using the Rinkeby test net.

The process remains same for any network.

• Select Rinkeby Test Network in Metamask and load some test ether

  You can get some test ether here : https://faucet.rinkeby.io/
  OR
  You can leave a comment with your address, and I will send you some.

• Create a contract and deploy

  You can use the following link to create, compile and deploy
  https://remix.ethereum.org/#optimize=false&version=soljson-v0.4.25+commit.59dbf8f1.js
  The 'deploy' option is under the 'run' tab.
  On clicking deploy, it should trigger the Metamask window, where you will have to submit the transaction.

• Save the contract address

  On successful deployment, save the contract address.
  You can check the contract on rinkeyby block explorer
  https://www.rinkeby.io/#explorer

Congratulations! You have deployed your first contract to the ethereum blockchain.

Example

The decentralized key value store - tinybit.link was first deployed on the testnet using the above method.
Check out the dapp at - https://tinybit.link

References

• Truffle - https://github.com/trufflesuite/truffle
• Solidity - https://solidity.readthedocs.io/en/v0.4.25/
• tinybit.link - https://tinybit.link