Starknet developer tools

While Starknet is a blockchain, it is different from blockchains built on the model of the Ethereum virtual machine (EVM), and so it requires many of its own developer tools. The tools discussed here are being developed in coordination with StarkWare, and in some cases have received grants from StarkWare or the Starknet Foundation in order to make the development process as friendly as possible, with improvements happening all the time.

While originally the stack of Starknet development tools was based mostly on Python, tool developers are moving towards building with Rust.

See Tools for each stage of development below to understand where each tool fits in the development process.

The tools listed here do not represent all that are available.
image$tools workflow
Figure 1. Tools for each stage of development

Starkli

What is it?

Starkli, pronounced Stark-lie, is a fast command-line interface that replaces the legacy starknet-CLI. Starkli is a standalone interface, that is, you can use it on its own, rather than as a component of another tool. If you’re not actually developing on Starknet and just want to interact, such as by sending transactions, then a standalone CLI might be more appropriate than an interface such as Cast, which is an integrated component of the Foundry development environment.

Who maintains it?

Starknet community contributor Jonathan Lei, the co-founder and CTO of zkLend.

Why should you care?

Starkli is a Starknet CLI similar to cairo-lang but written in Rust. It’s easier to install and to navigate, and has no dependencies. The tool supports Braavos and Argent X smart wallets, and has embedded support for RPC endpoints.

Starkli includes standard CLI functionality, such as the following:

  • Deploying accounts.

  • Interacting with contracts.

  • Getting Starknet data, such as information about blocks, transactions, and more.

Starkli also includes the following features:

  • Compute class hashes from the Cairo file that defines the class.

  • Compute a function’s selector.

  • Encode messages.

  • Auto-completion.

  • Useful help commands.

  • The ability to make multi-calls.

Where do you get it?

SDKs: A window into Starknet

A Software Development Kit (SDK) is a library that abstracts the complexities of Starknet when building transactions and interacting with the blockchain, including the following:

  • Read and write API calls, using both the JSON-RPC and the Feeder gateway API.

  • Account creation.

  • Cryptography: Signature verification and signing, computing hashes used by Starknet.

  • Contract interactions: ABI import, constructing transactions.

There are several SDKs for various languages, so you can choose the SDK according to your preferred language.

SDK name Language Used by Maintainer Where to get it

Starknet.js

JavaScript, TypeScript

Dapps, Wallets

SpaceShard

starknet.js Github repository

Starknet.py

Python

Useful scripts

Software Mansion (SWM)

starknet.py Github repository

Starknet-rs

Rust

Starkli, Foundry

Jonathan Lei

starknet-rs Github repository

Starknet-go

Go

Chainlink

Nethermind

starknet-go Github repository

starknet-devnet, starknet-devnet-rs

What is it?

A devnet is a Starknet instance that you run as a local node, which enables much quicker development than is possible using testnet, as well as providing privacy prior to launching on testnet.

SpaceShard originally wrote starknet-devnet in Python, but they are now actively developing a version in Rust, starknet-devnet-rs. For now, the Python-based version is more feature-rich, with the most notable feature being the ability to fork the network at a given block, so if that’s important to you, then you need to use the Python-based version. However, starknet-devnet-rs runs more quickly, and the developers are working to bring it to feature parity with the Python-based starknet-devnet.

starknet-devnet-rs is the only version that is receiving new features.

Who maintains it?

SpaceShard

Why should you care?

starknet-devnet and starknet-devnet-rs include some accounts that are already funded with an ERC-20 token that can be used to pay fees. The ERC-20 contract that defines this token is also included.

With starknet-devnet and starknet-devnet-rs You can do the following:

  • Create mock accounts.

  • Send transactions using pre-deployed, pre-funded accounts, which are included.

  • Test tools.

  • Test RPC requests.

  • Deploy new contracts using an included Universal Deployer Contract (UDC).

Where do you get it?

Katana

What is it?

Katana, developed by the Dojo team, is an extremely fast devnet designed to support local development with Dojo, which is a gaming engine for Starknet. You can use Katana as a general purpose devnet as well. Katana lets developers test applications locally using the Katana network to test the transactions being sent during the game.

  • Katana provides convenient RPC methods that you can use to change the network’s configuration as needed. For example, you can change the block time or allow zero-fee transactions.

  • Katana supports version v0.3.0 of the Starknet JSON-RPC specifications, the latest version as of June 2023. Katana lets you use native Starknet JSON calls, such as starknet_getTransactionReceipt, starknet_getStorageAt.

Where do you get it?

Katana in the Dojo documentation includes information on installing and using Katana.

Scarb: The Cairo package manager

What is it?

The official package manager for Starknet.

Who maintains it?

Software Mansion

Why should you care?

It makes life easier in the following ways:

  • When installing Cairo packages, it handles adding, updating, and removing dependencies.

  • You can use it to compile smart contracts.

  • When creating your own Cairo package, it takes care of patching any libraries you need from Github, and lets you know if there’s a version mismatch. You can then use it to build and test your project, using the Cairo test runner. Building is quite fast.

  • It includes the Cairo compiler, built-in, so unless you’re actually a compiler developer, you don’t need to set up any extra tooling.

  • It includes a bundled binary of the Cairo language server, which you can use

  • It works well with other tools in the Cairo ecosystem, such as Foundry and Dojo.

Where do you get it?

The Scarb site

Starknet Foundry

What is it?

Starknet Foundry is a toolchain for developing Starknet smart contracts. It helps with writing, deploying, and testing your smart contracts.

Who maintains it?

Software Mansion

Why should you care?

Starknet Foundry includes the following features:

  • Forge, a fast testing framework. Forge achieves performance comparable to the Cairo Test Runner with a better user experience. You can test standalone functions in your smart contracts and embed complex deployment flows.

  • Support for prints in contracts. According to the documentation, the debugging features will follow the addition of support in the Starknet compiler.

  • The online Foundry Book, with lots of helpful information and guidance in writing and running tests and interacting with Starknet.

  • Integrated compiling and dependency management, using Scarb.

  • Cast, which the documentation refers to by its command name, sncast. Cast is an integrated CLI specifically designed for performing Starknet RPC calls, sending transactions and getting Starknet chain data. You can use Cast to declare, deploy, and interact with contracts using the Starknet JSON-RPC.

Where do you get it?

The Starknet Foundry Github repo

Hardhat (with a plugin)

What is it?

A tool primarily for testing Cairo code. You can also deploy contracts using scripts in JavaScript.

Who maintains it?

SpaceShard

Why should you care?

Hardhat is a popular JavaScript development environment for Ethereum, and if you are already familiar with it and want to use it on Starknet, then this plugin can come in handy. You can run Starknet commands as tasks in Hardhat, such as compiling a Cairo contract.

Hardhat is integrated with a local devnet, so you only need to worry about writing your tests, in JavaScript, of course.

Where do you get it?

The Starknet Remix plugin

What is it?

Remix is a browser-based integrated development environment (IDE) for Ethereum that you can use for learning, experimenting and finding vulnerabilities in smart contracts, without installing anything. The Starknet Remix plugin lets you use Remix for testing Starknet smart contracts, so you can focus on learning Cairo and Starknet without the distraction of setting up a toolchain.

Who maintains it?

Nethermind

Why should you care?

Remix and the Starknet Remix plugin include the following features:

  • Integrated compiling.

  • You can deploy contracts on any devnet, including the plugin’s own integrated devnet.

  • You can also deploy on testnet or Mainnet.

  • You can call functions of contracts that you have already deployed, to facilitate testing and interaction.

  • Seamless integration with Scarb.

  • Integration with block explorers such as Voyager, so you can easily check the execution of your transactions, in real time.

  • The Starknet Remix Plugin is integrated with Starknet By Example, a rich repository of practical learning content.

For more information on the Starknet Remix plugin, see Unlocking Onboarding to Starknet: An Overview of the Starknet Remix Plugin.

Where do you get it?

Get started with Remix at the Remix Project site.

Get started with the Starknet Remix plugin at the Starknet Remix plugin’s Github repo.

The Visual Studio Code Cairo extension

What is it?

An extension for the Microsoft Visual Studio Code IDE that provides assistance when writing Cairo smart contracts, by using the Cairo Language Server.

Who maintains it?

StarkWare

Why should you care?

Features include:

  • Compiler support for Cairo files.

  • Live diagnostic highlighting for compile errors.

  • Quick fixes with suggestions.

  • Go to definitions for imports.

  • Code completion for imports.

Where do you get it?

Cairo 1.0 - Visual Studio Marketplace