How can I create a clear, step‑by‑step deployment procedure for a Clarity smart contract?

Answer

The following numbered workflow outlines a typical, repeatable procedure for deploying a Clarity smart contract. Because the exact commands depend on the target Stacks network (testnet vs. mainnet), please confirm which network you intend to deploy to before executing the steps.

Procedure

1. Prepare the environment
   • Install Node.js (≥14) and the Stacks CLI (npm i -g @stacks/cli).
   • Optionally install clarity-cli for linting and compilation.
2. Write the contract
   • Create a .clar file with your Clarity code.
   • Follow naming conventions and add a SPDX license header.
3. Static analysis / linting
   • Run clarity-cli check <contract.clar> to catch syntax errors.
   • Address any warnings before proceeding.
4. Compile
   • Execute clarity-cli compile <contract.clar> --output build/<contract>.json to produce the artifact.
5. Local simulation / unit testing
   • Use the Stacks testnet simulator or clarity-cli test to execute tests against the compiled artifact.
   • Verify that all public functions return expected values and that no unexpected runtime errors occur.
6. Deploy to a test network
   • Obtain a testnet STX faucet (e.g., ).
   • Run the deployment command, adjusting for network:
   • Testnet: stacks deploy --network testnet --contract <contract>.clar --artifact build/<contract>.json --sender <your-address> --fee 1000
   • Mainnet: replace --network testnet with --network mainnet and ensure you have sufficient mainnet STX.
   • Record the transaction ID and block height from the CLI output.
7. On‑chain verification
   • Call read‑only functions via stacks call --network <net> --contract <contract> --function <fn> --args ... to confirm correct state.
   • Check the transaction on a block explorer (e.g., ) for success status.
8. Documentation & audit trail
   • Save the exact CLI commands, transaction IDs, and logs in a version‑controlled README or deployment script.
   • Tag the release in your source repository (e.g., Git) with the contract version.
9. Promotion to mainnet (if applicable)
   • Repeat steps 5‑7 on mainnet after successful testnet verification.
   • Perform a final audit of the on‑chain contract (e.g., using a Clarity verifier or third‑party audit).
10. Rollback / recovery
    • If a defect is discovered, redeploy the previous known‑good version using the same deployment command.
    • If your contract includes an upgradeability pattern, invoke the upgrade function to point to the prior version.
    • Always keep the artifact (.json) and source code for each version in an immutable store (e.g., Git tags or an artifact repository).

Missing diagnostic detail

Please confirm the target Stacks network (testnet or mainnet) so that the network‑specific flags in steps 5 and 6 can be adjusted accordingly.