The most popular Web3 libraries are web3.js, ethers.js, and web3.py. These libraries are widely used in the Web3 community and provide similar functionality.

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Install a Web3 library

Learn how to install Web3 libraries and connect to a blockchain for developing DApps.

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JavaScript libraries

To install a Web3 JavaScript library, you need node.js installed on your machine:

Then you can install the library using npm:

npm install web3

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Python libraries

To install and use a Python library, you first need to install Python in your system:

Install Python

Then you can install the library using pip:

web3.py
pip install web3

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Get started

To get started with Web3 libraries, you will need to have a basic understanding of the EVM and smart contracts. It is also recommended to have a local development environment set up. Once you have set up your development environment, you can start interacting with different blockchains using the Web3 library of your choice.

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Create a node instance

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web3.js

To get started with web3.js, you will need to create a provider instance. This can be done by instantiating the Web3 class and passing in the URL of an Ethereum node deployed with Chainstack. For example:

web3.js
const { Web3 } = require("web3");



const node_url = "CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL";

const web3 = new Web3(node_url);

In web3.js V4, numeric values are returned as BigInt, identifiable by the n suffix (e.g., 247n). This change ensures high-precision handling of large integers in blockchain applications. Remember to either convert these values to standard integers or adapt other values to BigInt when performing mathematical operations.

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ethers.js

Ethers.js supports ChainstackProvider. You can create a ChainstackProvider instance and connect to Ethereum Mainnet (mainnet), Arbitrum (arbitrum), BNB Smart Chain Mainnet (bnb), Polygon (matic).

For example:

ethers.js
const ethers = require("ethers");



// Create a ChainstackProvider instance for Ethereum mainnet

const chainstack = new ethers.ChainstackProvider("mainnet"); // Swap 'mainnet' for 'arbitrum', 'bnb' , and 'matic'

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Viem

To get started with Viem, set up client instance with a transport. This can be done with createPublicClient and passing in the URL of an Ethereum node deployed with Chainstack. For example:

Viem
import { createPublicClient, http } from 'viem';



const publicClient = createPublicClient({

  transport: http('CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL')

});

Viem typically adheres to the ES6 standard for module imports.

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web3.py

To start with web3.py, you will need to create a provider instance. This can be done by instantiating the Web3 class and passing in the URL of an Ethereum node deployed with Chainstack. For example:

web3.py
from web3 import Web3



node_url = "CHAINSTACK_NODE_URL"

web3 = Web3(Web3.HTTPProvider(node_url))

Once you have created a provider instance, you can use the functions provided by the library to interact with a blockchain.