> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.algen.network/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Deploy on Algen

> Welcome to the Algen deployment quickstart guide! This comprehensive walkthrough will help you set up your environment and deploy smart contracts on the Algen Network. Whether you're a seasoned developer or just starting out, this guide has got you covered.

## What You'll Achieve

By the end of this quickstart, you'll be able to:

* Set up your development environment to deploy on Algen
* Deploy your smart contracts to Algen L2
* Connect your frontend to your smart contracts

## Set Up Your Development Environment

1. Create a new project directory

```bash theme={null}
mkdir my-algen-project && cd my-algen-project
```

1. Install Foundry, a powerful framework for smart contract development

```bash theme={null}
curl -L <https://foundry.paradigm.xyz> | bash
foundryup
```

This installs Foundry and updates it to the latest version.

1. Initialize a new Solidity project

```bash theme={null}
forge init
```

Your Foundry project is now ready. You'll find an example contract in the `src` directory, which you can replace with your own contracts. For the purposes of this guide, we'll use the Counter contract provided in `/src/Counter.sol`

## Configure Foundry with Algen

To deploy your smart contracts to Algen, you need two key components:

1. A node connection to interact with the Algen network
2. A funded private key to deploy the contract

Let's set up both of these:

### 1. Set up your node connection

1. Create a `.env` file in your project's root directory
2. Add the Algen network RPC URL to your `.env` file

```bash theme={null}
ALGEN_L2_RPC_URL="<https://rpc.alg2.algen.network>"
ALGEN_L2_TEST_RPC_URL="<https://rpc.alg2-test.algen.network>"
```

1. Load your environment variables

```bash theme={null}
source .env
```

### 2. Secure your private key

1. Store your private key in Foundry's secure keystore

```bash theme={null}
cast wallet import deployer --interactive
```

1. When prompted enter your private key and a password.

Your private key is stored in `~/.foundry/keystores` which is not tracked by git.

## Deploy Your Contracts

Now that your environment is set up, let's deploy your contracts to Algen L2 Testnet.

1. (Optional) First, perform a dry run to simulate the deployment and verify everything is configured correctly:

```bash theme={null}
forge create ./src/Counter.sol:Counter --rpc-url $ALGEN_L2_TEST_RPC_URL --account deployer
```

This performs a simulation without broadcasting the transaction to the network. You'll see the transaction details and contract ABI, but no actual deployment will occur.

1. Deploy your contract by adding the `--broadcast` flag:

```bash theme={null}
forge create ./src/Counter.sol:Counter --rpc-url $ALGEN_L2_TEST_RPC_URL --account deployer --broadcast
```

Note the format of the contract being deployed is `<contract-path>:<contract-name>`.

1. After successful deployment, you'll see output including:

`Deployer: 0x... Deployed to: 0x... <-- YOUR CONTRACT ADDRESS Transaction hash: 0x...`

1. Copy the deployed contract address and add it to your `.env` file:

```bash theme={null}
COUNTER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS="0x..."
```

Replace `0x...` with your actual deployed contract address from the output above.

1. Load the new environment variable:

```bash theme={null}
source .env
```

### Verify Your Deployment

To ensure your contract was deployed successfully:

1. Check the transaction on [Algen L2 Test Scan](https://scan.alg2-test.algen.network) using your transaction hash
2. Use the `cast` command to interact with your deployed contract from the command line:

```bash theme={null}
cast call $COUNTER_CONTRACT_ADDRESS "number()(uint256)" --rpc-url $ALGEN_L2_TEST_RPC_URL
```

This will return the initial value of the Counter contract's `number` storage variable, which will be `0`.

**Congratulations! You've deployed your smart contracts to Algen L2 Testnet!**