Whether you’re a seasoned blockchain developer or just starting, this guide will walk you through the essential steps to begin your journey on the world’s leading blockchain for sports and entertainment.
Chiliz Chain is an EVM-compatible, Layer-1 blockchain that uses a Proof-of-Staked Authority (PoSA) consensus mechanism. This makes it a scalable and secure platform for developing your sports-inspired dApp.
Dive into the Official Documentation
The best place to start is the official Chiliz Chain Developer Docs. Here you’ll find everything from the basics of connecting to the chain to in-depth tutorials and compatible tools. It’s your single source of truth for all things Chiliz Chain development.
Understand Fan Tokens
Fan Tokens are at the heart of the Chiliz ecosystem. These digital assets give fans a share of influence in their favorite teams. As a developer, you can create new and innovative ways for fans to use their tokens.
Take a Free Course
If you’re looking for a more structured learning path, check out the free “Build on Chiliz” course on Rise In. This course will take you from the basics to building your own dApps on Chiliz Chain.
Explore the Chiliz Ecosystem
Before you build, it’s a good idea to see what’s already out there. Explore the Chiliz Chain Ecosystem to learn about the wallets, tools, and projects that are already part of the community. This will give you a better understanding of the landscape and might even spark some new ideas.
Set up your MetaMask
MetaMask is a popular browser extension that serves as a wallet for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain and other EVM-compatible chains like Chiliz. If you don’t already have it, download and install MetaMask. Our docs have a guide on how to link Chiliz Chain and MetaMask.
Connect to Spicy Testnet
The Spicy Testnet is where you’ll do your development and testing. It’s a playground that mirrors the mainnet, but with no real-world value attached to the tokens. The documentation provides clear instructions on how to connect to Chiliz Chain, including the Spicy Testnet.
Get Tesnet Tokens
You’ll need some test CHZ to deploy and interact with your smart contracts on the Spicy Testnet. You can get free test tokens from a faucet. We provide Spicy Faucet, and you can also use Tatum’s Chiliz Faucet.
Choose Your Developer Tools
Chiliz Chain is compatible with many popular Ethereum development tools. You can use tools like:
- thirdweb: A platform that provides pre-built smart contracts and an SDK to build and launch web3 apps.
- Tatum: An API-based platform that simplifies blockchain development.
- Moralis: Provides a suite of tools for building dApps.
Write and Deploy Your First Smart Contract
The core of any dApp is its smart contract. You’ll write your contracts in Solidity, the most popular language for EVM-compatible chains. If you’re new to smart contract development, there are plenty of resources available online.
You can use a development environment like the browser-based Remix IDE for a quick start, or set up a professional local environment using frameworks like Hardhat or Foundry. Once you’ve written your logic and compiled the code, you can deploy it directly to the Spicy Testnet.
Remember to use a Solidity version at or below 0.8.23, as Chiliz Chain does not yet fully support the latest versions.
Leverage Real-World Data
Many SportFi applications rely on real-world data, such as match results, player statistics, or event schedules. Oracles are services that securely bring this off-chain data onto the blockchain. The Pyth Network, a leading oracle solution, is live on Chiliz Chain, providing developers with access to reliable, high-frequency data feeds to power dApps.
Rely on Block Explorers
Chiliscan and Chiliz Chain Explorer are the block explorers for Chiliz Chain. Use them to view transactions, blocks, and wallet addresses on the network. They are essential tools for debugging and understanding what’s happening on the chain.
Deploy on Chiliz Mainnet
Once you’ve thoroughly tested your dApp on the Spicy Testnet and you’re confident that it’s ready for the world, it’s time to deploy to the Chiliz Chain Mainnet. This is the final step in bringing your vision to life and making it available to millions of sports and entertainment fans around the globe.
Supercharge Your Workflow with AI
Want to accelerate your development process or get help scaffolding your project? Our documentation includes a guide on how to build a dApp with AI tools.
This walkthrough demonstrates how to use Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT to generate boilerplate smart contract code, create frontend components, and quickly test ideas. It’s a fantastic way to boost productivity and learn by seeing how AI can assist in common development tasks.
Join the Community
Join the official Chiliz Discord server and the Build on Chiliz Telegram channel to connect with other developers, ask questions, and share your work. These are a great places to get help and stay up-to-date on the latest news and developments.
Earn Rewards with Chiliz Greenhouse
Chiliz Greenhouse is your gateway to earning rewards for your contributions to the Chiliz ecosystem. It’s a platform where you can find bounties, freelance gigs, and grant opportunities for both developers and non-technical talent. By completing tasks and projects, you can earn CHZ and get recognized for your skills. It’s a great way to get involved, build your reputation, and get paid for helping to grow the Chiliz Chain.
