Developer tutorials & resources

Overview

Cronos is fully EVM-compatible, so nearly everything you know from Ethereum applies: Solidity, Hardhat, Foundry, common web3 libraries and EVM wallets. If you already shipped applications on Ethereum or any other EVM chain — you are instantly productive on Cronos.

This page gives you an opinionated path for building on Cronos efficiently — from installing a wallet to deploying production-grade contracts. If you're new to the ecosystem, reviewing the Architecture and Background pages will help you understand how Cronos fits into the broader EVM landscape.

If you're evaluating Cronos from a product perspective, check the homepage for a compact overview of features and advantages: Cronos Wallet.

Recommended path for new builders

If you are starting fresh, following this sequence once will give you a clear understanding of how a Cronos dApp is structured end-to-end. Each step links to short, focused pages from the documentation so you don’t get stuck jumping between sources.

1. Install a wallet and connect to Cronos.
   Use the Install guide to set up Cronos Wallet and confirm that you can connect to Cronos mainnet or testnet. This also helps verify that your local machine and browser extensions work correctly with EVM wallets.
2. Fund a testnet account.
   Obtain test CRO from public faucets and send a few transactions to test performance. Cronos gas fees are low, but estimating them correctly matters — see the FAQ for gas behavior & RPC nuances.
3. Set up your smart contract environment.
   Start a new Hardhat or Foundry project and configure Cronos networks. You can reuse snippets from Smart contracts or copy the minimal Hardhat config below. At this step you may also want to explore Getting started to understand available local dev options.
4. Deploy something simple.
   Deploy an ERC-20, ERC-721 or a simple storage contract to testnet and verify it in the Cronos explorer. Avoid UI work during this phase — the goal is to ensure your deployment scripts, RPC setup and environment variables are correct and repeatable.
5. Add a minimal front-end.
   Build a thin React or Next.js UI that connects the wallet, reads one contract value and performs a simple transaction. Most developers start by integrating the same wallet flows used on the Downloads page of the main site.
6. Prepare for mainnet.
   Once testnet logic works smoothly: clean up config, enable network switching, run additional testing, and formalize your build pipeline. Before mainnet deployment, review the Release Notes to ensure you’re aware of the latest RPC changes and network upgrades.

Tools & stack

Cronos works with all standard Ethereum tooling, but the combination below is particularly effective for teams building production-ready dApps.

Example Hardhat configuration

A minimal Hardhat configuration including both Cronos testnet and mainnet:

With this config in place, deploy to testnet using: npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network cronosTestnet. After validating your results, switch to cronosMainnet. If you need more examples, the Smart contracts page contains common patterns you can reuse.

Starter project ideas

These starter patterns cover typical early-stage needs and can grow into full applications. They are also useful for validating your development setup.

Next steps

• Implement and test a contract from the Smart contracts page.
• Revisit Architecture to understand where your dApp fits in the Cronos environment.
• Make sure common user questions from the FAQ are addressed in your own documentation or UI.
• Stay updated with network changes via the News section when preparing for production deployment.