Knowledge Bank

Smart contracts

Understanding smart contract development and best practices

Smart contracts

Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with terms directly written into code.

Core concepts

Contract Structure

  • State variables
  • Functions
  • Events
  • Modifiers

Contract Types

  • Standard contracts
  • Library contracts
  • Interface contracts
  • Proxy contracts

Development lifecycle

1. Design

  • Requirements analysis
  • Architecture planning
  • Security considerations
  • Gas optimization

2. Implementation

  • Code writing
  • Testing
  • Documentation
  • Optimization

3. Deployment

  • Network selection
  • Gas estimation
  • Contract verification
  • Initial setup

Security considerations

  1. Common Vulnerabilities

    • Reentrancy
    • Integer overflow
    • Access control
    • Front-running
  2. Best Practices

    • Checks-Effects-Interactions
    • Pull over Push
    • Emergency stops
    • Access controls

Testing & verification

Unit testing

  • Function testing
  • State changes
  • Event emissions
  • Error conditions

Integration testing

  • Contract interactions
  • System workflows
  • Edge cases
  • Gas optimization

Always audit smart contracts thoroughly before deployment to production networks.

On this page