Blockchain Development Programming Tutorials, Guides & Best Practices

• API: This script sends a GET request to Etherscan's API to fetch the balance of the specified Ethereum wallet.
• Use Case: Ideal for applications needing read-only access to Ethereum data.

Use Infura when you need to interact with the Ethereum blockchain in real-time. Infura allows you to send transactions, deploy contracts, and interact with smart contracts. It is essential for decentralized applications (dApps) and any use case where you need to write to the blockchain.

const ethers = require('ethers');

// Replace with your Infura Project ID
const infuraProvider = new ethers.JsonRpcProvider('https://mainnet.infura.io/v3/YOUR_INFURA_PROJECT_ID');

// Replace with your wallet's private key
const privateKey = 'YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY';

// Create a wallet instance and connect it to Infura
const wallet = new ethers.Wallet(privateKey, infuraProvider);

// Replace with the recipient's Ethereum address
const recipientAddress = '0xRecipientEthereumAddress';

// Amount to send (in Ether)
const amountInEther = '0.01';

async function sendTransaction() {
    try {
        // Convert Ether to Wei (the smallest unit of Ether)
        const amountInWei = ethers.utils.parseEther(amountInEther);

        // Create the transaction
        const tx = {
            to: recipientAddress,
            value: amountInWei,
            gasLimit: ethers.utils.hexlify(21000), // Gas limit for basic transactions
            gasPrice: await infuraProvider.getGasPrice() // Get current gas price from Infura
        };

        // Send the transaction
        const transaction = await wallet.sendTransaction(tx);

        console.log('Transaction sent:', transaction.hash);

        // Wait for the transaction to be mined
        const receipt = await transaction.wait();
        console.log('Transaction confirmed:', receipt);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Error sending transaction:', error);
    }
}

// Call the function to send the transaction
sendTransaction();

• Infura Provider: You connect to the Ethereum network using the Infura provider (infuraProvider), which allows you to interact with Ethereum nodes.
• Private Key: Replace 'YOUR_PRIVATE_KEY' with your Ethereum wallet’s private key (keep it secure).
• Recipient Address: Replace '0xRecipientEthereumAddress' with the Ethereum address you want to send Ether to.
• Gas and Fees: The gasLimit and gasPrice fields are required for sending transactions. The getGasPrice function retrieves the current gas price from the Infura node.

In this tutorial, we built a decentralized application (dApp) using Solidity, Ethereum, and IPFS. We covered the entire process from writing and deploying a smart contract, interacting with the contract through a React-based front-end, to integrating decentralized file storage using IPFS. This dApp architecture provides a foundation for developing more complex decentralized applications, offering users increased security, transparency, and control over their data.

The skills learned here can be extended to more advanced dApp development, including interacting with other decentralized protocols, enhancing security, or integrating with existing blockchain services.