Setting Up Your Development Environment on OP_NET

The OP_NET metaprotocol offers various environments for developers to test and deploy their decentralized applications and tokens. Whether you’re developing locally or interacting with OP_NET, it provides access to different RPC endpoints and resources, including test BTC faucets. This section outlines key information for setting up your development environment and connecting to OP_NET.

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Prerequisites

Before you start developing on OP_NET, make sure you have the following installed and set up:

• Google Chrome: Required for installing the OP_WALLET extension to manage your tokens and interact with the OP_NET metaprotocol.

• Node.js (v18.x or higher): Required for running JavaScript/TypeScript projects and interacting with OP_NET.

• Yarn or npm: Package managers for installing dependencies and building your projects. You can choose either Yarn or npm:

  • Install Yarn

  • Install npm (included with Node.js)

• OP_WALLET Chrome Extension: A wallet specifically built for managing tokens and interacting with the OP_NET metaprotocol.

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NPM Resources

The OP_NET ecosystem includes several NPM packages to streamline development:

Package	Description
opnet	The OP_NET JavaScript SDK for interacting with the OP_NET metaprotocol.
@btc-vision/transaction	The OP_NET Transaction Builder library for creating and signing transactions within the OP_NET environment.
@btc-vision/btc-runtime	The smart contract runtime, written in AssemblyScript, for creating contracts using OP_NET.
@btc-vision/bsi-binary	Classes for creating and reading calldata for BSI transactions.
@btc-vision/bsi-bitcoin-rpc	A library for interacting with the Bitcoin ecosystem through the OP_NET metaprotocol.

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RPC Providers

OP_NET provides several RPC endpoints to help developers interact with its different environments. These RPC providers allow you to connect your applications to the OP_NET metaprotocol:

Provider	URL	Status
Mainnet	api.opnet.org	Disabled
Testnet	testnet.opnet.org	Active
Regtest	regtest.opnet.org	Active
Fractal	fractal.opnet.org	Active

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Faucets

To begin developing on OP_NET, you may need test BTC. The following faucets provide free testnet Bitcoin, which can be used for testing and development on OP_NET:

Network	Link
Regtest	OP_NET Faucet
Fractal	Fractal Faucet