Setting up an Arch Network Project

This guide walks you through creating your first Arch Network project using the arch-cli tool. You'll learn how to set up, build, and deploy a "Hello World" program to the Arch Network.

Project Setup Animation

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following dependencies installed:

  • Arch-Cli(Latest)
  • Cargo(v1.81.0 or later)
  • Bitcoin Core and Electrs: Required for local validation

Project Setup

1. Clone the Example Repository

Start by cloning the Arch Network examples repository:

# Clone the examples repository
git clone https://github.com/Arch-Network/arch-examples.git

# Navigate to the Hello World example
cd arch-examples/examples/helloworld

Project Structure

After cloning, you'll see the following project structure:

The helloworld folder should look like this:


helloworld/
├── Cargo.toml              # Workspace configuration
├── program/                # Program directory containing on-chain code
│   ├── Cargo.lock
│   ├── Cargo.toml         # Program dependencies
│   └── src/
│       └── lib.rs         # Program logic
└── src/                   # Client-side code
    └── lib.rs             # Client interface

2. Build the program

Build the program using the Solana BPF compiler:

# Navigate to the program directory
cd program

# Build the program using Solana's BPF compiler
cargo build-sbf

This command compiles your Rust code into a format that can be deployed to the Arch Network.

3. Start the local validator

Start a local validator for testing:

# Start the Arch Network validator
arch-cli validator-start

Important: Ensure Bitcoin Core and Electrs are properly configured and running before starting the validator. See the setup guide for details.

4. Deploy the program

Deploy your compiled program to the local Arch Network:

# Deploy the program
arch-cli deploy

Troubleshooting

Common issues and solutions:

  • If cargo build-sbf fails:

    • Ensure you have the latest version of Rust and Cargo
    • Check that all dependencies are properly installed

  • If validator fails to start:

    • Verify Bitcoin Core and Electrs are running
    • Check the logs for specific error messages