Basic Anchor Smart Contracts

anchor init <project_name>

Overview #

This initializes a simplistic workspace set up for Anchor smart contract development, with the following structure:

• Anchor.toml: Anchor configuration file.
• Cargo.toml: Rust workspace configuration file.
• package.json: JavaScript dependencies file.
• programs/: Directory for Solana program crates.
• app/: Directory for your application frontend.
• tests/: Directory for JavaScript integration tests.
• migrations/deploy.js: Deploy script.

The Anchor framework abstracts away many complexities enabling fast program development.

Build and Test #

To test out this project before making any modifications, just build and test:

anchor build

anchor test

To start writing your own Anchor smart contract, navigate to programs/src/lib.rs.

File Structure Template #

For more complex programs, using a more structured project template would be the best practice. This can be generated with:

anchor init --template multiple

Which creates the following layout inside of programs/src:

├── constants.rs
├── error.rs
├── instructions
│   ├── initialize.rs
│   └── mod.rs
├── lib.rs
└── state
    └── mod.rs

For project file structure best practices, review this document.

Additional Resources #

• Anchor book
• Getting Started with Anchor
• Program Examples