💬 Banter Blockchain

A decentralized messaging and token platform built on Ethereum

🧪 Banter Blockchain implements both a custom ERC20 token (BanterCoin) and a decentralized chat system that can be used by web3 applications, built with Scaffold-ETH 2 toolkit.

⚙️ Built using NextJS, RainbowKit, Hardhat, Wagmi, Viem, and Typescript.

Core Components

1. BanterCoin (BANT)

• ERC20 compliant token implementation
• Initial supply of 1,000,000 BANT tokens
• Built with OpenZeppelin Contracts v5.0.0
• Secure and auditable token transfers

2. Chat System

• Decentralized chat functionality through smart contracts
• ChatList contract for managing user conversations
• Chat contract for handling individual chat instances
• Features:
  • One-to-one messaging
  • Message history stored on-chain
  • Participant verification
  • Event-based message tracking

Smart Contract Architecture

BanterCoin Contract

• Standard ERC20 implementation with fixed initial supply
• Built-in decimals support
• Transfer and approval functionality

ChatList Contract

• Main registry for all chat instances
• Manages chat creation and lookup
• Maintains user-to-chat mappings
• Prevents duplicate chats between the same users

Chat Contract

• Individual chat instance
• Message sending functionality
• Participant verification
• Event emission for message tracking

Requirements

Before you begin, you need to install the following tools:

• Node (>= v20.18.3)
• Yarn (v1 or v2+)
• Git

Getting Started

To get started with Banter Blockchain using Scaffold-ETH 2, follow the steps below:

1. Clone this repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/banter-blockchain.git
cd banter-blockchain
yarn install

2. Run a local network in the first terminal:

yarn chain

This command starts a local Ethereum network using Hardhat. The network runs on your local machine and can be used for testing and development.

3. On a second terminal, deploy the contracts:

yarn deploy

This command deploys the BanterCoin and ChatList contracts to the local network. The contracts are located in packages/hardhat/contracts and can be modified to suit your needs.

4. On a third terminal, start your NextJS app:

yarn start

Visit your app on: http://localhost:3000. You can interact with your smart contracts using the Debug Contracts page.

Exposing Your Local Blockchain

If you need to expose your local blockchain to the internet (for mobile testing, third-party integration, etc.), you can use ngrok:

1. Install ngrok if you haven't already:

# Using npm
npm install -g ngrok

# Using Homebrew on macOS
brew install ngrok

2. Expose your local blockchain (running on port 8545):

ngrok http 8545

3. Ngrok will provide you with a forwarding URL like https://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io

4. Use this URL in your application:

   • For HTTP RPC: https://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io
   • For WebSocket RPC: wss://a1b2c3d4.ngrok.io

5. Update your configuration to use these URLs where needed:

   • For frontend applications, update your RPC provider URL
   • For wallets or external tools, use the HTTPS URL as the custom RPC endpoint

Note: Ngrok URLs change each time you restart the service unless you have a paid ngrok account. For persistent URLs, consider upgrading to a paid plan.

Testing

Run the test suite to ensure all contracts are functioning correctly:

yarn test

The test suite includes tests for all three contracts:

• BanterCoin token functionality
• Chat messaging capabilities
• ChatList management features

Deployment to a Live Network

To deploy to a testnet or mainnet:

1. Set up your environment variables:

   • Create or modify the .env file in the packages/hardhat directory
   • Add your private key and API keys for the desired network

2. Deploy to your chosen network:

yarn deploy --network <network-name>

Available networks include: sepolia, arbitrum, optimism, polygon, base, etc. (See packages/hardhat/hardhat.config.ts for all options)

3. After deployment, the contracts will be automatically verified on the respective block explorers if configured correctly.

Contract Interactions

Once deployed, you can interact with the contracts through the Scaffold-ETH 2 UI or programmatically:

BanterCoin

• Check your token balance
• Transfer tokens to other addresses
• Approve spending by other contracts

ChatList

• Create new chat instances with other users
• View your list of active chats
• Access individual chat details

Chat

• Send messages to your chat partner
• View message history through emitted events

Security

• Contract security contact: [email protected]
• Built with OpenZeppelin Contracts for battle-tested security
• Follows Solidity best practices and patterns
• Comprehensive test coverage

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.