Deploy a Smart Contract on Rootstock Local Node using Geth and Remix

This section walks you through deploying a smart contract on your Rootstock local node using Geth and Remix, a popular online development environment for Ethereum and EVM-compatible blockchains like Rootstock.

Before you begin, ensure the following:

• Java JDK: Installed and accessible on your system. You can check the version using java -version on your terminal.
• Rootstock Local Node: Up and running. Refer to the Rootstock documentation for installation instructions.
• Geth: Installed and configured to connect to the Rootstock node (refer to previous sections for guidance).
• Internet connection: Remix is an online tool that requires internet access.
• Basic understanding of:
  • Smart contracts (optional)
  • Using a terminal/command prompt

Connect Geth to a Rootstock node

• Run Rootstock node and connect Geth
  • Run your Rootstock node using the following command:

    java -cp <PATH-TO-THE-RSKJ-JAR> co.rsk.Start --regtest

  Note: Replace with your path to the JAR file.

• Connect to the node using Geth attach
  • After running the node, connect Geth by running the following command:

    geth attach http://127.0.0.1:4444

Create and deploy a smart contract on Remix

• Create a Smart Contract in Remix
  • Open https://remix.ethereum.org/ in your web browser.
  • Click on the dropdown under the Workspaces section on the left side of the screen.
  • Select -create a new workspace- from the dropdown menu.
  • Create a new file, Register.sol by clicking the file icon under the dropdown.
  • Paste the following code in your newly created file:

    // SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
    
    pragma solidity 0.8.24;
    
    contract Register {
        string private info;
    
        function setInfo(string memory _info) public {
            info = _info;
        }
    
        function getInfo() public view returns (string memory) {
            return info;
        }
    }

• Compile the Smart Contract
  • Click the third button from the left menu pane (Solidity compiler icon).
  • Ensure Enable auto-compile is checked and click Compile Register.sol.
  • Verify a green checkmark and Compilation successful message appear.
• Create Deployment Script
  • Switch to your terminal and create a new file, register.js, using your preferred text editor.
  • In the Remix compiler screen, click the Compilation Details button.
  • Scroll down and find web3Deploy.
  • Copy the text and paste it into your register.js file.
  • Save the file.
• Deploy the Smart Contract
  • In your Geth terminal, type the following command, replacing <path-to-register.js> with the actual path to your file:

    loadScript("<path-to-register.js>")

  Wait for messages and watch for "Contract mined!" indicating successful deployment.

• Interact with the Smart Contract:
  • In your Geth terminal, type register. and press Tab twice to see available methods and the contract address.
  • For example, you can:
    • Check initial information with register.getInfo().
    • Set new information with register.setInfo("RSK", {from: eth.accounts[1]}), replacing "RSK" with your desired information and specifying the sender account (e.g., eth.accounts[1]).
    • Verify the update with register.getInfo().