# Generating artifacts from npm dependencies

Description: How to compile files from npm dependencies and generate compilation artifacts for them

Note: This document was authored using MDX

  Source: https://github.com/NomicFoundation/hardhat-website/tree/main/src/content/docs/docs/cookbook/npm-artifacts.mdx

By default, Hardhat generates compilation artifacts for all the contracts in your project, but not for those in the project's npm dependencies. If you want to generate artifacts for a specific file in an npm dependency, you can use the `npmFilesToBuild` property:

```ts
// hardhat.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from "hardhat/config";

export default defineConfig({
  // ...
  solidity: {
    version: "0.8.29",
    npmFilesToBuild: ["some-dependency/contracts/SomeContract.sol"],
  },
});
```

You can use artifacts to deploy contracts, obtain their ABIs, and more. For example, once you've configured Hardhat to generate artifacts for `some-dependency/contracts/SomeContract.sol`, you can use that contract in your tests like this:

```ts
const someContract = await viem.deployContract("SomeContract");
```