# The Hardhat Runtime Environment

Description: An explanation about what the Hardhat Runtime Environment (HRE) is

Note: This document was authored using MDX

  Source: https://github.com/NomicFoundation/hardhat-website/tree/main/src/content/docs/docs/explanations/hardhat-runtime-environment.mdx

The Hardhat Runtime Environment, or HRE for short, is an object containing all the functionality that Hardhat exposes when running a task, test, script, or executing a plugin. You can think of the HRE as being Hardhat itself.

The HRE centralizes coordination across all Hardhat components. This architecture allows plugins to inject functionality that becomes available everywhere the HRE is accessible.

## Using the Hardhat Runtime Environment

You can use the HRE when you:

- Run a Hardhat Task: it's received as a parameter

- Run a TypeScript test: import it with
  ```ts
  import hre from "hardhat";
  ```
- Run a script: import it with

  ```ts
  import hre from "hardhat";
  ```

- Manually construct it using the functions exported in `"hardhat/hre"`

## The Hardhat Runtime Environment's functionality

The Hardhat Runtime Environment has the following properties:

- `config`: The resolved config that Hardhat uses.
- `userConfig`: The config as provided by the user.
- `artifacts`: An object that lets you read the compilation artifacts of your project.
- `network`: An object [used to connect to live networks and create blockchain simulations](/docs/explanations/network-management).
- `globalOptions`: The [Global Options](/docs/explanations/global-options) of the HRE.
- `hooks`: The [`HookManager`](/docs/plugin-development/explanations/hooks) used by plugins to customize Hardhat's behavior.
- `interruptions`: The `UserInterruptionsManager` used by plugins to safely handle I/O from Hook Handlers.
- `solidity`: The Solidity build system.
- `tasks`: The `TaskManager` used to run Hardhat Tasks.
- `versions`: An object with the version of Hardhat and its key dependencies.

You can also import each of them as named imports, like this:

```ts
import {
  config,
  userConfig,
  artifacts,
  network,
  globalOptions,
  hooks,
  interruptions,
  solidity,
  tasks,
  versions,
} from "hardhat";
```