# Deployment overview

Description: How to deploy a smart contract using Hardhat

Note: This document was authored using MDX

  Source: https://github.com/NomicFoundation/hardhat-website/tree/main/src/content/docs/docs/guides/deployment/index.mdx

  Components used in this page:
    - <Run cmd="..."/>: Runs a command in the terminal with npm/pnpm/yarn.
    - :::tip: A helpful tip callout block. Supports custom title `:::tip[Title]` and icon `:::tip{icon="name"}` syntax.
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import Run from "@hh/Run.astro";

Hardhat's flexibility allows you to deploy your smart contracts in multiple ways. We also provide an official deployment solution: [**Hardhat Ignition**](/ignition), which we strongly recommend.

In this section we'll prepare the common setup and config to deploy and initialize a contract to Sepolia in the next two guides:

- First, [using Hardhat Ignition](/docs/guides/deployment/using-ignition)
- Then, [using a script](/docs/guides/deployment/using-scripts)

## Required setup

Both guides assume you initialized a project based on viem or ethers using `hardhat --init`. If you didn't, follow the [Getting started](/getting-started) guide first.

You'll need access to a Sepolia RPC URL and an account with Sepolia ETH. We'll set them up next.

:::tip

You can use a service like [Alchemy](https://www.alchemy.com/) to get a Sepolia RPC URL and [their faucet](https://www.alchemy.com/faucets/ethereum-sepolia) to get some Sepolia ETH.

:::

### Sepolia Network Config

If you followed the [Getting started](/getting-started) guide, your config should look something like this:

```ts {7-12}
// ... some imports ...

export default defineConfig({
  // ... other config ...
  networks: {
    // ... other network config ...
    sepolia: {
      type: "http",
      chainType: "l1",
      url: configVariable("SEPOLIA_RPC_URL"),
      accounts: [configVariable("SEPOLIA_PRIVATE_KEY")],
    },
  },
});
```

Make sure you have the `sepolia` section, highlighted above.

### Storing the required secrets in the Hardhat Keystore

If you haven't done this while following another guide, store the values for `SEPOLIA_RPC_URL` and `SEPOLIA_PRIVATE_KEY` using the `hardhat-keystore` plugin to save them in an encrypted vault.

To do it, run:

<Run command="hardhat keystore set SEPOLIA_RPC_URL" />

After entering your keystore password, you'll be able to set the RPC URL.

Then run:

<Run command="hardhat keystore set SEPOLIA_PRIVATE_KEY" />

to set a private key.

:::caution

Make sure you only use this private key for testnets and don't store any valuable assets with it.

:::

## Next steps

With the setup in place, you can now:

- Read [Using Hardhat Ignition](/docs/guides/deployment/using-ignition) for a brief introduction to Ignition.

- Read [Using scripts](/docs/guides/deployment/using-scripts) to learn how to deploy using a script.