ethers vs wagmi vs @rainbow-me/rainbowkit vs @web3-react/core
Web3 Development Libraries Comparison
1 Year
etherswagmi@rainbow-me/rainbowkit@web3-react/coreSimilar Packages:
What's Web3 Development Libraries?

These libraries facilitate the integration of blockchain technology into web applications, particularly focusing on Ethereum and other decentralized networks. They provide tools for managing user wallets, connecting to decentralized applications (dApps), and interacting with smart contracts, thereby enhancing the development experience and user engagement in the Web3 ecosystem.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
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Publish
License
ethers1,640,7758,12412.6 MB5762 months agoMIT
wagmi229,1386,1981.03 MB12a day agoMIT
@rainbow-me/rainbowkit67,3452,5253.2 MB434 days agoMIT
@web3-react/core39,9265,61067.6 kB175a year agoGPL-3.0-or-later
Feature Comparison: ethers vs wagmi vs @rainbow-me/rainbowkit vs @web3-react/core

User Experience

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js does not focus on user interface components but provides robust functionality for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. It allows developers to create their own user experiences by managing wallet connections and transactions programmatically, which can be integrated into any UI framework.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi provides a set of hooks that simplify the process of connecting wallets and managing blockchain state, which can lead to a better user experience in React applications. It abstracts away much of the complexity, allowing developers to focus on building engaging interfaces.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    RainbowKit excels in providing a polished user interface for wallet connections, allowing users to easily select from multiple wallets. It includes built-in modals and notifications that enhance the onboarding experience, making it intuitive for users to interact with dApps.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Web3-react offers flexibility in user experience, allowing developers to create their own wallet connection UI. While it does not provide pre-built components, it gives developers the freedom to design their own interfaces, which can lead to a more tailored user experience.

Integration with React

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js is framework-agnostic, meaning it can be used with any JavaScript framework, including React. However, it requires more manual setup to manage wallet connections within React components, which may increase development time compared to libraries specifically designed for React.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi is tailored for React and leverages hooks to provide a modern approach to managing blockchain interactions. It simplifies the integration process by offering ready-to-use hooks that handle state and effects, making it ideal for React developers.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    RainbowKit is built specifically for React, providing components that can be easily integrated into React applications. This makes it a great choice for developers who want to quickly implement wallet connections without worrying about compatibility issues.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Web3-react is also designed for React applications, offering hooks and context providers that make it easy to manage wallet connections and state within React's component lifecycle. It is highly customizable, allowing developers to integrate it seamlessly into their existing projects.

Blockchain Interaction

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js is a comprehensive library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain, providing features for contract deployment, transaction management, and event listening. It is well-suited for developers who need detailed control over blockchain interactions and security features.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi simplifies blockchain interactions by providing hooks that manage state and effects related to Ethereum transactions. It abstracts many complexities, allowing developers to focus on building their applications while still providing access to the underlying blockchain functionalities.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    RainbowKit facilitates wallet interactions but does not directly handle blockchain transactions. It focuses on connecting users to their wallets and managing their session, leaving the blockchain interactions to other libraries like ethers.js or web3.js.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Web3-react provides a flexible way to connect to various wallet providers but does not include built-in methods for interacting with the blockchain. Developers typically pair it with libraries like ethers.js to handle transactions and smart contract interactions.

Learning Curve

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js has a steeper learning curve due to its comprehensive nature and the need for developers to understand Ethereum concepts such as transactions, gas fees, and smart contracts. However, it offers extensive documentation to help developers navigate these complexities.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi is designed to be user-friendly for React developers, with a focus on hooks that align with modern React practices. Its API is straightforward, making it easier for developers to learn and implement blockchain interactions in their applications.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    RainbowKit has a gentle learning curve for developers familiar with React, as it provides pre-built components that can be easily integrated. However, understanding wallet connections and user session management is essential for effective use.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Web3-react has a moderate learning curve, requiring developers to understand React context and hooks to manage wallet connections effectively. Its flexibility means that developers need to invest time in designing their own UI and managing state.

Community and Support

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js has a large and active community, with extensive documentation and resources available. It is one of the most popular libraries for Ethereum interaction, ensuring that developers can find help and examples easily.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi is relatively new but has quickly gained popularity among React developers. Its modern approach and focus on hooks have led to a supportive community, with growing resources and documentation available.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    RainbowKit has a growing community and is well-documented, making it easier for developers to find support and resources. Its integration with popular wallets also means that it benefits from the wider ecosystem of wallet providers.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Web3-react has a strong community and is widely used in the React ecosystem. Its flexibility and modularity have led to a wealth of community resources, tutorials, and examples that can assist developers in their projects.

How to Choose: ethers vs wagmi vs @rainbow-me/rainbowkit vs @web3-react/core
  • ethers:

    Opt for ethers.js if you need a comprehensive library for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain, including features for contract deployment, transaction management, and event listening. It is particularly useful for projects that require detailed control over blockchain interactions and a strong focus on security and performance.

  • wagmi:

    Choose wagmi if you want a modern React hooks-based library that simplifies interactions with Ethereum and enhances developer experience. It is great for projects that leverage React's functional components and hooks, providing a streamlined approach to managing state and effects related to blockchain interactions.

  • @rainbow-me/rainbowkit:

    Choose RainbowKit if you need a user-friendly wallet connection experience with customizable UI components for your dApp. It is ideal for projects that prioritize user experience and aesthetics, offering a wide range of wallet options and a seamless onboarding process.

  • @web3-react/core:

    Select web3-react if you require a flexible and lightweight solution for managing wallet connections in your React application. It is best suited for developers looking for a customizable approach to integrate various wallet providers without enforcing a specific UI design.

README for ethers

The Ethers Project

npm (tag) CI Tests npm bundle size (version) npm (downloads) GitPOAP Badge Twitter Follow


A complete, compact and simple library for Ethereum and ilk, written in TypeScript.

Features

  • Keep your private keys in your client, safe and sound
  • Import and export JSON wallets (Geth, Parity and crowdsale)
  • Import and export BIP 39 mnemonic phrases (12 word backup phrases) and HD Wallets (English as well as Czech, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese)
  • Meta-classes create JavaScript objects from any contract ABI, including ABIv2 and Human-Readable ABI
  • Connect to Ethereum nodes over JSON-RPC, INFURA, Etherscan, Alchemy, Ankr or MetaMask
  • ENS names are first-class citizens; they can be used anywhere an Ethereum addresses can be used
  • Small (~144kb compressed; 460kb uncompressed)
  • Tree-shaking focused; include only what you need during bundling
  • Complete functionality for all your Ethereum desires
  • Extensive documentation
  • Large collection of test cases which are maintained and added to
  • Fully written in TypeScript, with strict types for security and safety
  • MIT License (including ALL dependencies); completely open source to do with as you please

Keep Updated

For advisories and important notices, follow @ethersproject on Twitter (low-traffic, non-marketing, important information only) as well as watch this GitHub project.

For more general news, discussions, and feedback, follow or DM me, @ricmoo on Twitter or on the Ethers Discord.

For the latest changes, see the CHANGELOG.

Summaries

Installing

NodeJS

/home/ricmoo/some_project> npm install ethers

Browser (ESM)

The bundled library is available in the ./dist/ folder in this repo.

<script type="module">
    import { ethers } from "./dist/ethers.min.js";
</script>

Documentation

Browse the documentation online:

Providers

Ethers works closely with an ever-growing list of third-party providers to ensure getting started is quick and easy, by providing default keys to each service.

These built-in keys mean you can use ethers.getDefaultProvider() and start developing right away.

However, the API keys provided to ethers are also shared and are intentionally throttled to encourage developers to eventually get their own keys, which unlock many other features, such as faster responses, more capacity, analytics and other features like archival data.

When you are ready to sign up and start using for your own keys, please check out the Provider API Keys in the documentation.

A special thanks to these services for providing community resources:

Extension Packages

The ethers package only includes the most common and most core functionality to interact with Ethereum. There are many other packages designed to further enhance the functionality and experience.

  • MulticallProvider - A Provider which bundles multiple call requests into a single call to reduce latency and backend request capacity
  • MulticoinPlugin - A Provider plugin to expand the support of ENS coin types
  • GanaceProvider - A Provider for in-memory node instances, for fast debugging, testing and simulating blockchain operations
  • Optimism Utilities - A collection of Optimism utilities
  • LedgerSigner - A Signer to interact directly with Ledger Hardware Wallets

License

MIT License (including all dependencies).