ethers vs viem vs web3 vs wagmi vs hardhat vs moralis vs truffle
Ethereum Development Libraries Comparison
1 Year
ethersviemweb3wagmihardhatmoralistruffleSimilar Packages:
What's Ethereum Development Libraries?

These libraries are essential tools for developers working with Ethereum and blockchain technologies. They provide functionalities for interacting with smart contracts, managing blockchain data, and building decentralized applications (dApps). Each library has its unique features and use cases, catering to different aspects of Ethereum development, from testing and deployment to user interface integration and wallet management.

Package Weekly Downloads Trend
Github Stars Ranking
Stat Detail
Package
Downloads
Stars
Size
Issues
Publish
License
ethers1,616,4398,12412.6 MB5762 months agoMIT
viem704,7782,76615.4 MB113 days agoMIT
web3483,41219,6303.46 MB1583 months agoLGPL-3.0
wagmi227,6176,1981.03 MB122 days agoMIT
hardhat220,3967,5332.6 MB5602 days agoMIT
moralis26,61937611.8 MB106 months agoMIT
truffle15,13914,01059.2 MB528a year agoMIT
Feature Comparison: ethers vs viem vs web3 vs wagmi vs hardhat vs moralis vs truffle

Ease of Use

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js is designed with simplicity in mind, offering a straightforward API that makes it easy for developers to interact with Ethereum. Its clear documentation and modular design allow for quick integration into projects.

  • viem:

    Viem focuses on performance and TypeScript support, making it easy to use for developers familiar with modern JavaScript practices. Its minimalistic design allows for quick integration without unnecessary complexity.

  • web3:

    Web3.js is a powerful library with a steep learning curve due to its extensive features. However, once mastered, it provides comprehensive tools for interacting with Ethereum.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi provides a set of React hooks that streamline Ethereum interactions, making it very easy for React developers to manage blockchain state and actions within their components.

  • hardhat:

    Hardhat provides a user-friendly interface for managing smart contracts, with built-in commands for testing and deployment. Its extensive documentation and community support make it accessible for both beginners and experienced developers.

  • moralis:

    Moralis abstracts many complexities of blockchain development, allowing developers to focus on building features rather than infrastructure. Its dashboard and SDK simplify backend management, making it user-friendly for dApp developers.

  • truffle:

    Truffle offers a structured approach to Ethereum development, with a clear workflow for compiling, testing, and deploying contracts. However, its initial setup may require some learning for new users.

Integration with Frameworks

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js can be easily integrated with various frameworks and libraries, making it versatile for different project setups. It works well with both frontend and backend technologies.

  • viem:

    Viem is designed to work seamlessly with modern JavaScript frameworks, particularly React, allowing for easy integration of Ethereum functionalities into applications.

  • web3:

    Web3.js can be integrated into various frameworks, but it may require more boilerplate code compared to other libraries, which can slow down development.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi is specifically built for React, providing hooks that simplify the integration of Ethereum functionalities directly into React components, enhancing developer productivity.

  • hardhat:

    Hardhat is primarily a development tool but can be integrated with frontend frameworks through plugins and scripts, allowing for a seamless development experience.

  • moralis:

    Moralis provides SDKs for various frontend frameworks, making it easy to integrate blockchain functionalities into applications without extensive backend setup.

  • truffle:

    Truffle integrates well with frontend frameworks but requires additional configuration for optimal use, which may be a barrier for some developers.

Testing Capabilities

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js does not provide built-in testing tools but can be used alongside testing frameworks like Mocha or Jest for unit testing smart contracts and interactions.

  • viem:

    Viem does not offer dedicated testing tools but can be used with existing JavaScript testing frameworks to test Ethereum interactions effectively.

  • web3:

    Web3.js does not have built-in testing capabilities but can be integrated with testing frameworks to validate interactions with the Ethereum blockchain.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi does not provide testing tools but can be tested using standard React testing libraries, allowing developers to ensure their components interact correctly with Ethereum.

  • hardhat:

    Hardhat comes with a powerful testing framework that allows developers to write and run tests for their smart contracts easily. It supports Solidity testing and provides tools for debugging.

  • moralis:

    Moralis does not focus on testing smart contracts directly but provides tools for testing dApp functionalities through its real-time database and API capabilities.

  • truffle:

    Truffle includes a robust testing framework that allows for writing tests in JavaScript or Solidity, making it easy to ensure smart contracts behave as expected before deployment.

Community Support

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js has a growing community and extensive documentation, providing support through GitHub and various forums, making it easier for developers to find help.

  • viem:

    Viem is newer but has a dedicated community focused on performance and modern development practices, with growing resources available.

  • web3:

    Web3.js has a long-standing community with extensive resources, making it one of the most supported libraries for Ethereum development.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi has a supportive community primarily within the React ecosystem, with good documentation and examples available to assist developers.

  • hardhat:

    Hardhat has a strong community and active development, with plenty of resources, tutorials, and plugins available to assist developers.

  • moralis:

    Moralis has a rapidly growing community, especially among dApp developers, with extensive documentation and support channels to help users.

  • truffle:

    Truffle has been around for a long time and has a large community, with numerous tutorials, forums, and resources available for developers.

Performance

  • ethers:

    Ethers.js is lightweight and optimized for performance, making it a good choice for applications that require fast interactions with the Ethereum blockchain.

  • viem:

    Viem is designed for performance, focusing on minimizing overhead and maximizing efficiency in Ethereum interactions, making it suitable for high-performance applications.

  • web3:

    Web3.js is powerful but can be less performant than newer libraries due to its size and complexity, which may affect load times and responsiveness.

  • wagmi:

    Wagmi is optimized for React applications, ensuring efficient state management and interactions with Ethereum, which can lead to better performance in dApps.

  • hardhat:

    Hardhat is optimized for development speed, allowing for quick iterations during the development process, but its performance in production environments depends on the contracts being tested.

  • moralis:

    Moralis provides high-performance backend capabilities, allowing for real-time data syncing and efficient user management, which can enhance dApp performance.

  • truffle:

    Truffle's performance is generally good, but it can be slower compared to other libraries when managing large projects due to its comprehensive feature set.

How to Choose: ethers vs viem vs web3 vs wagmi vs hardhat vs moralis vs truffle
  • ethers:

    Choose Ethers.js if you need a lightweight, easy-to-use library for interacting with Ethereum. It's great for projects that require a simple API for sending transactions, reading smart contract data, and handling wallet functionalities.

  • viem:

    Choose Viem if you need a modern, flexible library that focuses on performance and TypeScript support. It is suitable for developers who want a minimalistic approach while still having access to powerful features for Ethereum interaction.

  • web3:

    Use Web3.js if you require a well-established library with extensive community support for interacting with the Ethereum blockchain. It is suitable for projects that need a comprehensive solution for both frontend and backend interactions.

  • wagmi:

    Select Wagmi if you are building React applications and need a set of hooks for managing Ethereum state and interactions. It simplifies the integration of Ethereum functionalities into React components, making it ideal for frontend developers.

  • hardhat:

    Select Hardhat if you are looking for a comprehensive development environment that includes testing, deployment, and debugging tools. It is ideal for developers who want to build, test, and deploy smart contracts efficiently.

  • moralis:

    Opt for Moralis if you want a backend solution that simplifies the development of dApps. It provides real-time database capabilities, user authentication, and easy integration with various blockchain networks, making it suitable for rapid development.

  • truffle:

    Use Truffle if you are focused on building and testing smart contracts with a robust framework. It offers a suite of tools for compiling, deploying, and managing smart contracts, making it ideal for larger projects with complex requirements.

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).