10 Ethereum Development Tools After Truffle and Ganache

Truffle and Ganache no longer belong in a current list of recommended Ethereum development tools. Consensys announced their sunset on September 21, 2023, and said their codebases would become public archives on December 20, 2023; its retirement and migration notice directed developers toward maintained alternatives including Hardhat and Foundry.

The underlying need has not changed: developers still require software for writing contracts, compiling and testing them, connecting applications to Ethereum, detecting defects, and operating network infrastructure. What has changed is the practical shortlist. The ten selections below cover distinct parts of that workflow rather than treating several overlapping frameworks as equally necessary.

What qualifies as a useful Ethereum development tool now

This is a role-based selection, not a claim that one stack fits every project. Preference goes to maintained software with a defined place in a production workflow: contract development, reusable components, automated analysis, application integration, or direct network access. A browser experiment and a financial protocol handling valuable assets do not need identical tooling.

The current ethereum.org builder directory identifies Hardhat and Foundry for deployment and development, Solidity and OpenZeppelin Contracts for contract work, Slither for static analysis, and viem, ethers.js, and web3.py for application integration. That breadth is important: “Ethereum development software” is now a stack of specialized components, not a single all-inclusive suite.

The 10 Ethereum tools to consider

1. Hardhat

Best for TypeScript-oriented contract projects. Hardhat combines compilation, testing, deployment tasks, debugging support, and an extensible plugin model. It is a sensible default when a team already uses Node.js, TypeScript, and JavaScript-based continuous integration.

Its main advantage is orchestration: one project can define repeatable commands for local tests, deployment, verification, and other release work. Teams should still pin versions and review plugins because an extensible environment inherits dependencies from its surrounding ecosystem.

2. Foundry

Best for Solidity-first testing and terminal workflows. Foundry groups several complementary programs: Forge builds, tests, deploys, and verifies contracts; Anvil supplies a local development node; Cast handles command-line interaction with contracts and JSON-RPC endpoints; and Chisel provides an interactive Solidity environment.

Foundry is particularly useful when developers want tests and deployment scripts written largely in Solidity. It is not automatically superior to Hardhat: language preferences, existing automation, plugin requirements, and the skills of the team should decide between them.

3. Remix Project

Best for learning, rapid experiments, and isolated contract debugging. Remix offers an accessible environment for writing, compiling, deploying, and testing contracts without first assembling a local repository. That makes it useful for reproducing a small issue, examining a language feature, or teaching contract fundamentals.

A convenient browser workspace should not become an informal production process. Contracts intended for release still benefit from a version-controlled project, deterministic dependencies, automated tests, and a documented deployment procedure.

4. Solidity and solc

Best for implementing Ethereum smart contracts. Solidity is the dominant high-level language in the ecosystem, while solc is its compiler. Frameworks invoke a compiler underneath, so recording the compiler version and configuration is part of making builds reproducible.

Version selection is not merely an editor preference. Compiler settings influence generated bytecode, verification, and deployment artifacts; a project should therefore keep its pragma constraints, build configuration, and continuous-integration environment aligned.

5. OpenZeppelin Contracts

Best for established contract building blocks. OpenZeppelin Contracts supplies reusable Solidity components for areas such as token standards, access control, governance, and common utilities. Starting from a maintained implementation can reduce unnecessary custom code and make architectural intent easier to review.

Using a library does not transfer responsibility for system design to the library’s authors. Developers must select the correct release, understand inheritance and permissions, test their configuration, and assess any custom logic added around the components.

6. Slither

Best for automated static analysis. Slither analyzes Solidity and Vyper code without relying only on manually written test cases. It can run detectors, expose structural information, and be incorporated into continuous integration so suspicious changes receive attention before deployment.

Static analysis is a filter, not a security verdict. Findings need human triage, while economic assumptions, governance risks, integration failures, and application-specific invariants may require property tests, simulations, and independent review.

7. viem

Best for strongly typed TypeScript integrations. viem provides low-level, type-aware modules for accounts, contracts, transactions, and JSON-RPC communication. Its focused primitives suit web applications, backend services, scripts, wallets, and libraries that want explicit control over Ethereum interactions.

Choose viem when TypeScript inference and a modular API match the application architecture. Teams migrating from another client library should budget for differences in data representations, error handling, transports, and account management instead of expecting a mechanical import replacement.

8. ethers.js

Best for compact JavaScript and TypeScript clients. ethers.js provides JSON-RPC connectivity, ABI encoding, signing tools, contract interfaces, and wallet utilities for browsers and Node.js. It remains a practical option for applications and scripts built around its API.

The relevant choice is usually ethers.js versus viem, not whether both can be installed. A project should standardize on one primary interaction layer unless a dependency imposes the other; duplicate abstractions can create inconsistent types and transaction behavior.

9. web3.py

Best for Python services, analysis, and automation. web3.py connects Python applications to Ethereum and exposes familiar ways to query nodes, call contracts, construct transactions, and process chain data. It is a natural fit for teams whose backend services, research pipelines, or operational scripts already use Python.

It does not replace a contract framework by itself. A mixed stack might use Foundry for Solidity development and web3.py for monitoring or backend integration, provided ABI files, addresses, chain identifiers, and deployment records move between the two through a controlled process.

10. Geth

Best for teams that need their own execution client. Go Ethereum, commonly called Geth, can provide direct JSON-RPC access and locally verified execution-layer data instead of outsourcing every request to a hosted endpoint. It is infrastructure software rather than a substitute for Hardhat, Foundry, or an application library.

Post-Merge node architecture matters here. The current Ethereum node documentation lists Geth as an actively maintained execution client and explains that an Ethereum node requires both an execution client and a consensus client. Developers who only need an RPC connection can use managed infrastructure, while teams seeking verification, privacy, or operational control may justify running clients themselves.

How to assemble a stack without duplicating tools

Most projects need one primary contract framework, one application integration library, and a deliberately chosen security toolchain. Installing every entry adds maintenance work without creating equivalent protection. A compact TypeScript stack might combine Hardhat, OpenZeppelin Contracts, Slither, and either viem or ethers.js; a Solidity-first team could substitute Foundry for Hardhat.

Use Remix for exploration, then move durable work into version control.
Choose Hardhat or Foundry as the principal contract workflow unless a clear requirement justifies both.
Select viem, ethers.js, or web3.py according to the application language and API model.
Add Slither to automated checks, but keep unit, integration, fuzz, and invariant testing where the project’s risk warrants them.
Run Geth only when owning node operations provides enough control or trust reduction to justify the infrastructure burden.

The decisive update is therefore not a reshuffled ranking. Truffle and Ganache have moved into archival history, while today’s practical workflow is modular: a maintained framework handles contracts, a client library connects the application, analysis tools expand defect coverage, and node software is adopted only when direct infrastructure control is required.

Truffle and Ganache Are Archived: 10 Ethereum Tools Worth Using Now