Hardhat vs Foundry

Compare the leading Ethereum smart contract development frameworks. Choose the right tool for your Web3 project.

Overview

Hardhat and Foundry are the two most popular development frameworks for Ethereum smart contracts. Hardhat uses JavaScript/TypeScript while Foundry is built on Rust, offering lightning-fast test execution.

Feature Hardhat Foundry
Language JavaScript / TypeScript Rust
Test Speed Moderate Extremely Fast
Debugging Excellent Good
EVM Version Latest Multiple (byzantium, constantinople, etc)
Learning Curve Easier Steeper
Plugin Ecosystem Large Growing
TypeScript Support Native Via Forge Std
Forking Supported Supported

When to Use Hardhat

Best For Beginners & JS Developers

  • Teams already familiar with JavaScript/TypeScript
  • Projects requiring extensive debugging tools
  • When you need a large ecosystem of plugins
  • Enterprise projects requiring stability
  • Integration with popular front-end frameworks

When to Use Foundry

Best For Power Users & Performance

  • Projects requiring ultra-fast test execution
  • Advanced users comfortable with Rust
  • Competitive DeFi protocols needing quick iterations
  • Formal verification workflows
  • Projects where every second of CI/CD matters

Getting Started

Hardhat Quick Start

npm init
npm install --save-dev hardhat
npx hardhat init
npx hardhat compile
npx hardhat test

Foundry Quick Start

curl -L https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | bash
foundryup
forge init myproject
forge build
forge test

Conclusion

Both Hardhat and Foundry are excellent choices for Ethereum development. Hardhat offers better debugging and a larger ecosystem, while Foundry provides unmatched test speed. Many projects use both: Hardhat for development/debugging and Foundry for running tests in CI/CD.