Smart contracts can be written in different programming languages, as long as there is a compiler and libraries capable of translating and serving as an interface with the different smart contract capabilities of the blockchain that we use.
EThis means that it is possible to use any programming language to create them, but the blockchain developers must create the basic toolset for this purpose. In this sense, here we show you the Top 5 of the most used programming languages to create Smart contracts in the crypto world.
Solidity
Solidity is a high level statically typed language with which smart contracts can be programmed for the Ethereum network. Its syntax is very similar to that of well-known languages such as C++ or Javascript. Solidity was created with the purpose of allowing the writing of smart contracts in a simple way for the Ethereum network. It is a language designed to take full advantage of the Ethereum Virtual Machine, allowing the creation and development of smart contracts that can be optimally executed in the EVM.
To do this, the programmer can develop their applications in a language that is easy to use, read and maintain so that, when finished, the Solidity engine converts that simple code into the machine code that the EVM will understand, a machine code that is practically impossible to understand by one. person.
In essence, Solidity facilitates the development of smart contracts on Ethereum and, although it is not the only language, it was the first, the most versatile and the one on which the most smart contracts have been developed. Its main characteristic is that this programming language is of the Turing Complete type, which allows developers to create very complex and advanced applications so that they can take full advantage of this technology.
Solidity is widely used on Ethereum and any other blockchain built with EVM support, e.g. BNB Chain, Polygon, Avalanche, Polkadot/Kusama (parachains like Moonbeam and Moonriver support Solidity), among other networks.
Vyper
Vyper is a Python-based programming language aimed at creating Smart contracts for the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). Being based on Python, this language enjoys an enormous facility to develop dApps for those who are used to this language, and at the same time, it feeds on the powerful debugging tools that are created for it.
Among its main objectives we have:
- Offer better security as it should be possible and natural to build secure smart contracts on Vyper.
- Language and compiler simplicity: The language and compiler implementation should strive to be simple.
- Improve code auditing. Vyper code should be as readable as possible. Also, it should be as difficult as possible to write bogus code. Simplicity for the reader is more important than simplicity for the writer, and simplicity for readers with little prior experience with Vyper (and little prior experience with programming in general) is particularly important.
- Allows for better bounds and overflow checking, especially on array accesses and arithmetic.
- Support for signed integers and fixed point decimal numbers.
- Decidability: It is possible to calculate a precise upper bound for the gas consumption of any Vyper function call.
- Strong typing, to avoid the security problems that dynamic typing can bring.
- Small and understandable compiler code.
- Limited support for pure functions: Anything marked constant cannot change state, which helps improve security.
Vyper can be used on Ethereum or on any compatible EVM network such as Polygon, BNB Chain, or other networks derived from the EVM and its cryptographic primitives.
Rust
Rust is a compiled, general-purpose, multi-paradigm programming language that began development as part of the Mozilla project and is currently part of the Rust Foundation. The language is focused on offering a high level of security, to the point where it is currently considered one of the most secure programming languages for generating applications.
Rust development is completely open, so community input and input is sought. Thanks to this, Rust has been widely used in different projects ranging from the Mozilla Firefox Web browser, the GNU/Linux kernel, and of course in the world of cryptocurrencies. For example, Rust is used for the construction of reference nodes for Bitroin (Electrum-RS), it is also used to extend the smart contracts capabilities of Bitcoin (via miniscript) and it is also used in other blockchains such as Near (where it is the default language), Ethereum (with an SDK for the EVM) and Substrate (for Polkadot/Kusama environments).
Ride
Ride is a simple and easy to develop functional programming language for smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps) that is applied on the Waves blockchain. Thus, in Waves, smart contracts are written in Ride and these scripts can be assigned to accounts or tokens (assets). For example, an account with a script assigned to it makes you a dApp or smart account. Whereas an asset with an assigned script makes you a smart asset.
Thus, the functionality of the scripts depends on their type:
- The dApp script allows you to define callable functions that can perform various actions on the blockchain and a verification function that allows or denies transactions and orders that are submitted on behalf of the dApp account.
- The account script allows or denies transactions and orders that are submitted on behalf of the account.
- The asset script allows or denies transactions related to the asset.
Ride is specifically built to run in a blockchain environment and is optimized for this purpose. Since the blockchain is a distributed ledger, located on many computers around the world, there is no way to access the file system or display anything on the console. Instead, Ride functions can read data from the blockchain:
On the other hand, the complexity is defined for each Ride function and operator. The complexities of the functions and operators used make up the complexity of the script. There are no loops in Ride, so the complexity of the script can be calculated in advance. The maximum complexity of the script is limited. Due to these limitations, Waves has low and predictable fees for running scripts.
Due to the lack of loops, the Ride language is not Turing complete. This is why it is not always possible to implement the necessary logic within a single script call. However, it is still possible to perform Turing-complete calculations if the algorithm is broken into multiple functions (or even multiple smart contracts) and invoked sequentially using multiple transactions. In this case, Ride is very similar to Bitcoin Script, firstly because it is not Turing Complete and secondly because it is a much more secure programming language than its more advanced counterparts (Solidity, Rust or Cairo, for example).
Cairo
Cairo is a language for writing provable programs: execution of a Cairo program produces a trace that can be sent to an untrusted provider, which generates a STARK test for the validity of the statement or computation represented by the Cairo program. The proof can then be verified using a verifier (which may or may not be on the chain).
Cairo is not a blockchain language and therefore cannot be used to write smart contracts (although it may become so later on). However, Cairo is especially useful for creating functions where the use of ZKP cryptography is essential to maintain security and privacy, which is why it has gained a space in the development of dApps designed to protect privacy, especially in sovereign identity platforms. , DEX on zk-Rollups or any application that uses ZKP cryptography.
C++ Special Mention
The C++ programming language is an old acquaintance in the world of programming, and is used as the programming language for Smart contracts on EOS. In this way, developers can create smart contracts on EOSIO using the C++ programming language. The EOSIO Contract Development Toolkit or EOSIO.CDT provides the necessary libraries and tools to build a smart contract. See the EOSIO.CDT manual for more details on how to get started with EOSIO.CDT.
To deploy the smart contract on the blockchain, you must first use the eosio-cpp tool to compile the smart contract. The build creates a Web Assembly (WASM) file and a corresponding Application Binary Interface (ABI) file.
The Web Assembly or .wasm file is the binary code that the WASM engine of the blockchain executes. The web assembly engine or WASM engine is hosted in the node daemon and executes the smart contract code. The binary interface of the application or file. abi defines how data is transferred to and from the WASM engine. In this way, the C++ programming language and its Turing Complete capability can be used to create Smart contracts on EOS.
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