Javascript SDK for working with Plutus smart contracts

Question

Are there any javascript SDKs which enable you to do the following:

• programmatically create and submit a Plutus smart contract to mainnet
• check what assets are currently locked at a given script address
• create and send a transaction inlcuding some ada and native tokens to a given script address

Answer 1

You have many options for that:

1. programmatically create a Plutus smart contract to mainnet

Here the only option is plu-ts; it allows you to write and compile a smart contract directly in typescript (or javascript if you prefer)

you can even store pieces of contracts inside typescript functions and then build your contracts programmatically.

the compilation happens in the js runtime so you can compile them in your application.

Alternatively, you could use Helios, which can also be compiled in the js runtime; but is not javascript, is a newly created language.

2. check what assets are currently locked at a given script address

This can be done even without any library, what you need is something to query the blockchain.

many use blockfrost; I would also suggest you to have a look at koios

3. create and send a transaction

here you have many options too.

plu-ts also has an offchain component that allows you to build transactions.

Lucid is also an option but is based on a customized version of the cardano-multiplatform-library; so you would have to allow for web assembly; which can be tricky.

Mesh SDK is also currently based on web assembly (though are switching the backend to plu-ts in a future version) and it also provides you all the tools to build a user interface (UI) for you applicaiton

Answer 2

Yes, there are multiple:

• Lucid
• Mesh
• plu-ts
• Helios
• Slightly less on abstraction is Cardano Multiplatform Library & Cardano Serialization Library.