Smart Contract 101: What is Remix?

Good tools are essential to the successful execution of a job. To write a Smart Contract you do not need to install anything on your computer, all you need is the online tool - Remix.

Remix (https://remix.ethereum.org/) is a Smart Contract online editor, compiler, tester, and deployer. It is an open-source project that is contributed to by the public, and is free for anyone to use under the terms of the MIT License open-source initiative.

To start with, let's look at the layout of Remix below:

Starting with the navigation bar on the left-hand side let's discuss what each icon represents.

From top to bottom, the first one is Remix's Logo. Below it is the file explorer followed by the compiler; deployer; solidity analysis; debugger; solidity unit testing ; "sourcify", and plugin manager.

File explorer stores and allows you to navigate through the smart contract files, which end in .sol.

The compiler is the place you could turn your codes into an Application Binary Interface—known as an ABI which tells a program how to interact with smart contracts—and Bytecode (Machine-readable).

Deployer section allows you to put your smart contract onto a blockchain (public, testing, or even private chain).

Solidity Analysis will allow you to check whether the smart contract has any errors or carries any potential risks.

You can test the deployed contract step by step with the debugger or submit your test cases to the "Solidity unit testing" section.

"SOURCIFY" is important when you want to prove to the public that the deployed contract is the same as the one you disclosed.

The Plugin Manager, you could try out new features or customize your smart contract using Remix's add-on software.

That the end of lesson 1. We will introduce other important tools in the next lesson.