Hardhat vs Remix for beginners: when building a dApp, what should I use and why?

Abdil Hamid · 2024-08-24T13:47:24+00:00

Hey everyone — I’m new to Ethereum development and building a small dApp (Solidity + ethers.js).I keep seeing “use Hardhat”, but I’m still unclear what Hardhat is used for in Ethereum development beyond being “a dev tool.” My real question is practical: Hardhat vs Remix for beginners — when should I move from Remix to a Hardhat project?If I’m trying to deploy and test smart contracts with Hardhat, what parts does it actually simplify (compile, local network, deploy scripts, automated tests, debugging)? Also, people mention the Hardhat local network and “mainnet forking.” In real projects, is that mainly for testing with realistic state (like interacting with existing protocols), or do beginners benefit from it too? If you’ve used it in production, what was the first thing Hardhat did that made your workflow feel “professional”?

Hardhat vs Remix for beginners: when building a dApp, what should I use and why?

Abdil Hamid
@ForensicBlockSmith

Updated: Jan 27, 2026

Views: 1.4K

Hey everyone — I’m new to Ethereum development and building a small dApp (Solidity + ethers.js).
I keep seeing “use Hardhat”, but I’m still unclear what Hardhat is used for in Ethereum development beyond being “a dev tool.”

My real question is practical: Hardhat vs Remix for beginners — when should I move from Remix to a Hardhat project?
If I’m trying to deploy and test smart contracts with Hardhat, what parts does it actually simplify (compile, local network, deploy scripts, automated tests, debugging)?

Also, people mention the Hardhat local network and “mainnet forking.” In real projects, is that mainly for testing with realistic state (like interacting with existing protocols), or do beginners benefit from it too?

If you’ve used it in production, what was the first thing Hardhat did that made your workflow feel “professional”?

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Anne Taylor

@BlockchainMentorAT • 1yr

In simple terms, Hardhat becomes useful when you want a repeatable workflow for deploying and testing smart contracts. Remix is great for quick experiments, but once you’re building a real dApp, you usually want the same commands every time: compile → test → deploy → verify.

The biggest “aha” for me was the Hardhat local network. You can run tests fast, get stack traces, and debug without touching a public testnet. And because it’s code-based, you can write deploy scripts that are reproducible — which matters when you deploy to multiple networks.

Plugins like hardhat-ethers also reduce glue code, so your scripts/tests stay clean. Hardhat doesn’t replace understanding Ethereum — it just makes the workflow less manual and less error-prone.

Long-tail used naturally: “deploying and testing smart contracts”, “Hardhat local network”, “hardhat-ethers”.

Andria Shines

@ChainSage • 2mos

One way to think about Hardhat vs Remix: Remix helps you learn and ship a demo; Hardhat helps you ship the same project twice without breaking it.

If you’re asking “how to deploy and test smart contracts with Hardhat,” the answer is usually: you stop doing one-off manual steps and start using scripts + tests like a real codebase. That’s where Hardhat shines — especially when your dApp has multiple contracts, upgrade patterns, or integrations.

And yes, Hardhat mainnet forking is a real superpower — not for every beginner, but it’s huge when you need to test against real token contracts, real pools, or realistic balances.

Curious: for people who moved on, did you stick with Hardhat or switch to Foundry? What made you switch?

Web3WandererAva

@Web3Wanderer • 1w

I’ll give you a very “workflow” answer because that’s where most beginners get clarity. When someone asks “what is Hardhat used for in Ethereum development”, the honest answer is: it’s not one feature — it’s the fact that Hardhat turns your project into a repeatable pipeline.

Example: when you’re trying to deploy and test smart contracts with Hardhat, you’re not just clicking “Deploy” once. You’re writing tests that can run 50 times, deploy scripts you can rerun safely, and network configs that stop you from accidentally deploying to the wrong chain. That’s the stuff that feels boring until you ship.

The other underrated part is debugging. The Hardhat local network gives you fast feedback + readable traces, so you can actually learn why something failed (especially around external calls, events, and state changes).

And on the “Hardhat vs Remix for beginners” question: Remix is perfect for learning Solidity syntax and quick experiments. Hardhat becomes worth it the moment you have (a) multiple contracts, (b) a frontend calling contracts, or (c) you want confidence before testnet. That’s usually the point where “manual” starts turning into chaos.

ChainPenLilly

@ChainPenLilly • 3h

One practical way I explain what Hardhat is used for in Ethereum development is: it turns “random manual steps” into a repeatable workflow you can trust.

If you’re trying to deploy and test smart contracts with Hardhat, the biggest shift is that you stop treating deployment like a one-time action and start treating it like a script you can rerun safely:

same deploy command, same network config, same outputs

tests that run locally before you burn time on a public testnet

debugging with traces when a call reverts (instead of guessing)

Also, for the common Hardhat vs Remix for beginners question: Remix is perfect for learning Solidity and experimenting fast. Hardhat starts feeling necessary the moment you have a frontend + multiple contracts + you want confidence that “this deploy will work again tomorrow.”

Curious to hear from people who’ve shipped: what made it click for you — the Hardhat local network, deploy scripts, mainnet forking, or just having a proper test runner?