Hardhat or Foundry first? What actually helps in your first Smart Contract job?

Tushar Dubey · 2025-10-26T03:26:30+00:00

Everyone online keeps debating whether Hardhat or Foundry is “better,” but I’m trying to understand this as this is my first job. When you join a team, are they expecting you to already know both? Or should a junior go deep in one and be open to switching later? I’m switching from Web2 backend work and don’t want tooling to become a blocker. What gave you confidence: Hardhat plugins and scripts? Or Foundry’s faster tests and fuzzing? If someone has tried these tools recently, please share what actually helped on the job.

Hardhat or Foundry first? What actually helps in your first Smart Contract job?

Tushar Dubey
@DataChainTushar

Updated: Oct 27, 2025

Views: 90

Everyone online keeps debating whether Hardhat or Foundry is “better,” but I’m trying to understand this as this is my first job.
When you join a team, are they expecting you to already know both? Or should a junior go deep in one and be open to switching later?
I’m switching from Web2 backend work and don’t want tooling to become a blocker. What gave you confidence: Hardhat plugins and scripts? Or Foundry’s faster tests and fuzzing?
If someone has tried these tools recently, please share what actually helped on the job.

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Aditi R

@aGoKU4J • 3w

Most teams still have legacy Hardhat repos, so being able to run scripts, write deployments, and debug contracts there is valuable. But new security-focused teams love Foundry for test speed and fuzzing. What I’d advise: learn Hardhat basics to feel productive day-1, then try hands on Foundry by week-3. The switch isn’t painful if your fundamentals are strong. Tooling is just a vehicle for thinking clearly about reliability.

Olivia Smith

@SmartOlivia • 3w

I tried Foundry first and got overwhelmed by cheatcodes 😅. Then Hardhat “clicked” because it felt closer to JS world. So now I’m thinking: should I push myself to switch back to Foundry soon? Or wait until interviews ask for it?

Sayali Bhandari

@SayaliB • 3w

Quick rule: Hardhat helps you move things faster, Foundry helps you avoid shipping bugs faster. If you do security testing proactively like fuzzing, invariant checks, seniors will notice. Even 2–3 well-written Foundry tests in a portfolio impress more than a whole Hardhat project that ignores failure cases.

Abdil Hamid

@ForensicBlockSmith • 3w

I switched too late at my last job and during an audit fix, our Foundry lack slowed us down badly. Tooling bias is fine, but stay curious. Learn enough to not block your own team.