Skip to main content

VS Code Solidity Setup

After creating your dApp project, the next step is setting up your editor for Solidity development. You'll want a proper editor setup — syntax highlighting, compiler integration, error diagnostics, and auto-completion. This guide sets up VS Code with the Solidity extension and the Foundry toolchain.

Install the VS Code Solidity Extension​

The Solidity extension by Juan Blanco provides:

  • Syntax highlighting and code snippets
  • Compiler integration (solc, Foundry remappings)
  • Error diagnostics as you type
  • Go to definition and references
  • NatSpec documentation support
  • Code formatting

Install it from the VS Code Extensions panel — search for "Solidity" by Juan Blanco, or from the command line:

code --install-extension JuanBlanco.solidity

Configure for Foundry​

The dApp template uses Foundry as its Solidity toolchain. The extension auto-detects Foundry projects via foundry.toml, but you can explicitly configure it in your workspace .vscode/settings.json:

{
    "solidity.packageDefaultDependenciesContractsDirectory": "src",
    "solidity.packageDefaultDependenciesDirectory": "lib"
}

This tells the extension where Foundry stores source files (src/) and dependencies (lib/), so import resolution and go-to-definition work correctly with paths like import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/ERC20.sol";.

Install Foundry​

Foundry is the Solidity development toolchain that provides forge (build, test, deploy) and cast (CLI interaction with chains).

Linux / macOS / WSL​

curl -L https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | bash
foundryup

Windows​

# Using PowerShell
irm https://foundry.paradigm.xyz | iex
foundryup

After installation, verify it works:

forge --version
cast --version

Verify Your Setup​

Open the dApp template's contracts/ directory in VS Code:

code contracts/

Open src/MyToken.sol — you should see:

  • Syntax highlighting for Solidity keywords
  • No red squiggles on the import statements (OpenZeppelin resolves via lib/)
  • Hover over ERC20 to see its NatSpec documentation
  • Ctrl+Click on ERC20 to jump to the OpenZeppelin source

If you see import errors, run forge install to ensure dependencies are present:

cd contracts
forge install

Project Structure​

The dApp template's Foundry project follows the standard layout:

contracts/
├── foundry.toml          Foundry configuration
├── remappings.txt        Import path aliases (e.g., @openzeppelin → lib/...)
├── src/                  Your Solidity source files
│   └── MyToken.sol       Starter ERC-20 contract
├── test/                 Forge test files
│   └── MyToken.t.sol     Unit tests for MyToken
├── script/               Deployment scripts
│   └── Deploy.s.sol      Forge Script for deploying MyToken
├── lib/                  Dependencies (installed via forge install)
└── out/                  Compiled artifacts (ABI, bytecode, source maps)

Next Steps​

With your editor and toolchain ready: