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Beginner
Tutorial

Overview​

Cubes contain both code and state. Once you have written the code for a cube, the cube doesn't exist until it is registered with BigFile, either locally or the mainnet.

A cube can be created without first compiling any code. When cubes are created with dfx canister create, they are empty and do not contain program code. The code must be compiled into Wasm and installed into the empty cube before it can be deployed.

Creating cubes​

When a cube is created, either locally or on the mainnet, the following steps happen:

  • The cube ID is registered with the local replica or the mainnet for each cube in the project's dfx.json file.

  • The following cube components are created:

    - List of controllers.
    - Cycles balance.
    - Reserved cycles balance.
    - Cube status.
    - Resource reservations.

  • The cube's ID is returned in the command line.

To create a cube locally, the dfx canister create command can be used:

dfx canister create hello_world // Create a cube locally
dfx canister create hello_world --network ic // Create a cube on the mainnet
dfx canister create --all --network ic // Create all cubes in the project's dfx.json file

Creating a cube on the mainnet will cost cycles

At this step, settings can be configured for the cube using the optional flags. View the full list of settings that can be configured.

Once your cube has been created, it is ready to be compiled.

Next steps​