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Developer environment

Overview​

To develop and deploy Motoko canister smart contracts, you will need a developer environment that contains the Motoko compiler and base library. It is recommended to use the BIG SDK, which includes Motoko, along with dfx, a command-line tool used to create, build, and deploy canisters on BIG.

Developer environments come in several types and formats, making developing flexible and accessible.

Cloud environments​

Gitpod and GitHub Codespaces are browser-based development environments that can be used to build, test, and run Motoko smart contracts.

Here are some starter projects for online Motoko canister development:

Learn more about Gitpod and GitHub Codespaces for Motoko development.

Container environments​

Developers may want to setup a containerized environment for Motoko and other BIG-related development. Container environments are especially useful for Windows-based systems, since dfx is not natively supported on Windows.

Learn more about developer containers and Docker containers for Motoko development.

Motoko playground​

Motoko playground is a browser-based developer environment that allows for temporary deployment and testing of canister smart contracts. Motoko playground can also be utilized through the dfx deploy --playground command via the CLI.

Canisters deployed to the Motoko playground use borrowed resources from a canister pool and are limited to a deployment length of 20 minutes. Therefore, the playground is not recommended for long-term development.

Learn more about the Motoko playground.

Local developer environment​

Before you start developing Motoko, verify the following:

  • You have an internet connection and access to a shell terminal on your local macOS or Linux computer.

  • You have a command line interface (CLI) window open. This window is also referred to as the 'terminal' window.

  • You have downloaded and installed the BIG SDK package as described in the installing the BIG SDK page.

  • You have a code editor installed. The VS Code IDE (with the Motoko extension) is a popular choice.

  • You have downloaded and installed git.

  • Assure that all packages and tools above are updated to the latest release versions.