Ape is a development framework to compile, deploy, test, and debug your smart contract projects. It helps developers manage and automate the recurring tasks inherent to building smart contracts with a modular approach, allowing users to build and integrate external plugins to add functionality. As a developer, you can choose which plugins you want to use. Ape comes bundled out of the box with plugins to support Ethereum development by default.

Ape’s ever-expanding ecosystem of ApeWorX-managed and community plugins allow you to create a customized development experience. It supports the Solidity, Vyper, and Cairo languages, EVM-based ecosystems like Polygon, Fantom, and Avalanche, non-EVM chains like StarkNet, providers like Chainstack, and a number of other ecosystem tools like Etherscan Tokenlists, and more!

To help advanced and newbie builders navigate Ape, Ape Academy serves as a Web3 educational learning hub for the community. The platform produces high-quality videos and in-depth articles about Ape Framework and the inner workings of blockchains and smart contract applications. Each tutorial showcases best practices for smart contract development and analyzes on-chain interactions through Ape’s unique features and tools.

How to use with Chainstack

Note that the Chainstack plugin is only available on Ethereum at this moment.

1. Sign up with Chainstack.
2. Deploy a node.
3. View node access and credentials.

Install the Chainstack plugin and connect your Ape environment to the deployed node. For instructions about installation and usage, see Ape by ApeWorX— what is it and how to use it.