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Choose Your Tools

You make two choices before building: a library (SDK) that builds, signs, and submits transactions for you, and a provider that connects your code to the chain. An SDK abstracts away the hard parts, transaction building, CBOR serialization, UTXO selection, fee calculation, address derivation, so you work in your own language.

Pick an SDK​

An SDK is a library in your own language. Which one you use is up to you and your stack. Browse the full set, by language and by what each one does, in Builder Tools.

Some starting points:

  • TypeScript / JavaScript: Evolution and Mesh are two widely used, actively maintained options. This curriculum's hands-on tabs use them so you can copy and run the examples, but the concepts apply to any SDK.
  • Other languages: Cardano has community SDKs for Python, Rust, Go, Java, C#, Swift, and more, plus low-level serialization libraries. Find them in Builder Tools.

Install it​

Requires Node.js 18+, TypeScript 5+, and an ESM project.

npm install @evolution-sdk/evolution

Other languages: pip install pycardano, cargo add whisky, go get github.com/Salvionied/apollo, dotnet add package Chrysalis. Find the full list in Builder Tools.

Get a provider​

Your SDK doesn't reach the chain on its own. It sits on top of a provider, which runs the node infrastructure and exposes the chain through an API, so you can query UTXOs and submit transactions without running your own node. The full path is: your code → SDK → provider → node → chain. You have several options:

  • Blockfrost: hosted REST API with a free tier
  • Koios: community-run, no key required for basic use
  • Maestro: hosted, with extended analytics and history
  • Kupmios (self-hosted Ogmios + Kupo): full control and data sovereignty

Compare them in Query the chain › choosing a provider, browse the full list with their capabilities in Builder Tools, and see the API providers reference and Demeter for managed infrastructure.

A hosted provider is the quickest way to start. With Blockfrost, for example:

  1. Sign up at blockfrost.io.

  2. Create a project and select your network (Preprod for this guide).

  3. Copy the project ID (your API key; it starts with preprod).

  4. Store it in an env var, and never commit it or ship it in client-side code:

    # .env
    BLOCKFROST_API_KEY=preprod_xxxxxxxxxxateofyourprojectid

Next steps​