What is Truffle?

In short, Truffle is a framework to write, compile, deploy, and test decentralized applications on Ethereum blockchains. For this chapter, you can also think of Truffle as a framework that attempts to seamlessly integrate smart contract development and traditional web development.

Granularly, within the Truffle environment, you can write JavaScript for the frontend, Solidity for smart contracts, and use web3 as a bridge to connect various blockchain networks to the client.

If you are not familiar with web3, or you need a refresher on Solidity, worry not. The subsequent chapter will cover these two technologies in sufficient detail before you start building more complex decentralized applications.

For now, it is enough to know that Truffle combines JavaScript, Solidity, and web3 to allow you to write complete and testable decentralized applications:

Can you write decentralized applications without Truffle? Sure you can. Truffle simply makes the process of compiling, building, and migrating your application easier by automating certain monotonous aspects.

You will see how this is done toward the end of this chapter when you build a small but complete decentralized application. I will walk you through code snippets, provide a working repository for reference, and explain to you fundamental build concepts as you write code. Most importantly, I want to ensure you start coding as soon as possible. So, let's get started.