A community resource maintained by the Canton Foundation DevRel. This repo is the starting point for developers and builders coming to Canton Network, whether you're at a hackathon, a bootcamp, or just exploring what Canton can do.
Not sure where to start? Here's something help:
| Where you are | What to use |
|---|---|
"I have a .DAR file built of my Daml Contracts using dpm, I need a Canton LocalNet right now to deploy and show my project demo" |
Canton Builder Tool |
| "I want to understand LocalNet along with a sample backend, frontend, keyclock, use PQS to Index, etc" | cn_quickstart LocalNet Deployment Guide |
| "I want to build a same fullstack Canton dApp first with backend, auth, frontend to learn" | cn-quickstart |
Each tier is a natural next step from the previous one. Start fast, go deeper as you need to.
A structured catalogue and guide of Tools, SDKs, APIs, and Pieces of infrastructure available for building on Canton. It Covers:
- Smart Contract Tools (DPM, VS Code extension, etc)
- AI development tools (Canton MCP Server, Tenzro DAML Studio)
- Local development environments (LocalNet, Sandbox)
- APIs (JSON Ledger API, gRPC, Scan, Validator)
- Data & indexing (PQS, CCView, Lighthouse)
- Wallet integration and identity SDK
Each tool is tagged as Official (Digital Asset OR Canton Foundation) or Community (Canton Ecosystem Partners) so you know what you're working with.
The fastest way to get a full Canton Network running on your laptop. One command, no setup, no Makefile, no DevNet whitelisting.
# Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Jatinp26/Canton-Builder-Tool/main/install.sh | bash
# Start a full Canton Network locally
canton builder start
# Deploy your DAR
canton builder deploy ./your-project.darThis Gets you 3 validators, local synchronizer, Canton Coin wallets, Scan UI and other useful full official Splice Canton LocalNet stack. Built for hackathon builders who just need a network to deploy it on.
Guide to getting your Daml project running on cn_quickstart based Canton LocalNet with wallets, multi-party transactions, etc. Built specifically for participants who need to plug their project properly into cn_quickstart, use PQS, interact with wallets via the JSON API, and more. Use this when Canton DevRel Tool isn't enough and you want full control OVER a localnet stack.
It Covers:
- What LocalNet actually is
- Prerequisites and exact setup steps
- How to plug your own Daml project into cn-quickstart
- Uploading your DAR and discovering party IDs
- Creating contracts via the JSON API
- Tapping CC and testing wallet transfers
System: macOS and Linux. Windows: use WSL.
Canton Network is a privacy-first blockchain built for institutional and enterprise use cases. Unlike traditional public blockchains where all transactions are visible to everyone, Canton gives parties selective visibility i.e you only see what you're authorized to see, at the protocol level.
Key properties:
-
Need to know privacy: data is shared only with parties who are signatories or observers on a contract. This is enforced by the protocol, not by operator configuration.
-
Daml smart contracts: business logic written in a functional, strongly-typed language designed for multi-party workflows
-
Canton Coin: the network's utility token, used to pay for transaction traffic
-
Global Synchronizer: coordinates cross participant transactions without a shared global state and fully encrypted.
Done Coding your Daml contracts and a .dar file via dpm ? Go straight to either The Canton Builder Tool or cn_quickstart LocalNet Deployment Guide.
Starting from scratch?
- Install DPM: docs.digitalasset.com/build/3.4/dpm
- Scaffold a project:
dpm new <PROJECT NAME> --template empty-skeleton - Write your Daml contracts, build with
dpm buildand test withdpm test - Use Canton Builder Tool or Follow the cn_quickstart LocalNet Deployment Guide to deploy
Maintained by Jatin Pandya, Developer Relations Manager, Canton Foundation.