WP Smart Contracts – Blockchain Technology for WordPress

What if you could trade NFTs right from your WordPress site? 

Or, imagine if you could mint ERC-20 tokens without writing a stitch of code. 

How about creating your own crowdfunding site?

If you’re interested in Web3 and have been wondering how you can integrate blockchain technology with WordPress, there is a solution.

WP Smart Contracts is a WordPress plugin that allows you to manage, deploy and interact with smart contracts on multiple networks, including ERC-20 / BEP-20 Tokens, NFT Marketplaces and Staking contracts.

The plugin is aimed at WordPress developers and users who want to create sites that utilize blockchain tech to get started participating in Web3. Even if you’re just dipping your toe in the Web3 water, you can start using WP Smart Contracts now to test scenarios and get a better understanding of what it means to trade NFTs or create Smart Contracts.

If you’re feeling a little behind on what all this means, we have a podcast and a list of resources that will help you learn more. After you read, be sure to jump back here and we’ll show you how you can apply your new knowledge in a practical way right now.

In this analysis, we’ll show you how WP Smart Contracts works and how to start building a trading platform in your familiar WordPress environment.

If you’re up to speed on blockchain, NFTs, and Smart Contracts, then let’s dive in!

What WP Smart Contracts Can Do For You

Broadly, WP Smart Contracts is an “easy way to manage Smart Contracts on multiple networks using WordPress.” More specifically, the plugin provides several opportunities to create those smart contracts in the form of:

• ERC-721 NFT Collectibles Marketplaces
• ERC-20/BEP-20 standard and advanced tokens
• ERC-20/BEP-20 staking
• Safe Crowdfunding campaigns

While there are some great templates for creating a cryptocurrency blog, this plugin helps you create a functional smart contracts platform.

WP Smart Contracts allows you to enter the blockchain market by connecting you to multiple networks through your WordPress site. It’s similar to WooCommerce in that it uses custom post types that allow you to fill out predetermined fields to get you set up in any aspect of the marketplace you want – even multiple markets on the same site.

Once you have some offerings created, you can trade them directly through your site. They are also transferable to any other account. All of the heavy lifting is handled by the MetaMask browser extension, which means your assets are safe from hackers.

I’ll guide you through getting started in the next section.

How To Get Started With WP Smart Contracts

Getting started with WP Contracts is as simple as installing a plugin. It’s free to download and install, and there are several guides to help you connect to a network and start creating smart contracts.

Once you’re connected to the network of your choice, you can deploy as many NFTs, smart contracts, or tokens as you like. Again, managing them in the dashboard is as simple as managing WooCommerce products or forms. There is also a WP Smart Contract Wizard to help you get started.

Let’s go over the steps to get you set up!

1. Install and Connect

First, you just need to install the WP Smart Contracts plugin. You can download it from their site, but it’s easiest to simply search for it in your Add New Plugins dashboard:

Install and Activate as you would any other plugin.

2. Set up an Infura account

As soon as you activate WP Smart Contracts, you’ll get an alert telling you that you need an Infura Project ID.

Infura provides the APIs you need to get access to the Ethereum network. Simply click the Infura Project ID link in the alert window and you’ll be transferred to the Infura website to set up your free account. Create a project and look at the settings:

You need to copy the Project ID – not the Project Secret – and head back to WordPress. In the dashboard, navigate to Settings>WP Smart Contracts. Scroll to the bottom of the settings page and you’ll see the Infura box where you can paste your Project ID. That’s it!

3. Connect to MetaMask

Before you can start creating and deploying smart contracts, you need to install and connect to a network using MetaMask. Metamask is a wallet and dApp browser extension that allows you to secure your funds and interact with EVM Smart Contracts online.

WP Smart Contracts provides a detailed tutorial to get you set up with MetaMask:

Follow their directions to connect to a test network, where you can get a couple of free tokens to start playing with. You’ll need to have some tokens to deploy smart contracts on your site, and doing it in a test environment before launching to the mainnet is highly recommended.

Any time you want to see your MetaMask wallet, just click the fox head in your browser and you can see your stats or change networks.

You’ll also see your current network connection reflected at the top of your WordPress admin dashboard.

4. Create a Smart Contract

The easiest way to get started creating smart contracts is by using the WP Smart Contracts wizard. Just click on the link at the top of your admin menu bar, and you’ll be presented with choices:

For example, let’s create some cryptocurrency. Once you click the Create a Coin button, you’ll be taken to the coin wizard menu. From there, you can choose which flavor of token you want to create:

• Vanilla: Gas Saving Token
• Pistachio: Improved Security Token
• Chocolate: Advanced Token

From there, you need to decide the network where you want to make your token available. You can filter by Network Type or Blockchain Type. Again, I would recommend starting with a test network such as Ethereum Ropstein. It’s free to test and your token isn’t deployed to the mainnet while you’re just figuring out how things work.

The next screen is essentially a custom post type titled “Add New Coin.” You can create a name (title) for your coin, add a description, and you once again have the option of choosing the coin type, or flavor.

Under the Definition menu, you can name the coin (if you hadn’t already), create a symbol, designate how many decimals it should be, and decide on an initial supply.

Scroll down to the New Smart Contract menu, where you can finally deploy your coin.

You’ll be presented with a pop up where you need to agree to the Terms of Service and that you’re of legal age. Once you click on “Yes, please proceed,” you’ll need to confirm in the MetaMask window that pops up.

After a minute or two, your coin will be deployed and you can “View Post” to see it on your site:

That’s it! You can follow the wizard to create any smart contract you like, or start from scratch using the Add New links in your WordPress dashboard menu.

After you’ve tried creating a few test smart contracts, let’s look at customization!

Customizing WP Smart Contracts

WP Smart Contracts allows global customization of coins, crowdfunding campaigns, and NFTs using “skins.” There are several to choose from:

It’s fairly intuitive to choose a new skin. There are also global settings for things like: 

• separator format
• decimals to show in the value of transactions
• date format

Those value settings are completely at your discretion.

Look and Feel

If you’re looking for more look and feel customization, you can replace the templates of the plugin inside your active WordPress theme without the need to change the plugin code. WP Smart Contracts uses a logic-less templating system for PHP and JavaScript templates, powered by Mustache.

Similar to a child theme, rather than alter the templates inside the plugin, you simply have to move them into your active theme folder and tweak away. They offer a full customization tutorial on their site.

WP Smart Contracts Pricing

As I mentioned earlier, WP Smart Contracts is 100% free to download, install and set up. There’s no “pro” version with additional features to worry about later.

There is one caveat to the pricing, which, if you’re not already familiar with how cryptocurrency networks and minting work, you’ll need to understand before you start deploying your smart contracts.

There are fees to deploy and they vary based on the type of smart contract you want to create.

Token Pricing

Token contracts are free in Vanilla and Pistachio flavors, but range from about $5 – $300 USD (prices fluctuate based on the markets).

NFT Pricing

NFT contracts also come in different flavors and range from about $20 – $900 USD, depending on the flavor and Network you want to deploy to.

Other Smart Contracts Pricing

Smart contract flavors also depend on the Network where you choose to deploy. Across the flavors and networks, they range from about $10 – $600 USD.

Deploying on the Ethereum network – the most popular and well-known – is always going to be on the higher side. It makes sense to do your homework on the various Blockchains before creating your smart contracts, so you know how much you could be spending on fees.

Final Thoughts on WP Smart Contracts

WP Smart Contracts is an extremely easy way to get started utilizing blockchain tech on your WordPress site. It takes minutes to get set up, and you don’t need to be a developer to mint and deploy your smart contracts.

I can see where this plugin could open up new opportunities for those who are new to cryptocurrency, NFTs, or smart contracts in general. For me, just going through the steps to set up the plugin was an amazing education in how smart contracts work. Also, because you can try things out on the many test networks available, there’s no worry you’re going to “mess up” and lose a bunch of money – whether it’s cash or crypto.

Whether you want to create a coin, NFT, or crowdfunding campaign, WP Smart Contracts is a great solution that fits right into your familiar WordPress ecosystem.