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EVM Smart contract deployment workflows: pain points and unmet needs
We're trying to understand where current evm smart contract deployment tools fall short, especially for teams using or evaluating hardhat-deploy. This survey takes less than 5 minutes.
What is missing from current deployment tools for your use case?
What do you build?
*
DeFi / finance
NFT / collectibles
Fully onchain game
Consumer app
Infrastructure / protocol
Other
What project(s) you are working on
What is your main deployment workflow today?
*
A
MUD
B
hardhat-deploy v1
C
Hardhat Ignition
D
custom scripts
E
hardhat-deploy v2 / rocketh
F
forge scripts
G
other
Which of these are part of your current setup?
*
Hardhat Ignition
hardhat-deploy v1
I am actively evaluating alternatives
Local-first or offline development matters
Multi-contract system
Foundry / forge scripts
MUD framework
Frontend needs deployment data synced automatically
hardhat-deploy v2 / rocketh
Proxy for dev and immutable on mainnet
Fully onchain game requirements
Hardhat 3
Hardhat 2
Upgradeable contracts / proxies
Other
Which best describes your hardhat-deploy usage?
*
A
I was not aware v2 existed
B
I know v2 exists but have not looked into it
C
I looked into it but migration cost was too high
D
I tried it and stayed on v1
E
I currently use v2
F
I used hardhat-deploy before, but not now
If you're on hardhat-deploy v1, what keeps you there?
*
It works, no reason to change
Features I rely on aren't in v2 yet
Migration path isn't clear
v2/rocketh API is too different
I wasn't aware v2 existed
Not applicable (I don't use v1)
Other
What matters in your deployment workflow?
*
Recovering from interrupted deployments
Deploy tags for partial/selective deployments
Full TypeScript type safety for deployments
Live reload (auto-redeploy on contract changes during dev)
Deployment tracking
independence of framework (foundry, hardhat) upgrades
Frontend integration / exporting deployment data
Simplicity
Mud world contract support
Large Contract System Handling (Diamond, MUD world, router, ...)
Faster iteration during development
Declarative Proxy Deployment (no manual upgrade specification)
Local simulation / local-first workflow
Reusing deployment logic in tests
Repeatability across environments
Flexibility for deployments
Contract verification
Named accounts / role-based deployment configuration
Ability to execute deployment in browser
Speed
Deterministic deployments
Stability of api
Other
Which best describes your position on Ignition?
*
A
I use it as my main deployment workflow
B
I tried it and did not adopt it
C
I investigated it, but did not try it seriously
D
I know about it, but have not evaluated it
E
It is not really on my radar
F
Other
If Ignition is not your main deployment workflow, why not?
*
Migration cost is too high
I need better upgrade / proxy support
I tried it and it did not feel ready for my use case
My current setup already works well enough
I need more flexibility than the current model offers
I need better support for complex multi-contract systems (Diamonds, MUD world...)
I need better frontend / app integration
I have not spent enough time evaluating it yet
I need stronger test and deployment reuse
Other
In the last few months, what have you spent time investigating as alternatives or changes?
*
MUD framework
Moving from hardhat-deploy v1 to v2
forge scripts
Hardhat Ignition
custom deployment scripts
no serious investigation recently
Other
What frustrates you most about your current setup?
*
Frontend integration is painful
Docs / examples are not good enough
Local development experience is weak
Locked into a specific framework's contract architecture
Test and deployment logic are duplicated
Tooling feels incomplete or unstable
Too much boilerplate
Migration cost is too high
Deployment state is brittle or gets corrupted
Upgrades / proxies are awkward
Large multi-contract systems are hard to manage
Hard to manage multiple signers/roles across environments
Other
Which of these capabilities, if production-ready today, would change how you deploy contracts?
*
Foundry test integration
Deployment logic that doubles as test fixtures with no duplication
Framework-agnostic deployment library (works with Foundry, Hardhat, or any tool)
Run deployments directly in-browser
Deployment tracking/state management for forge scripts
External deployment import (reference already-deployed contracts by address)
Declarative proxy config (dev proxy → mainnet immutable, no code change)
Live reload: contracts redeploy automatically on save during dev
Live reload without being locked into a specific contract architecture
Declarative Diamond / large contract system management
Auto-synced frontend artifacts on every deploy
None of the above
Other
Open to a follow-up conversation?
*
A
Yes
B
No
Submit