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After your contract is ready, you can deploy it to the NEAR network for everyone to use. This guide shows you how to deploy using NEAR CLI, the recommended command-line tool for interacting with NEAR.

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Prerequisites

Before deploying, ensure you have:

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Step 1: Compile the Contract

First, compile your contract to WebAssembly: 
cargo near build
This creates a WASM file in target/near/.
The compiled .wasm file is what gets deployed to the blockchain.

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Step 2: Create an Account

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For Testnet

Create a new testnet account using the faucet: 
# Replace <your-account.testnet> with your desired name
near create-account <your-account.testnet> --useFaucet

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For Mainnet

For mainnet, you’ll need:
  1. A wallet (e.g., MyNearWallet)
  2. Real NEAR tokens to create the account
  3. Log in via CLI:
near login
Mainnet Deployment ChecklistBefore deploying to mainnet:
  • ✅ Contract has been thoroughly tested
  • ✅ Contract has been audited (for high-value contracts)
  • ✅ Contract has been tested on testnet
  • ✅ You have sufficient NEAR for deployment and storage

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Step 3: Deploy the Contract

Deploy your compiled contract to your account: 
near deploy <your-account.testnet> ./target/near/contract.wasm
Network SelectionBy default, NEAR CLI uses testnet. To deploy to mainnet:
export NEAR_ENV=mainnet
near deploy <your-account.near> <path-to-wasm>

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Deploy to Existing Account

If you already have an account: 
# Login first
near login

# Deploy
near deploy <your-account.testnet> <path-to-wasm>
You can overwrite a contract by deploying another on top of it. The account’s logic will change, but the state will persist.

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Step 4: Initialize the Contract

If your contract has an initialization method, call it after deployment: 
near call <your-account.testnet> init '{"owner": "<your-account.testnet>"}' --useAccount <your-account.testnet>

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Initialize During Deployment

You can initialize during deployment: 
near deploy <your-account.testnet> <wasm-file> \
  --initFunction init \
  --initArgs '{"owner": "<your-account.testnet>"}'

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Interacting with Deployed Contract

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View Methods

View methods are read-only and free to call: 
near view <your-account.testnet> get_greeting '{}'
Example output: 
"Hello, World!"
View methods have a default gas limit of 200 TGas.

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Call Methods

Call methods modify state and require gas: 
near call <your-account.testnet> set_greeting '{"greeting": "Hello NEAR!"}' \
  --useAccount <your-account.testnet>

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Call with Deposit

For payable functions, attach NEAR tokens: 
near call <your-account.testnet> donate '{}' \
  --useAccount <your-account.testnet> \
  --deposit 5
Deposit amounts are in NEAR tokens (not yoctoNEAR).

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Specify Gas

Manually specify gas for complex operations: 
near call <your-account.testnet> complex_operation '{}' \
  --useAccount <your-account.testnet> \
  --gas 300000000000000

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Deployment Costs

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Storage Costs

Contracts pay for storage by locking NEAR tokens:
  • ~1Ⓝ per 100KB of data
  • Storage costs are locked, not spent
  • Deleting data releases locked tokens
A simple contract (~50KB):
  • Cost: ~0.5Ⓝ
  • Example: Hello World, basic counter

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Check Contract Size

# Check WASM file size
ls -lh ./target/near/contract.wasm

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Best Practices

Always deploy to testnet first:
  1. Test all functionality
  2. Have users try it out
  3. Fix any issues
  4. Then deploy to mainnet
Choose clear account names:
  • ✅ mytoken.near
  • ✅ marketplace.near
  • ❌ abc123.near
After deployment, document:
  • Contract methods and parameters
  • How to interact with it
  • Security considerations
  • Admin functions
Consider upgrade strategy:
  • How will you update the contract?
  • Do you need state migration?
  • Who can upgrade it?
See Contract Upgrades for details.
After deployment:
  • Monitor contract calls
  • Track errors and failures
  • Watch for unusual activity
  • Use indexers for analytics

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Verifying Deployment

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Check Contract Code

Verify the contract is deployed: 
near view-state <your-account.testnet> --finality final

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View Contract on Explorer

Visit the NEAR Explorer: You can see:
  • Contract code hash
  • Contract size
  • Transaction history
  • Contract calls

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Common Issues

The account name is taken. Choose a different name:
near create-account different-name.testnet --useFaucet
Your account needs more NEAR tokens:
  • Testnet: Use the faucet again or request from the community
  • Mainnet: Add more NEAR to your account
This happens when:
  • Contract state structure changed
  • Need to migrate state
See Contract Upgrades for solutions.
If your contract requires initialization:
near call <contract> init '{"param": "value"}' --useAccount <account>
Or use --initFunction during deployment.

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Environment Variables

Useful environment variables for deployment: 
# Set network (testnet or mainnet)
export NEAR_ENV=testnet

# Set custom RPC endpoint
export NEAR_CLI_TESTNET_RPC_SERVER_URL=https://rpc.testnet.near.org

# Set custom node URL
export NODE_ENV=production

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Deployment Checklist

Before deploying to mainnet:

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Next Steps

Upgrade Contract

Learn how to update deployed contracts

Monitor Activity

Track contract usage and analytics

Build Frontend

Create a web interface for your contract

NEAR CLI

Learn more NEAR CLI commands

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