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Prerequisites

Before installing the Soroban SDK, ensure you have the following prerequisites:
1

Install Rust

The Soroban SDK requires Rust 1.84.0 or later. Install Rust using rustup:
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
After installation, verify your Rust version:
rustc --version
Make sure you have at least Rust version 1.84.0. If you have an older version, update with rustup update.
2

Add WASM Target

Soroban contracts compile to WebAssembly. Add the WASM target:
rustup target add wasm32v1-none
This target is specifically designed for Soroban smart contracts.
3

Install Required Components

Ensure you have the necessary Rust components:
rustup component add rustc cargo rustfmt clippy rust-src
These components provide:
  • rustc: The Rust compiler
  • cargo: Rust’s package manager
  • rustfmt: Code formatting
  • clippy: Linting and best practices
  • rust-src: Source code for the standard library

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Adding Soroban SDK to Your Project

1

Create a New Project

Create a new Rust library project:
cargo new --lib my-contract
cd my-contract
2

Add SDK Dependency

Add the Soroban SDK to your Cargo.toml:
Cargo.toml
[package]
name = "my-contract"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"

[lib]
crate-type = ["cdylib"]

[dependencies]
soroban-sdk = "25.1.1"

[dev-dependencies]
soroban-sdk = { version = "25.1.1", features = ["testutils"] }
The testutils feature is included in dev-dependencies to enable testing capabilities. It should not be used in production builds.
3

Configure Rust Toolchain (Optional)

Create a rust-toolchain.toml file to ensure consistent builds:
rust-toolchain.toml
[toolchain]
channel = "stable"
targets = ["wasm32v1-none"]
components = ["rustc", "cargo", "rustfmt", "clippy", "rust-src"]
This ensures all developers use the same Rust version and configuration.
4

Configure Build Profile

Add optimized build profiles to your Cargo.toml:
Cargo.toml
[profile.release]
opt-level = "z"
overflow-checks = true
debug = 0
strip = "symbols"
debug-assertions = false
panic = "abort"
codegen-units = 1
lto = true
These settings optimize for small binary size and security:
  • opt-level = "z": Optimize for size
  • overflow-checks = true: Runtime overflow checking
  • panic = "abort": Smaller panic handler
  • lto = true: Link-time optimization

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Building Your Contract

Once configured, build your contract with: 
cargo build --target wasm32v1-none
Use the release build for production deployments as it produces significantly smaller WASM binaries.

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Verification

Verify your installation by creating a simple contract:
src/lib.rs
#![no_std]
use soroban_sdk::{contract, contractimpl};

#[contract]
pub struct Contract;

#[contractimpl]
impl Contract {
    pub fn hello() -> u32 {
        42
    }
}
Build it to ensure everything is working: 
cargo build --target wasm32v1-none --release
If the build succeeds, your installation is complete!

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Additional Tools

Consider installing these helpful tools:

Soroban CLI

Official CLI for deploying and interacting with contracts
cargo install soroban-cli

Stellar CLI

Broader Stellar ecosystem tools
cargo install stellar-cli

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Troubleshooting

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Target Not Found

If you get an error about wasm32v1-none not being found: 
rustup target add wasm32v1-none --toolchain stable

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Dependency Resolution Issues

If cargo fails to resolve dependencies, try: 
cargo clean
cargo update
cargo build --target wasm32v1-none

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Rust Version Conflicts

Ensure you’re using Rust 1.84.0 or later: 
rustup update stable
rustup default stable

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Next Steps

Build Your First Contract

Follow our quickstart guide to create your first Soroban smart contract