Deploy and Mint Your NFT

Now it's time to deploy your NFT smart contract to the Avalanche network and mint your first NFT!

Prerequisites

Before deploying, ensure you have:

Core Wallet Extension

You'll need the Core browser extension to fund and deploy your contract. If you haven't installed it yet:

1. Download Core Extension
2. Create or import a wallet
3. Enable Testnet Mode:
   • Go to Settings → Advanced
   • Turn on Testnet Mode
   • Core will automatically switch to Fuji Testnet

Testnet AVAX

You'll need AVAX on the Fuji testnet to pay for gas fees.

Option 1 (Recommended):

• Create a Builder Hub account
• Connect your wallet to receive testnet AVAX automatically

Option 2:

• Use the Avalanche Faucet
• If you have AVAX on Mainnet, paste your C-Chain address and request test tokens
• Otherwise, request a faucet coupon on Guild

Deploying with Remix IDE

Remix IDE is a browser-based Solidity compiler that makes it easy to compile and deploy smart contracts without installing any software.

Step 1: Compile Your Contract

After importing your contract from OpenZeppelin Wizard:

1. Click the Compile button on the left sidebar (or press Ctrl/Cmd + S)
2. Wait for the green checkmark to appear

Step 2: Configure Deployment

1. Click the Deploy & Run Transactions tab (bottom icon on left sidebar)

2. Change the Environment dropdown to Injected Provider - MetaMask

3. Core will prompt you to connect - approve the connection

4. Verify the connection by checking that the Account matches your Core address

Step 3: Select Your Contract

In the Contract dropdown, select your contract (it will have the name you gave it in the wizard).

Step 4: Deploy

1. Click the orange Deploy button
2. Core will open and ask you to confirm the transaction
3. Review the gas fee and click Confirm

4. Wait for the transaction to be confirmed

Your deployed contract will appear under Deployed Contracts:

Step 5: Verify on Snowtrace

1. Copy your contract address from Remix
2. Open Snowtrace Testnet Explorer
3. Paste the address in the search bar

You'll see your contract information, including the deployment transaction:

Minting Your First NFT

Now that your contract is deployed, let's mint an NFT!

Step 1: Access the safeMint Function

1. In Remix, expand your deployed contract
2. You'll see a list of available functions

3. Click the dropdown arrow next to safeMint to expand it

Step 2: Mint to Your Address

1. Copy your Core wallet address
2. Paste it into the to address field
3. Click the orange transact button

4. Confirm the transaction in Core
5. Wait for the green checkmark in the Remix terminal

Step 3: Verify the Mint

1. Return to your contract page on Snowtrace
2. Refresh the page
3. You should see a new transaction for safeMint

4. Click on the TX Hash to view details

Congratulations! You've successfully minted your first NFT! 🎉

Viewing Your NFT

Your NFT is now:

• Recorded on the Avalanche blockchain
• Owned by your wallet address
• Linked to your metadata and image on IPFS

You can view it:

• On Snowtrace (under the "Token Transfers" tab)
• In your Core wallet (NFT section)
• On NFT marketplaces that support Avalanche testnet

Deploying to Mainnet

When you're ready to launch your project on Mainnet, the process is identical except:

1. Switch to Mainnet: Disable Testnet Mode in Core
2. Get Real AVAX: You'll need actual AVAX to pay for gas fees
3. Use Mainnet Snowtrace: View transactions at snowtrace.io
4. List on Marketplaces: Your NFTs can be listed on platforms like Joepegs

Next Steps

Now that you've deployed and minted your NFT, you might want to:

• Mint additional NFTs from your collection
• Learn about token URIs and metadata standards
• Explore advanced features like royalties and allowlists
• Build a custom minting dApp for your collection

In the next section, we'll dive deeper into how token URIs work and how your NFTs connect to their metadata.