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# From Zero to Wallet Connect: Building a Web3 Frontend with Wagmi and RainbowKit

The first time I tried to connect MetaMask to my React app, it felt like decoding an alien signal.

That’s how many developers begin their journey into Web3 frontend development—curious, excited, and a little overwhelmed. Fortunately, with modern tools like **Wagmi** and **RainbowKit**, what used to be a complex process is now simple, elegant, and even enjoyable.

This article walks you through how to integrate Wagmi and RainbowKit into a React frontend, step by step, from setup to wallet connection and smart contract interaction.


## Act 1: The Web3 Awakening

Imagine you’ve built several React projects—portfolios, dashboards, maybe a weather app. Then one day, you hear about decentralized applications (dApps) that run on blockchains. You see people minting NFTs, staking tokens, and connecting wallets. Naturally, you think: *“I want to build that.”*

But building Web3 frontends isn’t quite the same as working with REST APIs. Instead of fetching JSON data from a server, you’ll need to communicate with **smart contracts**, **sign transactions**, and **connect to crypto wallets** like MetaMask or WalletConnect.

That’s where Wagmi and RainbowKit come in.



## Act 2: Meet Wagmi and RainbowKit

### Wagmi: Your Web3 Toolkit

**Wagmi** is a library of React hooks that makes interacting with Ethereum and other EVM-compatible blockchains feel natural in React.

With Wagmi, you can:

* Connect and manage user wallets
* Read data from smart contracts
* Write (send) blockchain transactions
* Handle network changes and chain switching

Wagmi is built on top of **Viem**, a lightweight, type-safe Ethereum client that takes care of low-level communication with blockchain nodes.

### RainbowKit: Wallet Connection Made Beautiful

While Wagmi provides the logic, **RainbowKit** provides the user experience. It’s a wallet UI library that lets users connect wallets like MetaMask, Coinbase Wallet, and WalletConnect through a polished, easy-to-use interface.

RainbowKit also supports themes, animations, and multiple blockchain networks.
Together, Wagmi and RainbowKit form a perfect combination for building modern, user-friendly Web3 applications.



## Act 3: Setting Up Your Project

### Step 1: Create a React App

If you don’t have one already, create a new React project.

```bash
npx create-react-app web3-frontend
cd web3-frontend
```

### Step 2: Install Dependencies

```bash
npm install wagmi viem @rainbow-me/rainbowkit
```

This installs:

* **Wagmi** for blockchain logic
* **Viem** for Ethereum communication
* **RainbowKit** for wallet UI

---

## Act 4: Configuring Wagmi and RainbowKit

Open `main.jsx` or `index.jsx` and set up your providers:

```jsx
import React from 'react'
import ReactDOM from 'react-dom/client'
import { WagmiConfig, configureChains, createConfig } from 'wagmi'
import { mainnet, polygon, optimism, arbitrum } from 'wagmi/chains'
import { getDefaultWallets, RainbowKitProvider } from '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit'
import { publicProvider } from 'wagmi/providers/public'
import App from './App'
import '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit/styles.css'

// Configure chains and providers
const { chains, publicClient } = configureChains(
  [mainnet, polygon, optimism, arbitrum],
  [publicProvider()]
)

// Setup default wallet connectors
const { connectors } = getDefaultWallets({
  appName: 'My Web3 App',
  projectId: 'YOUR_WALLETCONNECT_PROJECT_ID',
  chains,
})

// Create Wagmi configuration
const wagmiConfig = createConfig({
  autoConnect: true,
  connectors,
  publicClient,
})

// Wrap your app
ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById('root')).render(
  <React.StrictMode>
    <WagmiConfig config={wagmiConfig}>
      <RainbowKitProvider chains={chains}>
        <App />
      </RainbowKitProvider>
    </WagmiConfig>
  </React.StrictMode>
)
```

This setup ensures your app knows which networks to use and how to connect to wallets.

---

## Act 5: Connecting Wallets

In `App.jsx`, add the following code:

```jsx
import { ConnectButton } from '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit'

function App() {
  return (
    <div className="flex flex-col items-center justify-center min-h-screen">
      <h1 className="text-3xl font-bold mb-6">Welcome to My Web3 App</h1>
      <ConnectButton />
    </div>
  )
}

export default App
```

The **ConnectButton** component adds a functional wallet connection interface that automatically handles:

* Wallet detection
* Network switching
* User address display
* Connection and disconnection states



## Act 6: Reading Smart Contract Data

To read on-chain data, create a new component named `ReadContract.jsx`:

```jsx
import { useContractRead } from 'wagmi'
import abi from './TokenABI.json'

function ReadContract() {
  const { data, isLoading, error } = useContractRead({
    address: '0xYourTokenAddressHere',
    abi,
    functionName: 'totalSupply',
  })

  if (isLoading) return <p>Loading...</p>
  if (error) return <p>Error: {error.message}</p>

  return <p>Total Supply: {data?.toString()}</p>
}

export default ReadContract
```

This component directly reads data from a deployed smart contract on the blockchain.

---

## Act 7: Writing to a Smart Contract

You can also perform write operations, such as minting an NFT:

```jsx
import { usePrepareContractWrite, useContractWrite, useWaitForTransaction } from 'wagmi'
import abi from './TokenABI.json'

function MintButton() {
  const { config } = usePrepareContractWrite({
    address: '0xYourTokenAddressHere',
    abi,
    functionName: 'mint',
    args: [1],
  })

  const { data, write } = useContractWrite(config)
  const { isLoading, isSuccess } = useWaitForTransaction({ hash: data?.hash })

  return (
    <button
      disabled={!write || isLoading}
      onClick={() => write?.()}
      className="px-4 py-2 bg-indigo-600 text-white rounded-lg"
    >
      {isLoading ? 'Minting...' : isSuccess ? 'Minted!' : 'Mint Token'}
    </button>
  )
}
```

Now your app can send blockchain transactions directly from the frontend.

---

## Act 8: Theming and Customization

RainbowKit supports light and dark themes and allows easy customization:

```jsx
import { lightTheme } from '@rainbow-me/rainbowkit'

<RainbowKitProvider
  chains={chains}
  theme={lightTheme({
    accentColor: '#4F46E5',
    accentColorForeground: 'white',
  })}
>
  <App />
</RainbowKitProvider>
```

This lets you tailor the wallet interface to match your project’s branding.

---

## Act 9: From Developer to Web3 Builder

By now, your application can:

* Connect wallets
* Read and write smart contract data
* Handle multiple blockchain networks
* Customize its wallet interface

You’ve effectively transformed from a traditional frontend developer into a Web3 builder whose application interacts directly with the blockchain.

---

## Epilogue: Why It Matters

In Web2, users log in with emails and passwords.
In Web3, users connect their wallets—representing both identity and ownership.

**Wagmi** and **RainbowKit** make this process accessible, secure, and visually appealing, empowering developers to focus on creating meaningful user experiences rather than managing blockchain complexity.

Every major leap in technology begins with a single interaction.
For Web3, that moment begins with a simple button: **Connect Wallet**.
