Airdrop Your ERC20 Token for Mass Adoption on Base

Introduction

Airdrops have become a popular method for distributing tokens to encourage adoption and community engagement. By giving away free tokens, projects can introduce their ERC20 tokens to a wider audience, increase liquidity, and potentially boost usage of their decentralized applications (dApps). With the rise of new blockchains like Base (built on Ethereum’s Layer 2 scaling solution), it is crucial to understand how to perform a successful airdrop that maximizes reach and engagement.

In this article, we'll guide you through the process of distributing your own ERC20 token as an airdrop on the Base blockchain, with code examples in TypeScript to help automate the process.

Prerequisites

  1. Node.js and NPM: Make sure you have Node.js and npm installed. This guide assumes familiarity with JavaScript/TypeScript.
  2. MetaMask: A wallet to deploy and interact with smart contracts.
  3. Infura or Alchemy API Key: To connect to the Base blockchain.
  4. Hardhat: For smart contract deployment.
  5. ERC20 Token: Create or have an existing ERC20 token deployed on the Base network.

Step 1: Setup Your Development Environment

First, set up a project directory and initialize it:

mkdir airdrop - base
cd airdrop - base
npm init - y
npm install ethers dotenv @nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers hardhat typescript ts-node

Then, initialize a Hardhat project:

npx hardhat

Choose "Create a TypeScript project" when prompted. This setup will provide the necessary structure for interacting with the Base network and your ERC20 token.

Step 2: Create an ERC20 Token (If Needed)

If you don't already have an ERC20 token, you can create one with a basic contract. Inside the contracts directory of your Hardhat project, create a file named MyToken.sol:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^ 0.8.0;

import "@openzeppelin/contracts/token/ERC20/ERC20.sol";

contract MyToken is ERC20 {
  constructor(uint256 initialSupply) ERC20("MyToken", "MTK") {
    _mint(msg.sender, initialSupply * (10 ** uint256(decimals())));
  }
}

This contract creates a basic ERC20 token with an initial supply allocated to the deployer's address. Deploy it using a Hardhat script.

Step 3: Deploy the ERC20 Token on the Base Blockchain

Create a script to deploy the token in scripts/deploy.ts:

import { ethers } from "hardhat";

async function main() {
  const initialSupply = ethers.utils.parseUnits("1000000", 18); // 1 million tokens with 18 decimals
  const MyToken = await ethers.getContractFactory("MyToken");
  const myToken = await MyToken.deploy(initialSupply);

  await myToken.deployed();

  console.log(`MyToken deployed to: ${myToken.address}`);
}

main().catch((error) => {
  console.error(error);
  process.exit(1);
});

Run the deployment script:

npx hardhat run scripts / deploy.ts--network base

Make sure you configure your Hardhat network settings for the Base network in hardhat.config.ts:

import { HardhatUserConfig } from "hardhat/config";
import "@nomiclabs/hardhat-ethers";
import dotenv from "dotenv";

dotenv.config();

const config: HardhatUserConfig = {
  solidity: "0.8.18",
  networks: {
    base: {
      url: `https://base-mainnet.infura.io/v3/${process.env.INFURA_API_KEY}`,
      accounts: [process.env.PRIVATE_KEY!]
    },
  },
};

Ensure your .env file has the INFURA_API_KEY and PRIVATE_KEY set:

INFURA_API_KEY = your_infura_api_key
PRIVATE_KEY = your_wallet_private_key

Step 4: Prepare the Airdrop List

Now that you have your token deployed, you need a list of addresses to airdrop the tokens to. For this example, let's create a simple JSON file airdropList.json containing the addresses and amounts:

[
  {
    "address": "0xAddress1",
    "amount": "100"
  },
  {
    "address": "0xAddress2",
    "amount": "150"
  },
  {
    "address": "0xAddress3",
    "amount": "200"
  }
]

Step 5: Write the Airdrop Script in TypeScript

Now, we will create a script to automate the airdrop. Create a new file named airdrop.ts in the scripts folder:

import { ethers } from "hardhat";
import fs from "fs";
import path from "path";

const airdropFilePath = path.join(__dirname, "airdropList.json");

async function main() {
  const [deployer] = await ethers.getSigners();

  // Load the deployed token contract address
  const tokenAddress = "0xYourDeployedTokenAddress";
  const MyToken = await ethers.getContractAt("MyToken", tokenAddress);

  // Read the airdrop list from JSON
  const airdropList = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(airdropFilePath, "utf-8"));

  // Airdrop tokens
  for (const entry of airdropList) {
    const { address, amount } = entry;
    const amountInWei = ethers.utils.parseUnits(amount, 18);

    const tx = await MyToken.transfer(address, amountInWei);
    await tx.wait();

    console.log(`Airdropped ${amount} tokens to ${address}`);
  }

  console.log("Airdrop completed!");
}

main().catch((error) => {
  console.error("Airdrop failed:", error);
  process.exit(1);
});

This script reads the airdropList.json file, parses each address and amount, and transfers the tokens using the transfer function of the ERC20 contract. Make sure to replace 0xYourDeployedTokenAddress with the actual address of your deployed ERC20 token.

Step 6: Execute the Airdrop Script

Run the airdrop script using the following command:

npx hardhat run scripts / airdrop.ts--network base

This script will loop through each address in the airdropList.json and send the specified amount of tokens to each one. Make sure you have sufficient tokens in your wallet to cover the airdrop and gas fees.

Step 7: Monitor and Confirm the Airdrop

Once the script completes, you can check the transaction status on a blockchain explorer like Blockscout or Etherscan for the Base network. Verify that each address has received the correct amount of tokens.

Best Practices for Airdrop Distribution

  1. Limit Airdrop Size: Avoid sending tokens to too many addresses in a single transaction to prevent running into gas limits.
  2. Whitelist Addresses: Ensure addresses are not blacklisted or spam wallets.
  3. Community Engagement: Announce the airdrop through social media and community channels to create hype.
  4. Analyze Gas Fees: Gas fees can fluctuate, so optimize the timing of the airdrop for lower fees.

Conclusion

Distributing an ERC20 token through an airdrop on the Base blockchain can be a great way to boost community engagement and incentivize new users to join your ecosystem. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can set up and automate your airdrop process using TypeScript, Hardhat, and the Base network. Make sure to test thoroughly on a testnet before performing the airdrop on the mainnet to avoid errors.

This approach not only ensures that your airdrop reaches a broad audience but also helps you manage the process programmatically, saving time and effort in managing large token distributions.