Sending Transactions to Payable Contracts on Binance Smart Chain without Metamask
As a web3 developer, you are probably familiar with the complexities of interacting with smart contracts on blockchain networks like Ethereum (ERC-20) and Binance Smart Chain. A common challenge when working with payable contracts is sending transactions from external wallets or web3 clients to these contracts. In this article, we will explore an alternative approach that uses Web3 JavaScript APIs to send transactions to payable contracts on Binance Smart Chain without relying on Metamask.
Why Metamask?
Metamask is a popular wallet solution for Ethereum and other ERC-20 tokens, but it has limitations when it comes to interacting with external wallets or web3 clients that do not support the same interface. Specifically, Metamask’s JavaScript library has some restrictions on sending transactions directly to payable contracts without additional configuration.
Why Binance Smart Chain?
Binance Smart Chain is a fast-growing blockchain network that offers a more streamlined and user-friendly experience for developers compared to Ethereum. At the time of writing, Binance Smart Chain supports the BIP-21 standard, which allows for direct sending of transactions between accounts on the network without the need for an additional library or configuration.
Sending Transactions with Web3.js
To send transactions from an external wallet (or web3 client) to a payment contract on Binance Smart Chain using Web3.js, you will need to:
- Import the required libraries: First, import the
ethersandweb3libraries into your JavaScript file.
- Create a new Ethereum provider instance – Use the
ethers.providers.JsonRpcProviderclass to establish a connection to an Ethereum node on Binance Smart Chain (e.g.,
- Create a contract instance
- Using theethers.Contract
class, instantiate your payment contract and configure its ABI.
- Set up your external wallet credentials - Store your external wallet's private key and address in an environment variable or a secure storage solution (e.g., AWS Secrets Manager).
Here's some sample code to get you started:
signTransactionconst ethers = require('ethers');
const Web3 = require('web3');
// Set up your Ethereum node's connection to the Binance Smart Chain API
const provider = new Web3.providers.JsonRpcProvider(
'
);
// Create a contract instance from the payment contract ABI and deployment data
const contractAddress = '0x...'; // Replace with the address of your payment contract
const contractAbi = [...]; // Load your contract's ABI
async function sendTransaction() {
const wallet = new ethers.Wallet('your-wallet-address', 'mainnet');
try {
// Set the transaction data (including the payment contract instance and parameters)
const txData = {
to: contractAddress,
value: web3.utils.toWei('1', 'ether'), // Replace with your payment contract address
data: [...], // Load the contract ABI as an array of function calls
};
// Send the transaction using the Web3.js
methodconst tx = await wallet.signTransaction(txData);
// Use the signed transaction to execute it on the Ethereum network (Binance Smart Chain)
try {
await vendor.sendTransaction(tx);
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error sending transaction:', error.message);
}
} catch (error) {
console.error('Error initializing wallet:', error.message);
}
}
This example code instantiates your payment contract, establishes a connection to the Binance Smart Chain node, and sends a signed transaction using the Web3.js signTransaction` method. The resulting transaction is then executed on the Ethereum network.