Prerequisites for TON to EVM Tutorials

Before starting the TON to EVM tutorials, ensure you have the following:

Development Environment

Node.js v20 or higher: You can use the nvm package to install and switch between Node.js versions. Once installed, verify the node version with:
Terminal
```
node -v
```
Example output:
```
$ node -v
v22.15.0
```
npm: For installing and managing dependencies.
Git: For cloning the repository.

Starter Kit Repository

Clone the CCIP TON Starter Kit:

git clone https://github.com/smartcontractkit/ccip-starter-kit-ton.git

Navigate to the directory:
Terminal
```
cd ccip-starter-kit-ton
```
Install dependencies:
Terminal
```
npm install
```

This installs the required TON SDK packages, including @ton/core, @ton/ton, and @ton/crypto, which are used to interact with the TON blockchain.

Understanding TON Network Configuration

The TON Starter Kit uses a helper-config.ts file to manage network settings and contract addresses for TON Testnet. This configuration includes:

CCIP Router Address: The on-chain address of the CCIP Router contract on TON
Chain Selectors: Unique identifiers for destination EVM chains
RPC Endpoints: URLs for connecting to TON blockchain nodes

Example configuration snippet:

tonTestnet: {
  chainSelector: '1399300952838017768',
  router: 'EQB9QIw22sgwNKMfqsMKGepkhnjXYJmXlzCgcBSAlaiF9VCj',
  // ...
  destChains: {
    sepolia: 'sepolia',
    arbitrumSepolia: 'arbitrumSepolia'
  },
  // ...
},
sepolia: {
  chainSelector: '16015286601757825753',
  router: '0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59',
  // ...
},
arbitrumSepolia: {
  chainSelector: '3478487238524512106',
  router: '0x2a9C5afB0d0e4BAb2BCdaE109EC4b0c4Be15a165',
  // ...
},

Wallets

TON Wallet: You'll need a TON wallet to send transactions. The starter kit uses the V4R2 wallet version. You can create a TON wallet using Tonkeeper (available on iOS, Android, desktop, and as a browser extension):
1. Download and install Tonkeeper
2. Create a new wallet and save the 24-word recovery phrase (mnemonic)
3. Add a Testnet Account using the same mnemonic
4. In wallet settings, select V4R2 as the wallet version
Why V4R2?

V4R2 and W5 are different wallet contract versions on TON. The same mnemonic generates different addresses for each version. CCIP TON infrastructure is built for V4R2.

The wallet's private key is derived from the 24-word mnemonic phrase and stored in your environment configuration.
EVM Wallet Address: You'll need an EVM-compatible wallet address to receive messages on the destination chain (e.g., Ethereum Sepolia or Arbitrum Sepolia). You only need the address itself, not the private key, as you are only sending to this address.

Environment Configuration (`.env` file)

The starter kit uses a .env file to manage sensitive information like mnemonic phrases and RPC URLs. Create a new file named .env in the root of the ccip-starter-kit-ton directory by copying the example file:

cp .env.example .env

Next, open the .env file and fill in the required values:

TON_MNEMONIC: Your 24-word mnemonic phrase for the TON wallet. This is used to derive the private key for signing transactions on TON.
EVM_PRIVATE_KEY: The private key of your EVM wallet (with 0x prefix). Required for deploying receiver contracts on EVM chains (e.g., deploy:evm:receiver). The corresponding wallet must hold Sepolia ETH.
ETHEREUM_SEPOLIA_RPC_URL: The RPC endpoint for Ethereum Sepolia. This is used by verification scripts to check message execution status on the destination chain. You can obtain a free RPC URL from providers like Alchemy, Infura, or QuickNode.
ARBITRUM_SEPOLIA_RPC_URL (optional): The RPC endpoint for Arbitrum Sepolia if you plan to send messages to this chain.
TON_RPC_URL (optional): Override the default TON RPC endpoint. The default is https://ton-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public, which doesn't require an API key.
TON_CENTER_API_KEY (optional): Only required if you use a toncenter RPC URL (e.g., https://testnet.toncenter.com/api/v2/jsonRPC). Get a free API key from @tonapibot on Telegram.

Example .env file:

TON_MNEMONIC="word1 word2 word3 ... word24"
EVM_PRIVATE_KEY=0xYourEVMPrivateKey
ETHEREUM_SEPOLIA_RPC_URL=https://eth-sepolia.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY
ARBITRUM_SEPOLIA_RPC_URL=https://arb-sepolia.g.alchemy.com/v2/YOUR_API_KEY

Native TON Tokens for Transaction Fees

TON tokens are required for all transactions on the TON blockchain, including sending CCIP messages. TON is also used to pay for CCIP fees when sending cross-chain messages.

Getting TON on Testnet

To obtain TON tokens on Testnet, use the official TON Testnet faucet:

Visit the TON Testnet Faucet
Open Telegram and start a chat with the @testgiver_ton_bot
Send your V4R2 testnet wallet address to the bot
The bot will send you 2 testnet TON (you can request again every 60 minutes)

Checking Your TON Balance

You can check your wallet balance using TON blockchain explorers:

Testnet Explorer: Enter your wallet address to view balance and transaction history
TON wallet applications like Tonkeeper also display your balance

Alternatively, you can use the TON SDK in a script to query your balance programmatically:

import { TonClient } from "@ton/ton"

const client = new TonClient({
  endpoint: "https://testnet.toncenter.com/api/v2/jsonRPC",
})

const balance = await client.getBalance(yourWalletAddress)
console.log(`Balance: ${balance} nanoTON`)

Prerequisites for TON to EVM Tutorials

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