Connecting Your DApp Frontend with React and Ethers.js – A Beginner’s Guide

So far, you’ve learned how to write and deploy smart contracts. But to create a real-world DApp, users need a way to interact with the blockchain from their browser. In this guide, you’ll learn how to connect a React frontend with your smart contract using Ethers.js and MetaMask.

Why Connect a Frontend?

Smart contracts live on the blockchain, but without a user interface, they’re difficult to use. By connecting a frontend, you can build applications where users can stake tokens, mint NFTs, or send transactions with just a few clicks.

Step-by-Step Guide to Connecting React with Ethers.js

1. Set Up the React App

Start a new React project:

npx create-react-app my-dapp-frontend
cd my-dapp-frontend
npm install ethers

2. Connect to MetaMask

Inside App.js, add:

import { useState } from "react";
import { ethers } from "ethers";

function App() {
  const [account, setAccount] = useState(null);

  async function connectWallet() {
    if (window.ethereum) {
      const accounts = await window.ethereum.request({ method: "eth_requestAccounts" });
      setAccount(accounts[0]);
    } else {
      alert("MetaMask not found!");
    }
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>My DApp</h1>
      {account ? (
        <p>Connected: {account}</p>
      ) : (
        <button onClick={connectWallet}>Connect Wallet</button>
      )}
    </div>
  );
}

export default App;

This connects the app to MetaMask.

3. Load Your Contract

To interact with your contract, you need its ABI and address. Create a file contract.js:

import { ethers } from "ethers";
import abi from "./MyContract.json"; // ABI from Hardhat build

const contractAddress = "DEPLOYED_CONTRACT_ADDRESS";

export function getContract() {
  if (!window.ethereum) return null;
  const provider = new ethers.BrowserProvider(window.ethereum);
  const signer = provider.getSigner();
  return new ethers.Contract(contractAddress, abi.abi, signer);
}

4. Interact with the Contract

Back in App.js, call your smart contract functions:

import { getContract } from "./contract";

async function callMessage() {
  const contract = getContract();
  const msg = await contract.message();
  alert("Contract Message: " + msg);
}

Add a button to trigger it:

<button onClick={callMessage}>Get Message</button>

How This Helps You

With this setup, your DApp is now interactive. You’ve connected a React frontend to Ethereum through MetaMask and Ethers.js. This foundation allows you to build real-world applications—NFT marketplaces, DeFi dashboards, or governance apps—where users can interact with blockchain seamlessly.

Conclusion

Frontend integration is what transforms a smart contract into a full DApp. By connecting React with Ethers.js, you’ve taken a crucial step toward building production-ready decentralized applications. From here, you can add UI components, integrate multiple contracts, and even deploy your DApp to the web for others to use.