create-datadao

create-datadao

Launch a DataDAO on Vana in minutes. This CLI tool automates the entire DataDAO creation workflow—from smart contracts to data validation.

Quick Start

Setup Modes

Quick Setup (5 minutes):

create-datadao create my-datadao
# Choose "Quick Setup" when prompted

• Auto-generates wallet and uses smart defaults
• Minimal prompts with automated flow
• Perfect for development and testing
• Skips external service setup initially

Full Setup (30-45 minutes):

create-datadao create my-datadao
# Choose "Full Setup" when prompted

• Complete configuration with explanations
• Step-by-step guidance with confirmations
• Sets up all external services (Pinata, Google OAuth)
• Production-ready deployment

Both modes execute the same underlying deployment steps - the difference is in user interaction. Quick mode automates decisions while Normal mode explains and asks for confirmation at each step.

Basic Usage

npx create-datadao my-first-dao

Follow the prompts. You'll have a DataDAO deployed in ~15 minutes.

What This Tool Does

• Deploys smart contracts - Token, liquidity pool, and vesting contracts on Vana testnet
• Registers your DataDAO - Makes it discoverable on the network
• Sets up data validation - Configures proof-of-contribution and data refinement
• Creates a UI - Deploys a contribution interface for your users

Prerequisites

Required:

• Node.js 18+
• GitHub account (for proof/refiner repos)
• Pinata account for IPFS storage (https://pinata.cloud)
• Google OAuth credentials (https://console.cloud.google.com)
• GitHub CLI for automated repository setup (https://cli.github.com)

Installation

# Global installation
npm install -g create-datadao

# Or use npx (recommended)
npx create-datadao

Commands

Create a New DataDAO

create-datadao my-datadao

Options:

• --config <path> - Use a JSON configuration file
• --quick - Skip optional features for faster setup

Check Status

create-datadao status           # Lists all projects
create-datadao status my-dao    # Specific project status

Deploy Individual Components

create-datadao deploy:contracts [project-path]
create-datadao register [project-path]
create-datadao ui [project-path]

Configuration

Interactive Mode (Default)

The CLI guides you through setup:

? DataDAO name: Weather Data Collective
? Token name: Weather Token
? Token symbol: WEATHER
? Private key (or press enter to generate):

Config File Mode

Create a config file for automated deployment:

{
  "projectName": "weather-dao",
  "privateKey": "0x...",
  "dlpName": "Weather Data Collective",
  "dlpToken": "WEATHER",
  "tokenName": "Weather Token",
  "tokenSymbol": "WEATHER",
  "githubUsername": "your-username",
  "googleClientId": "your-client-id",
  "googleClientSecret": "your-secret",
  "pinataApiKey": "your-key",
  "pinataApiSecret": "your-secret"
}

Deploy with:

create-datadao --config weather-config.json

Project Structure

After creation, your project contains:

my-datadao/
├── contracts/       # Smart contract code
├── proof/          # Data validation logic
├── refiner/        # Data transformation pipeline
├── ui/             # Contribution interface
├── scripts/        # Deployment scripts
└── deployment.json # Deployment state

Deployment Flow

• Contract Deployment (~3 minutes)

  • Deploys token contract
  • Deploys DataLiquidityPool proxy
  • Sets up vesting wallet

• DataDAO Registration (~1 minute)

  • Registers with Vana network
  • Requires 1 VANA fee
  • Returns unique dlpId

• Proof & Refiner Setup (~5 minutes)

  • Creates GitHub repositories
  • Configures validation rules
  • Sets up data pipeline

• UI Deployment (~5 minutes)

  • Deploys to Vercel
  • Configures authentication
  • Enables data contributions

Common Issues

Insufficient Funds

Error: Insufficient funds for transaction

Fix: Get testnet VANA from https://faucet.vana.org

Registration Failed

Error: Transaction reverted

Fix: Ensure contracts deployed successfully. Run create-datadao status to check.

GitHub Repository Exists

Warning: Repository already exists

Fix: The tool continues with existing repos. No action needed.

Recovery

If deployment fails midway:

create-datadao status my-dao    # Check current state
npm run deploy:contracts        # Resume from failure point

All progress is saved in deployment.json.

Advanced Usage

Custom Templates

Fork template repositories before creation:

• Proof: https://github.com/vana-com/dlp-proof-template
• Refiner: https://github.com/vana-com/vana-data-refinement-template

Manual Deployment

Each step can be run independently:

cd my-datadao
npm run deploy:contracts
npm run register:datadao
npm run deploy:proof
npm run deploy:refiner
npm run deploy:ui

State Management

View deployment state:

cat deployment.json | jq

Key fields:

• tokenAddress - Your DataDAO token
• proxyAddress - DataLiquidityPool address
• dlpId - Network registration ID
• state - Deployment progress

Environment Variables

Optional configuration via .env:

PRIVATE_KEY=0x...
GITHUB_USERNAME=your-username
PINATA_API_KEY=your-key
PINATA_API_SECRET=your-secret
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-secret

Network Information

Vana Moksha Testnet

• Chain ID: 14800
• RPC: https://rpc.moksha.vana.org
• Explorer: https://moksha.vanascan.io
• Faucet: https://faucet.vana.org

Key Contracts

• DataRegistry: 0xd0fD0cFA96a01bEc1F3c26d9D0Eb0F20fc2BB30C

Support

• Issues: https://github.com/vana-com/create-datadao/issues
• Docs: https://docs.vana.org
• Discord: https://discord.gg/vanabuilders

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Whether you're fixing bugs, adding features, or improving documentation, your help makes this project better.

Getting Started

Prerequisites for Development

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• Git and GitHub account
• GitHub CLI (recommended): brew install gh or npm install -g @github/cli
• Basic familiarity with CLI tools and Node.js

Development Setup

• Fork and Clone

  # Fork the repository on GitHub first, then:
  git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/create-datadao
  cd create-datadao
  

• Install Dependencies

  npm install
  

• Link for Local Testing

  npm link
  # Now you can test with: create-datadao create test-project
  

• Verify Setup

  # Test the CLI works
  create-datadao --help
  
  # Run the test suite
  npm test
  

Project Structure

create-datadao/
├── bin/
│   └── create-datadao.js          # CLI entry point
├── lib/
│   ├── generator.js               # Project template generation
│   ├── config.js                  # Configuration management
│   ├── wallet.js                  # Blockchain wallet utilities
│   ├── validation.js              # Input validation
│   └── formatting.js              # String formatting helpers
├── src/
│   ├── index.js                   # Core generator logic
│   └── templates/                 # Script templates for generated projects
├── __tests__/
│   ├── lib/                       # Unit tests
│   ├── integration/               # Integration tests
│   └── production/                # End-to-end tests
└── package.json

Testing

We use Jest for testing with multiple test suites:

# Run all tests
npm test

# Unit tests only (fast)
npm run test:unit

# Integration tests (medium speed)
npm run test:integration

# Production tests (slow, requires network)
npm run test:production

# Watch mode for development
npm run test:watch

# Coverage report
npm run test:coverage

Testing Your Changes

• Unit Tests: Test individual functions in isolation

  npm run test:unit
  

• Integration Tests: Test CLI commands end-to-end

  npm run test:integration
  

• Manual Testing: Test the full user experience

  create-datadao create test-dao
  create-datadao status test-dao
  

Making Changes

Code Style

• Use consistent formatting (we recommend Prettier)
• Follow existing naming conventions
• Add JSDoc comments for public functions
• Keep functions focused and testable

Adding Features

• Create a branch

  git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
  

• Write tests first (TDD approach recommended)

  # Add tests in __tests__/lib/ for new utilities
  # Add integration tests in __tests__/integration/
  

• Implement the feature

  • Follow existing patterns in the codebase
  • Update CLI help text if adding commands
  • Update README if user-facing

• Test thoroughly

  npm test
  npm run test:coverage  # Ensure good coverage
  

Bug Fixes

• Reproduce the bug with a test case
• Fix the issue while keeping tests passing
• Add regression tests to prevent future occurrences

Submitting Changes

Pull Request Process

• Ensure tests pass

  npm test
  

• Update documentation if needed

  • README.md for user-facing changes
  • JSDoc comments for code changes
  • Add examples for new features

• Create Pull Request

  • Use a clear, descriptive title
  • Reference any related issues
  • Describe what changed and why
  • Include testing instructions

• PR Template

  ## What Changed
  Brief description of your changes
  
  ## Why
  Explanation of the problem this solves
  
  ## Testing
  - [ ] Unit tests pass
  - [ ] Integration tests pass
  - [ ] Manually tested with: `create-datadao create test-project`
  
  ## Checklist
  - [ ] Documentation updated
  - [ ] Tests added/updated
  - [ ] No breaking changes (or clearly marked)
  

Reporting Issues

Bug Reports

Include:

• Steps to reproduce
• Expected vs actual behavior
• Environment details (Node version, OS)
• CLI command and output
• Error logs if any

Feature Requests

Include:

• Use case description
• Proposed solution
• Alternative approaches considered
• Willingness to implement

Development Tips

Testing Changes Locally

# Link your development version
npm link

# Test create command
create-datadao create test-project

# Test status command
create-datadao status test-project

# Clean up test projects
rm -rf test-project

# Unlink when done
npm unlink -g create-datadao

Debugging

# Add debug logs to your code
console.log(chalk.gray('DEBUG:'), 'variable value:', variable);

# Run with verbose output
DEBUG=* create-datadao create test-project

Common Gotchas

• File paths: Use path.join() for cross-platform compatibility
• Async operations: Always handle Promise rejections
• User input: Validate and sanitize all inputs
• Error messages: Make them actionable and user-friendly

Release Process

We use semantic-release for automated releases:

• fix: Patch version (0.0.1)
• feat: Minor version (0.1.0)
• BREAKING CHANGE: Major version (1.0.0)

Use conventional commits:

git commit -m "feat: add support for custom templates"
git commit -m "fix: resolve Windows path issues"
git commit -m "docs: update installation instructions"

Need Help?

• Questions: Open a discussion on GitHub
• Chat: Join our Discord community
• Issues: Search existing issues before creating new ones

Thank you for contributing to create-datadao! 🚀

License

MIT