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Beginner
Concept

Overview​

After learning about the different workflows that can be followed when creating a canister, the languages that can be used, and the components that go into a canister, its time to write the canister code.

To write canister code, several different tools can be used.

Canister development kits (CDKs)​

A canister development kit (CDK) provides programming languages with the necessary features and functionality to create, deploy, and manage canisters. CDKs are a popular choice for developers who prefer a standard development workflow.

To develop using a CDK, see the documentation for the CDK of your choice below.

DFINITY maintained CDKs include:

Community contributed and maintained CDKs include:

Integrated development environments (IDEs)​

Another popular tool used in standard development workflows are integrated development environments (IDEs). IDEs are commonly used in conjunction with CDKs to create, edit, and manage code files. Any IDE can be used to create and edit canister code. Some examples with documentation include:

Frameworks​

As an alternative approach to the standard development workflow, a framework-based approach can be used. Frameworks offer additional services, such handling the canister deployment and data hosting for you. Currently supported frameworks include:

Writing canister code tutorials​

Want to follow a tutorial for writing canister code? Check out these written and video tutorial resources: