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Version: v3.0.0-nightly.20250919

Connecting to the Sandbox

This guide shows you how to connect your application to the Aztec sandbox and interact with the network.

Prerequisites​

  • Running Aztec sandbox (see Quickstart) on port 8080
  • Node.js installed
  • TypeScript project set up

Install Aztec.js​

Install the Aztec.js package​

yarn add @aztec/aztec.js@3.0.0-nightly.20250919

Create a Node Client​

The sandbox is essentially a one-node network. Just like on a real network, you need to interface with it:

const node = createAztecNodeClient("http://localhost:8080")
const l1Contracts = await node.getL1ContractAddresses();

As the name implies, we want to know the L1 Contracts addresses for our PXE.

Create a PXE​

Although the sandbox comes with its own PXE, it's useful to create one specifically for your use-case. You will need to bring your own PXE to the testnet eventually. Let's create a PXE store and configure it:

import { createStore } from '@aztec/kv-store/lmdb';
import { createPXEService, getPXEServiceConfig } from '@aztec/pxe/server';

const config = getPXEServiceConfig()
const fullConfig = { ...config, l1Contracts }
fullConfig.proverEnabled = false; // you'll want to set this to "true" once you're ready to connect to the testnet

const store = await createStore('pxe', {
    dataDirectory: 'store',
    dataStoreMapSizeKB: 1e6,
});
const pxe = await createPXEService(node, fullConfig, {store});
await waitForPXE(pxe);

Verify the connection​

Get node information to confirm your connection:

const nodeInfo = await pxe.getNodeInfo();
console.log('Connected to sandbox version:', nodeInfo.nodeVersion);
console.log('Chain ID:', nodeInfo.l1ChainId);

Create wallets​

Now that we have a PXE running, we can create a Wallet:

import { TestWallet } from '@aztec/test-wallet';

const wallet = new TestWallet(pxe);

Get test accounts​

The sandbox has some accounts pre-funded with fee-juice to pay for gas. You can import them and create accounts:

import { getInitialTestAccountsData } from '@aztec/accounts/testing';

const [aliceAccount, bobAccount] = await getInitialTestAccountsData();
await wallet.createSchnorrAccount(aliceAccount.secret, aliceAccount.salt);
await wallet.createSchnorrAccount(bobAccount.secret, bobAccount.salt);

Check account balances​

Verify that the accounts have fee juice for transactions:

import { getFeeJuiceBalance } from '@aztec/aztec.js';

const aliceBalance = await getFeeJuiceBalance(aliceAccount.address, pxe);
console.log(`Alice's fee juice balance: ${aliceBalance}`);

Next steps​