NCW Starter is a Web3.0 boilerplate that combines Next.js, Chakra UI, and wagmi to give developers a pre-configured foundation for building decentralized applications (dApps). It ships as a minimal Next.js project where the main page lives in pages/index.js, and it is optimized for deployment on Vercel. The template's code is publicly available on GitHub, with 16 stars at the time of this writing.
What is NCW Starter?
NCW Starter is a starter template for building dApps, built on the Next.js React framework and styled with Chakra UI. It integrates wagmi, a React Hooks library for Ethereum that sits on top of ethers.js, to handle wallet connections and contract interactions. The template provides a single editable page, pages/index.js, and is designed to be deployed on Vercel, with a live demo available at ncwstarter.vercel.app.
Key Features
- Next.js — React framework providing file-based routing, server-side rendering, and API routes; the template runs under Node.js via npm or yarn.
- Chakra UI — accessible, themeable React component library for styling and layout without writing custom CSS from scratch.
- wagmi — React Hooks library for Ethereum built on ethers.js, simplifying wallet connections, account management, and contract interactions.
- Vercel deployment — the README includes a dedicated "Deploy on Vercel" section, and a live demo is available at ncwstarter.vercel.app.
- Simple file structure — editing pages/index.js triggers hot reload, so you can see changes immediately in your browser at localhost:3000.
- Ethereum development resources — the README links to official Next.js, Learn Next.js, Chakra UI, and wagmi documentation for learning the stack.
Who is it for?
- Web3 developers who want a pre-configured stack for building dApp frontends without spending time wiring up wallet libraries and UI frameworks.
- React developers moving into Ethereum development who need a working example that combines wagmi hooks with Chakra UI components.
- Hackathon participants who need to bootstrap a project quickly and deploy to Vercel in minutes.
Use cases
- dApp prototyping: scaffold a minimal frontend that can later be extended with smart contract calls, wallet connection, and transaction flows.
- Learning the stack: study how Next.js pages, Chakra UI components, and wagmi hooks fit together in a single-page app.
- Template for production projects: use the starter as the base for a larger dApp, swapping in your own contract addresses and UI components.
How does it work?
The template is a standard Next.js application. After cloning, run npm install to fetch dependencies, then npm run dev to start the development server at localhost:3000. The page auto-updates as you edit pages/index.js. For production, the project is configured for one-click deployment on Vercel.
FAQ
What stack does NCW Starter use?
It uses Next.js for the React framework, Chakra UI for components, and wagmi for Ethereum interactions. wagmi is built on ethers.js, so ethers.js is an underlying dependency.
How do I run this template locally?
Install dependencies with npm install, then run npm run dev. The development server starts at http://localhost:3000 and hot-reloads as you edit pages/index.js.
Can I deploy NCW Starter to Vercel?
Yes, the README includes a "Deploy on Vercel" section and a live demo at ncwstarter.vercel.app, indicating Vercel is the intended hosting platform.
Is NCW Starter free to use?
The repository is public on GitHub, so you can clone and use it as a starting point for your own projects. No license is mentioned in the README, so check the repo for licensing details if you plan to redistribute code.
