Great question — structuring a Web3 development lifecycle properly from the beginning saves a ton of pain later on.

Here’s what’s worked well for our team:

🔹 Initial Architecture & Planning
Start with a clear spec using tools like Notion, Figma, or Whimsical to map out contract interactions and user flows. Include threat modeling early — it’s often overlooked.

🔹 Development Stack
We use Hardhat for most projects, though Foundry is gaining traction for its speed and Rust-like dev ergonomics. Hardhat’s plugin ecosystem (ethers.js, coverage, deployment) is excellent for prototyping.

🔹 Version Control & CI/CD

• GitHub + PR-based workflows

• Slither, MythX, and Solhint for static analysis

• CI pipelines running test suites on push (GitHub Actions works great here)

🔹 Testing & Staging

• 100% unit test coverage isn’t always realistic, but aim for thorough testing on edge cases.

• Always deploy to public testnets like Sepolia or Base Goerli to simulate real interactions.

• Tools like Tenderly, Anvil (Foundry), or OpenZeppelin Defender are game-changers for monitoring and simulations.

🔹 Security & Deployment

• Audit internally first before going to an external firm. Write detailed notes for the auditors.

• Use multisigs for upgradeable contracts and time-locked governance where possible.

• Post-deploy: implement monitoring (Tenderly, Forta) and set up alerts for anomalies.

Also, consider formal verification for critical components. It’s more accessible now than it used to be.

Hope this helps! Happy to chat more if you’re building something open-source.

1. Design & Architecture (Don’t Skip This!)

• Start with clear, modular contract architecture — separation of concerns is key.

• Tools like Whimsical (for diagrams), Figma (UX flows), and HackMD or Notion for specs keep everyone aligned.

• Include threat modeling early (STRIDE or similar). You’ll thank yourself later when auditing.

🛠 2. Development Environment

• We’ve primarily used Hardhat for its mature ecosystem, but Foundry is now our go-to for performance and better testing ergonomics.

• Tooling stack usually includes:

  • slither + solhint for linting and static analysis

  • forge coverage for test coverage metrics

  • anvil for fast local forking📦 3. Version Control & CI/CD

• GitHub with strict PR reviews and branch protection rules

• GitHub Actions for CI:

  • Run full test suites on push/PR

  • Linting, gas cost reports, and static analysis baked into the pipeline

• Bonus: deploy test contracts automatically to a forked mainnet (via Anvil or Alchemy) on each PR

🧪 4. Testing Strategy

• Split tests into unit, integration, and fuzz tests

• Always mock external dependencies (e.g., Chainlink, oracles, bridges)

• Use forge test -vvv for verbose debugging + fuzzing

• Deploy to Sepolia, Base Goerli, or Polygon Amoy for staging

• Integrate Tenderly for simulating tx behavior & debugging

🔐 5. Auditing & Deployment

• Internal review rounds before any audit. Pair programming + code walkthroughs help spot logic gaps early.

• Use OpenZeppelin Contracts and Defender for upgradeable patterns and automation

• Pre-deploy checklist:

  • Audit report (public, if possible)

  • Full changelog

  • Gas optimization pass

  • Emergency pause logic + upgrade plan

• Deploy via multisig + use timelocks for governance-sensitive actions

• After deployment, activate monitoring: Forta, Tenderly alerts, and integrate Slack/email alerts for anomalies