Artemis: A Decentralized Voting DApp

Artemis is a decentralized application (DApp) that leverages Ethereum blockchain technology to provide a secure and transparent voting system. Built with Solidity, Hardhat, and a React frontend, Artemis allows users to vote for candidates in a decentralized manner using their MetaMask wallets.

Table of Contents

• Introduction
• Technologies Used
• Features
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
  • Compile Smart Contracts
  • Deploy Smart Contracts
  • Run Tests
  • Launch React Frontend
• Application Overview
  • Voting Contract
  • Frontend Components
  • Screenshots
• Commands Summary
• Future Enhancements

Introduction

Artemis provides a secure, transparent voting platform where each vote is recorded on the blockchain, ensuring integrity and immutability. The application is built to simulate real-world voting systems in a Web3 environment, using Solidity for the backend logic and a React frontend for an engaging user experience.

Technologies Used

• Solidity: For implementing the voting logic as a smart contract on Ethereum.
• Hardhat: Ethereum development environment to compile, test, and deploy the contract.
• Ganache: Local blockchain for testing and development.
• React: Frontend framework for building the Web3 interface.
• Ethers.js: Ethereum JavaScript library for interacting with the blockchain.
• Tailwind CSS: Styling library for a responsive, modern UI.

Features

• Blockchain-Backed Voting: Ensures secure and immutable records of votes.
• MetaMask Wallet Authentication: Users connect their MetaMask wallet to verify identity and cast votes.
• Real-Time Voting Status: Displays active voting session status and remaining time.
• Vote Once Mechanism: Each voter can cast only one vote per session, enforcing fairness.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• Hardhat for contract development
• Ganache for local blockchain testing
• MetaMask for connecting to the Ethereum network via browser

Installation

Clone the repository and install dependencies:

git clone https://github.com/TheODDYSEY/Voting-DApp-Solidity
cd Voting-DApp-Solidity
npm install

Configuration

1. Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the project root directory with the following:

   API_URL=http://127.0.0.1:7545
   PRIVATE_KEY=your_ganache_private_key
   

2. Ganache Setup: Start Ganache on http://127.0.0.1:7545 and use one of its account private keys in the .env file.

Usage

Compile Smart Contracts

Generate the necessary ABI and bytecode by compiling the contracts:

npx hardhat compile

Deploy Smart Contracts

Deploy the Voting contract to the local Ganache blockchain:

npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network ganache

Run Tests

To validate the functionality and accuracy of the smart contract:

npx hardhat test --network ganache

Launch React Frontend

Start the React frontend to interact with the deployed contract:

npm start

Application Overview

Voting Contract

The Solidity-based voting contract defines core functionalities, including:

• Candidate Management: Initializes candidates and allows voting on them.
• Vote Tracking: Keeps track of individual votes and prevents multiple voting attempts per session.
• Session Timing: Limits voting to a specified duration, after which voting is closed and results can be viewed.

Frontend Components

The React frontend facilitates user interactions and displays voting details. Key components include:

• Login Component: Enables users to connect their MetaMask wallet to access the application.
• Connected Component: Displays the main voting interface with candidate options, remaining time, and vote submission.
• Finished Component: Displays a message indicating the end of the voting session, thanking users for their participation.

Each component is styled with Tailwind CSS, providing a clean, responsive interface. The app uses React’s state and props to update in real-time as users connect their wallets, cast votes, and monitor session status.

Screenshots

• Login Screen
  Allows users to connect their MetaMask wallet to access the DApp.
  

• Voting Interface (Connected)
  Shows the candidate list, remaining time, and vote submission options.
  

• Voting Finished Screen
  Displays a thank-you message when the voting session concludes.
  

Commands Summary

Command	Description
npm install	Install project dependencies
npx hardhat compile	Compile the smart contracts
npx hardhat run scripts/deploy.js --network ganache	Deploy contracts on Ganache
npx hardhat test --network ganache	Run contract tests on Ganache
npm start	Start the React frontend

Future Enhancements

• Analytics and Visualization: Add visual components for displaying vote counts and participation statistics.
• Blockchain Explorer Integration: Link votes and results to a blockchain explorer for greater transparency.
• Enhanced Session Management: Implement automated session management to close or restart voting sessions based on smart contract logic.