How to Deploy a Chaincode

This video provides a step-by-step walkthrough of the process for deploying chaincode (smart contracts) on a Hyperledger Fabric network using the platform's management interface. You'll learn how to package, install, approve, and commit chaincode, as well as how to verify a successful deployment.

Overview

Hyperledger Fabric uses a multi-step chaincode lifecycle that ensures all network participants agree on the chaincode before it becomes active on a channel. The lifecycle consists of:

1. Package -- Bundle chaincode source code into a deployable package (.tar.gz).
2. Install -- Install the chaincode package on each peer that needs to execute it.
3. Approve -- Each organization approves the chaincode definition for their org.
4. Commit -- Once enough organizations have approved (satisfying the lifecycle endorsement policy), the chaincode definition is committed to the channel and becomes available for invocations.

ChainLaunch provides both a manual step-by-step API for each phase and an automated deploy endpoint that handles the entire lifecycle in one call.

API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/install	Install chaincode on a peer
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/approve	Approve chaincode definition
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/commit	Commit chaincode definition
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/deploy	Deploy chaincode (automated full lifecycle)
GET	/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes	List all chaincodes
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes/{chaincodeId}/invoke	Invoke chaincode
POST	/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes/{chaincodeId}/query	Query chaincode

Automated Deployment

The easiest way to deploy chaincode is the automated deploy endpoint, which handles install, approve, and commit in a single request.

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/deploy \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "networkId": 1,
    "channelName": "mychannel",
    "chaincodeName": "mycc",
    "chaincodeVersion": "1.0",
    "chaincodeSequence": 1,
    "chaincodePath": "/path/to/chaincode",
    "chaincodeLanguage": "golang",
    "endorsementPolicy": "",
    "initRequired": false
  }'

This endpoint performs the following steps automatically:

1. Packages the chaincode from the specified path.
2. Installs it on all peers in the network.
3. Approves the chaincode definition for each organization.
4. Commits the chaincode definition to the channel.

Step-by-Step Deployment

If you need more control over the deployment process, you can execute each step individually.

Step 1: Install Chaincode on a Peer

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/install \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "chaincodePath": "/path/to/chaincode",
    "chaincodeLanguage": "golang",
    "chaincodeName": "mycc",
    "chaincodeVersion": "1.0"
  }'

Repeat this for each peer that needs to run the chaincode.

Step 2: Approve Chaincode Definition

Each organization must approve the chaincode definition before it can be committed.

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/approve \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "channelName": "mychannel",
    "chaincodeName": "mycc",
    "chaincodeVersion": "1.0",
    "chaincodeSequence": 1,
    "packageId": "mycc_1.0:abc123...",
    "endorsementPolicy": "",
    "initRequired": false
  }'

Step 3: Commit Chaincode Definition

Once enough organizations have approved, commit the chaincode definition to the channel.

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/peer/{peerId}/chaincode/commit \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "channelName": "mychannel",
    "chaincodeName": "mycc",
    "chaincodeVersion": "1.0",
    "chaincodeSequence": 1,
    "endorsementPolicy": "",
    "initRequired": false
  }'

Listing Chaincodes

Retrieve all deployed chaincodes:

curl http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes

Invoking Chaincode

Submit a transaction that writes to the ledger:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes/{chaincodeId}/invoke \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "channelName": "mychannel",
    "function": "CreateAsset",
    "args": ["asset1", "blue", "10", "Alice", "1000"]
  }'

Querying Chaincode

Read data from the ledger without submitting a transaction:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8100/api/v1/sc/fabric/chaincodes/{chaincodeId}/query \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "channelName": "mychannel",
    "function": "ReadAsset",
    "args": ["asset1"]
  }'

Upgrading Chaincode

To upgrade an existing chaincode, repeat the lifecycle with an incremented chaincodeSequence value and (optionally) a new chaincodeVersion. For example, to upgrade from sequence 1 to 2:

1. Install the new chaincode package on all peers.
2. Approve with chaincodeSequence: 2.
3. Commit with chaincodeSequence: 2.

Or use the automated deploy endpoint with the updated sequence number.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Possible Cause	Solution
Install fails	Peer not running or unreachable	Verify peer status in the nodes list
Approve fails	Chaincode not installed on the peer	Install chaincode before approving
Commit fails	Not enough organizations have approved	Ensure all required orgs have approved
Invoke returns error	Chaincode not committed on channel	Verify chaincode is committed and peers have joined the channel
Query returns empty	Data not yet written	Invoke a write transaction first