Building the Future

How to Build a Stellar Blockchain App: A Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

Building Your Blockchain App on Stellar: Simple Steps for 2025

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Lucky Nweke
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5 min read

How to Build a Stellar Blockchain App: A Step-by-Step Guide (2025)

Introduction

Stellar remains one of the most robust blockchain networks 2025, powering decentralized finance (DeFi) and tokenized asset solutions with fast, low-cost transactions. With the advent of Soroban (Stellar's smart contract platform) and enhanced tooling, Stellar now supports more complex decentralized applications (dApps) than ever.

This guide will walk you through building a Stellar blockchain app, from setting up your development environment to deploying smart contracts and integrating a frontend.

What is Stellar Blockchain?

Definition and Core Features

  • Decentralized Financial Network: Optimized for asset transfers, remittances, and tokenization.

  • Consensus Mechanism: Stellar Consensus Protocol (SCP) for fast and secure validation.

  • Key Features:

    • Low Fees (fractions of a cent per transaction)

    • Fast Settlement (3-5 seconds)

    • Multi-Asset Support (fiat tokens, stablecoins, and crypto assets)

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Stellar App

Step 1: Define Your Project Requirements

Identify your app's purpose:

  • Remittance App: For international money transfers.

  • Tokenization Platform: To issue and manage custom tokens.

  • Decentralized Exchange (DEX): For trading Stellar-based assets.

Step 2: Set Up the Development Environment

Install Node.js, Stellar SDK, and Soroban CLI:

# Install Node.js (if not installed)
brew install node

# Install Stellar JavaScript SDK
npm install --save stellar-sdk

# Install Soroban CLI
cargo install --locked soroban-cli

Step 3: Create a Stellar Wallet

Generate a key pair using the Stellar SDK:

const StellarSdk = require('stellar-sdk');

// Create a random keypair
const pair = StellarSdk.Keypair.random();
console.log("Public Key:", pair.publicKey());
console.log("Secret Key:", pair.secret());

Output:

Public Key: GA6A...5XK3
Secret Key: SDFI...4T4A

Step 4: Fund Your Wallet with Test Lumens

Use Stellar's Friendbot to fund your test wallet on the testnet:

const axios = require('axios');

const testPublicKey = 'YOUR_TEST_PUBLIC_KEY';

axios.get(`https://friendbot.stellar.org?addr=${testPublicKey}`)
  .then(response => console.log('Wallet funded:', response.data))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error funding wallet:', error));

Step 5: Write Your First Soroban Smart Contract

Create a basic Soroban smart contract that returns a greeting.

Soroban Contract (Rust):

#![no_std]
use soroban_sdk::{contract, contractimpl};

#[contract]
pub struct HelloWorld;

#[contractimpl]
impl HelloWorld {
    pub fn greet(name: String) -> String {
        format!("Hello, {}!", name)
    }
}

Compile and Deploy the Contract

# Build the contract
soroban build

# Deploy the contract to the testnet
soroban deploy --network testnet --source <YOUR_SECRET_KEY>

Step 6: Build Core Features of the App

1. Asset Issuance

Issue a custom token using the Stellar SDK:

const issuer = StellarSdk.Keypair.fromSecret('ISSUER_SECRET');
const receiver = StellarSdk.Keypair.fromSecret('RECEIVER_SECRET');
const asset = new StellarSdk.Asset('MYTOKEN', issuer.publicKey());

const server = new StellarSdk.Server('https://horizon-testnet.stellar.org');

server.loadAccount(issuer.publicKey())
  .then(account => {
    const transaction = new StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder(account, {
      fee: StellarSdk.BASE_FEE,
      networkPassphrase: StellarSdk.Networks.TESTNET,
    })
    .addOperation(StellarSdk.Operation.payment({
      destination: receiver.publicKey(),
      asset: asset,
      amount: '1000',
    }))
    .setTimeout(30)
    .build();

    transaction.sign(issuer);
    return server.submitTransaction(transaction);
  })
  .then(result => console.log('Asset issued:', result))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));

2. Payment Functionality

Send a payment in Lumens (XLM) using the Stellar SDK:

server.loadAccount(receiver.publicKey())
  .then(account => {
    const transaction = new StellarSdk.TransactionBuilder(account, {
      fee: StellarSdk.BASE_FEE,
      networkPassphrase: StellarSdk.Networks.TESTNET,
    })
    .addOperation(StellarSdk.Operation.payment({
      destination: 'DESTINATION_PUBLIC_KEY',
      asset: StellarSdk.Asset.native(),
      amount: '10',
    }))
    .setTimeout(30)
    .build();

    transaction.sign(receiver);
    return server.submitTransaction(transaction);
  })
  .then(result => console.log('Payment successful:', result))
  .catch(error => console.error('Error:', error));

Step 7: Integrate the Frontend

React Integration with Freighter Wallet

Install the Freighter wallet connector:

npm install @stellar/freighter-api

React Component to Connect Wallet:

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { isConnected, getPublicKey } from '@stellar/freighter-api';

function ConnectWallet() {
  const [publicKey, setPublicKey] = useState(null);

  const connectWallet = async () => {
    if (await isConnected()) {
      const key = await getPublicKey();
      setPublicKey(key);
    } else {
      alert('Please install the Freighter wallet extension.');
    }
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <button onClick={connectWallet}>Connect Wallet</button>
      {publicKey && <p>Your Public Key: {publicKey}</p>}
    </div>
  );
}

export default ConnectWallet;

Step 8: Test the Application

Unit Test Example (Mocha & Chai)

Install testing libraries:

npm install --save-dev mocha chai

Sample Test:

const { expect } = require('chai');
const StellarSdk = require('stellar-sdk');

describe('Stellar Keypair Generation', () => {
  it('should generate a valid keypair', () => {
    const keypair = StellarSdk.Keypair.random();
    expect(keypair.publicKey()).to.be.a('string');
    expect(keypair.secret()).to.be.a('string');
  });
});

Run the tests:

npx mocha

Step 9: Deploy the App

Deploy your app using Vercel or Netlify:

vercel --prod

Tools and Technologies for Stellar Development

  • Stellar SDKs: JavaScript, Python, and Go.

  • Soroban CLI: For developing and deploying smart contracts.

  • Freighter Wallet: This is for secure transactions on Stellar.

  • Stellar Laboratory: Web tool for building and submitting transactions.

  • Horizon API: For interacting with the Stellar blockchain.

Conclusion

In 2025, Stellar will continue to be a go-to platform for building fast, efficient, and low-cost financial applications. By following this guide, you can create and deploy a Stellar-based app with features like custom tokens, payments, and smart contracts using Soroban. Whether you’re building a remittance app, a DEX, or a tokenization platform, Stellar's evolving ecosystem has the tools you need.

Ready to build? Dive in and start innovating with Stellar!

Check out their links here:

Stellar Community Links

  1. Stellar Developers

  2. Soroban Smart Contracts

  3. Stellar Community Fund (SCF)

  4. Stellar Community Events

  5. Stellar Wallets and Tools

  6. Stellar Social Media

  7. Stellar Foundation

Kindly remain connected for more development updates for exciting chains like Stellar.

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