Base: Deploy a B20 token

TLDR:

You’ll deploy a Chainstack Base node and install Base’s Foundry build (base-forge).
You’ll create a B20 Asset token by calling the B20 factory precompile in a single transaction, with admin, minter, and supply cap set atomically.
You’ll mint the initial supply and verify the balance on-chain through your Chainstack endpoint.
B20 is an ERC-20 superset, so the result works with any ERC-20 tooling.

Main article

B20 is Base’s native token standard, introduced with the Beryl upgrade. Instead of writing and deploying an ERC-20 contract, you create a token by calling the singleton B20 factory precompile — roles, supply caps, pausing, transfer policies, memos, and permit are built into the chain. This tutorial creates an Asset token, mints its initial supply, and verifies the balance, all through a Chainstack Base node. It supports Base mainnet and Base Sepolia. Start on Base Sepolia to test the full flow without risking real funds, then use the same factory call on mainnet.

Prerequisites

A Chainstack account and a Base node for your target network — see deploy a node. Copy the node’s HTTPS endpoint from its access and credentials.
Base’s Foundry build (base-forge, base-cast). Standard forge can’t simulate the B20 precompiles locally and aborts with call to non-contract address.
ETH for gas on your target network. For Base Sepolia, see Base network faucets.

Step 1. Install Base’s Foundry build

curl -L https://raw.githubusercontent.com/base/base-anvil/HEAD/foundryup/install | bash
base-foundryup --install v1.1.0

base-forge installs alongside standard Foundry without overwriting it. Use base-forge and base-cast for the commands below.

Step 2. Set up the project

base-forge init b20-quickstart && cd b20-quickstart
base-forge install base/base-std --no-git

Add the remappings and the base = true flag to foundry.toml, under [profile.default]. The base = true flag tells base-forge to run the B20 precompiles inside its local EVM, so the deploy script can simulate the factory call:

base = true
remappings = [
    "base-std/=lib/base-std/src/",
    "base-std-test/=lib/base-std/test/",
]

Step 3. Choose a network

Create a .env file in the project directory with the Chainstack endpoint for your target network:

Base mainnet
Base Sepolia

export RPC_URL="YOUR_CHAINSTACK_BASE_MAINNET_ENDPOINT"
export PRIVATE_KEY="0x..."
export ACCOUNT_ADDRESS="0x..."
export CHAIN_ID="8453"

Mainnet transactions spend real ETH and create permanent state. Verify the token name, symbol, admin, roles, supply cap, and salt before broadcasting.

export RPC_URL="YOUR_CHAINSTACK_BASE_SEPOLIA_ENDPOINT"
export PRIVATE_KEY="0x..."
export ACCOUNT_ADDRESS="0x..."
export CHAIN_ID="84532"

Confirm the node is reachable and the account is funded:

source .env
base-cast balance $ACCOUNT_ADDRESS --rpc-url $RPC_URL

The command prints a non-zero balance. This account signs the deploy and the mint, and receives the minted supply.

Step 4. Verify B20 activation

B20 token creation is gated by the Activation Registry at runtime. Check the Asset feature on the selected network before broadcasting:

REGISTRY=0x8453000000000000000000000000000000000001
ASSET_FEATURE=$(base-cast keccak "base.b20_asset")

base-cast call $REGISTRY "isActivated(bytes32)(bool)" $ASSET_FEATURE --rpc-url $RPC_URL
# true

For the Stablecoin variant, check base.b20_stablecoin instead. A false result means a factory call for that variant will revert with FeatureNotActivated.

Step 5. Write the create script

The factory’s single entry point is createB20(variant, salt, params, initCalls). Use B20FactoryLib to encode params and initCalls in the canonical form the precompile expects. Create script/CreateToken.s.sol:

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.20;

import {Script, console} from "forge-std/Script.sol";

import {B20Constants} from "base-std/lib/B20Constants.sol";
import {B20FactoryLib} from "base-std/lib/B20FactoryLib.sol";
import {IB20Factory} from "base-std/interfaces/IB20Factory.sol";
import {StdPrecompiles} from "base-std/StdPrecompiles.sol";

contract CreateToken is Script {
    function run() external returns (address token) {
        // For the quickstart, one account is admin + minter.
        address account = vm.envAddress("ACCOUNT_ADDRESS");
        bytes32 salt = keccak256("my-first-b20");

        // Name, symbol, initial DEFAULT_ADMIN_ROLE holder, decimals (6-18).
        bytes memory params = B20FactoryLib.encodeAssetCreateParams("My Token", "MYT", account, 18);

        // Configuration applied atomically at creation.
        bytes[] memory initCalls = new bytes[](2);
        initCalls[0] = B20FactoryLib.encodeGrantRole(B20Constants.MINT_ROLE, account);
        initCalls[1] = B20FactoryLib.encodeUpdateSupplyCap(1_000_000e18);

        vm.startBroadcast();
        token = StdPrecompiles.B20_FACTORY.createB20(IB20Factory.B20Variant.ASSET, salt, params, initCalls);
        vm.stopBroadcast();

        console.log("B20 token created at:", token);
    }
}

Asset decimals are fixed at creation and must be in [6, 18]. The supply cap is optional; the no-cap sentinel is type(uint128).max.

Want a stablecoin instead?

Use the STABLECOIN variant and its params encoder. A stablecoin fixes decimals at 6 and carries an immutable ISO currency code (uppercase A–Z):

bytes memory params = B20FactoryLib.encodeStablecoinCreateParams("My USD", "MUSD", account, "USD");

token = StdPrecompiles.B20_FACTORY.createB20(IB20Factory.B20Variant.STABLECOIN, salt, params, initCalls);

Roles, supply cap, minting, and verification work identically.

Step 6. Deploy through your Chainstack node

source .env
base-forge script script/CreateToken.s.sol --rpc-url $RPC_URL --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY --broadcast

On success the script logs the new token’s address, which starts 0xB200…:

== Logs ==
  B20 token created at: 0xB200...

Save the address for the next step:

TOKEN_ADDRESS=$(jq -er '.returns.token.value' \
  broadcast/CreateToken.s.sol/$CHAIN_ID/run-latest.json) \
  && echo "export TOKEN_ADDRESS=$TOKEN_ADDRESS" >> .env \
  && source .env \
  && echo "TOKEN_ADDRESS=$TOKEN_ADDRESS"

Step 7. Mint and verify

Minting requires MINT_ROLE, which initCalls granted to your account:

base-cast send $TOKEN_ADDRESS "mint(address,uint256)" $ACCOUNT_ADDRESS 1000000000000000000000 \
  --rpc-url $RPC_URL --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY

base-cast call $TOKEN_ADDRESS "balanceOf(address)(uint256)" $ACCOUNT_ADDRESS --rpc-url $RPC_URL
# 1000000000000000000000 [1e21]

The token holds minted supply on-chain. Search $TOKEN_ADDRESS on basescan.org for mainnet or sepolia.basescan.org for Base Sepolia.

Alternative: deploy directly with `cast`

Because your Chainstack Base node runs the B20 precompiles, you can create a basic token without base-forge — standard Foundry’s cast is enough, since the factory call executes on the node rather than in a local simulation:

# Encode the Asset params (version 1, name, symbol, admin, decimals)
PARAMS=$(cast abi-encode "f((uint8,string,string,address,uint8))" \
  "(1,My Token,MYT,$ACCOUNT_ADDRESS,18)")

# Call the factory; initCalls is an empty array here
cast send 0xB20f000000000000000000000000000000000000 \
  "createB20(uint8,bytes32,bytes,bytes[])(address)" \
  0 $(cast keccak "my-first-b20") "$PARAMS" "[]" \
  --rpc-url $RPC_URL --private-key $PRIVATE_KEY

Predict the token’s address with a read call (no gas):

cast call 0xB20f000000000000000000000000000000000000 \
  "getB20Address(uint8,address,bytes32)(address)" \
  0 $ACCOUNT_ADDRESS $(cast keccak "my-first-b20") --rpc-url $RPC_URL

The cast path creates a minimal token (no roles or supply cap). To configure roles, the supply cap, and policies atomically at creation, use the base-forge script above with B20FactoryLib, which also guarantees the canonical encoding the precompile requires.

What you built

In this tutorial you:

Created a B20 Asset token with a single createB20 call through your Chainstack Base node
Configured its admin, minter, and supply cap atomically with initCalls
Minted supply and verified the balance on-chain

You did all of this without writing, deploying, or auditing a token contract.

Next steps

Learn the full standard in Base B20 token standard.
Gate transfers or mints with policy registry allowlists and blocklists, add granular pause, or issue a stablecoin variant. See the B20 specification.

Last modified on July 9, 2026

Base B20 token standard Base: Accept B20 payments

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Base: Deploy a B20 token

Main article

Prerequisites

Step 1. Install Base’s Foundry build

Step 2. Set up the project

Step 3. Choose a network

Step 4. Verify B20 activation

Step 5. Write the create script

Step 6. Deploy through your Chainstack node

Step 7. Mint and verify

Alternative: deploy directly with `cast`

What you built

Next steps

​Main article

​Prerequisites

​Step 1. Install Base’s Foundry build

​Step 2. Set up the project

​Step 3. Choose a network

​Step 4. Verify B20 activation

​Step 5. Write the create script

​Step 6. Deploy through your Chainstack node

​Step 7. Mint and verify

​Alternative: deploy directly with cast

​What you built

​Next steps

Main article

Prerequisites

Step 1. Install Base’s Foundry build

Step 2. Set up the project

Step 3. Choose a network

Step 4. Verify B20 activation

Step 5. Write the create script

Step 6. Deploy through your Chainstack node

Step 7. Mint and verify

Alternative: deploy directly with `cast`

What you built

Next steps