a beginner's tutorial for creating and deploying a simple smart contract using the truffle suite

Node.js is a JavaScript run-time environment required for using Truffle.

• If you don't have homebrew, download the installer and make sure it's on your $PATH (if you run into problems with multiple versions, download nvm)
• Or use homebrew

The Truffle Suite is a development environment for blockchains using the Ethereum Virtual Machine.

• Use npm install -g truffle to install the Truffle package globally, or remove the tag to install locally
• If you're using Ubuntu on a Windows machine and the previous command won't execute, try using Powershell instead
• Check out the repo

Ganache is a personal blockchain for Ethereum development that allows you to test locally and much faster than major testnets like Ropsten and Rinkeby.

• Download
• Check out the repo

The Source Tracker smart contract represents a simplified supply chain for a given product shipment. Each time the shipment arrives at a new node in the supply chain, the contract adds another "node" to its supply chain array. On a larger scale, this example shows how blockchain can be used along with IoTs to make supply chains more safe and transparent.

• Here's a list of functions that need to be implemented
• If you like to develop in Visual Studio Code, you can download this extension for Solidity support
• If you like to develop in Atom, you can download this extension for Solidity support

Remix is a web-based compiler/IDE that is one of the best options for testing your smart contracts with the compiler of your choice

• Check out the documentation

• Deploy your contracts
• Test your smart contract with Truffle
• Check out Truffle's documentation for a more comprehensive description of its capabilities