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:

Package -- Bundle chaincode source code into a deployable package (.tar.gz).
Install -- Install the chaincode package on each peer that needs to execute it.
Approve -- Each organization approves the chaincode definition for their org.
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.

CLI Commands

Command	Purpose
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode create`	Register a chaincode on a channel
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode definition create`	Create a new definition (version, sequence, policy, image)
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode install`	Install the package on one or more peers
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode approve`	Approve the definition for an organization
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode commit`	Commit the definition to the channel
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode deploy`	Deploy (or redeploy) the chaincode container
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode invoke`	Submit a transaction (write)
`chainlaunch fabric chaincode query`	Evaluate a read-only function

See Chaincode CI/CD with the CLI for the full lifecycle, image-bump flow, and pipeline integration.

Quickstart with the CLI

For a CCaaS chaincode deployed by docker image (the standard ChainLaunch pattern), the full lifecycle is documented in Chaincode CI/CD with the CLI. The TL;DR is:

# 1. Register the chaincode on the channel
chainlaunch fabric chaincode create \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc
 
# 2. Create the initial definition (sequence auto-bumps; version defaults to 1.0)
chainlaunch fabric chaincode definition create \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc \
  --image  kfsoftware/external-chaincode:v1.0 \
  --policy "AND('Org1MSP.peer','Org2MSP.peer')"
 
# 3. Install on each peer (slug or numeric ID)
chainlaunch fabric chaincode install \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc \
  --peer org1-peer0,org2-peer0
 
# 4. Approve from each org
chainlaunch fabric chaincode approve \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc --org Org1MSP
chainlaunch fabric chaincode approve \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc --org Org2MSP
 
# 5. Commit once
chainlaunch fabric chaincode commit \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc --org Org1MSP
 
# 6. Start the container
chainlaunch fabric chaincode deploy \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc

Listing Chaincodes

chainlaunch fabric chaincode definition list \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc

Invoking Chaincode

Submit a transaction that writes to the ledger:

KEY_ID=$(chainlaunch keys list --org Org1MSP --type client --first --output id)
 
chainlaunch fabric chaincode invoke \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc \
  --fcn CreateAsset --key-id "$KEY_ID" \
  -a asset1 -a blue -a 10 -a Alice -a 1000

Querying Chaincode

Read data from the ledger without submitting a transaction:

chainlaunch fabric chaincode query \
  --channel mychannel --chaincode mycc \
  --fcn ReadAsset --key-id "$KEY_ID" \
  -a 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:

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