[HARDHAT 3] Configuring and connecting to local network created by node task

[Tilt-github]

This question is about changes introduced in hardhat 3, NOT hardhat 2.
In Hardhat 2 I could configure the network created by the node task through the network named "hardhat" in hardhat.config.ts.
I could also set that the default network (when not using the --network cmd line flag) by using the the property defaultNetwork. For example:
defaultNetwork: "localhost" //to set the node task network as default
But the defaultNetwork property is no longer supported in hardhat.config.ts in hardhat 3.

How can I do all that in hardhat 3. This is not explained anywhere on the docs pages.
In hardhat 3:

1. How can I configure the network created by node task? (In hh2 this was done by configuring property networks.hardhat)
2. How can I set the network created by node task as default ? (in hh2 this was done by setting property defaultNetwork:"localhost")
3. What is the name of the network created by node task so I can connect to it? (in hh2 this was the 'localhost' network)

I really suggest these questions are clearly addressed in the docs pages. This is elementary stuff that shouldn't be missing from the official documentation.

[kanej]

Hey @Tilt-github thanks for the feedback. Absolutely, we will update the docs with this info.

In Hardhat 3 we support having multiple networks connected to at once. These connections can be to remote http network (e.g. Ethereum mainnet, a local Hardhat node run with npx hardhat node) that you connect to or a network instance you are creating yourself (either in-memory or running as a daemon).

If no network config is specified when configuring a new node (e.g. in-memory for tests or as part of npx hardhat node initialization) then the default network config is used:

networks: {
    default: {
      type: "edr-simulated",
      chainType: "generic",
      mining: {
        auto: false,
        interval: 1000,
      },
    },
}

The localhost network configuration is still available and by default connects using the default port that npx hardhat node starts on.

You can specify different configuration settings when starting a local node with:

npx hardhat node --network my-network-config

[Tilt-github]

Right, but I've been trying to run tests in the localhost network created by node task and as I perform calls etc the node task process doesn't output any log to terminal.
npx hardhat --network localhost test
According to docs logs are enabled by default for the node task. And even if I turn them on in the config file

networks: {
default: { 
      loggingEnabled:true
//other stuff...
 }}

I still see no logs. Why are there no logs and how do I know I'm connected to the local node task network and not to an in-process network?

If there is no way to run tests outside of the in-process network then I think this should be changed so tests can be made to run in any permanent out-of-process network.

[kanej]

Hey @Tilt-github, this is a bug: #7248
The selected network option is not being passed on to the subprocess within Node test runner for the particular suite. Our fix is in PR review. I will ping here once we get a fix out.
If you run the npx hardhat test nodejs with the loggingEnabled: true you should see the calls when running against the in-memory node.