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Create an NFT Marketplace

This step-by-step guide shows you how to create a Solana NFT marketplace using Código Hub.

A marketplace is where users can list NFTs for sale, purchase them, cancel listings, and ensure royalties are distributed to creators. On Solana, this logic can be implemented with smart contracts that manage NFTs, payments, and ownership transfers. Main NFT marketplace on Solana are Tensor and MagicEden.

By the end of this guide, you'll have a complete working NFT Marketplace program with logic and unit tests.

1️⃣ Create a New Workspace​

Go to Código Hub and:

  • Create a new workspace
  • Name your smart contract nft_marketplace

2️⃣ Prompt the AI​

Use this prompt to generate the smart contract:

Write a program for an NFT marketplace. 
The marketplace should allow users to list NFTs for sale, buy NFTs, cancel listings, and handle royalties for creators. 
Ensure the program handles: creating a listing (seller specifies NFT mint and price), purchasing an NFT (buyer transfers payment, NFT is transferred to buyer), canceling a listing (NFT is returned to seller), and royalty distribution (percentage of sale sent to creator's address). 
Include appropriate accounts, PDA seeds, and security checks.
NFT marketplace prompt

DevAI will:

  • Design the architecture
  • Define PDA accounts
  • List all instructions and fields
NFT Marketplace conception

Once you're happy with the conception, write "Yes, generate this with Anchor".

3️⃣ Project is Generated​

DevAI will generate:

  • Instruction files (create_listing.rs, purcharse_nft.rs, cancel_listing.rs, update_marketplace.rs )
  • listing.rs and marketplace.rs for account data onchain
  • errors.rs, lib.rs, and standard Anchor setup
  • All required dependencies (e.g. Metaplex, SPL)
NFT marketplace files

4️⃣ Implement Business Logic​

When opening instructions files like initialize_marketplace.rs, create_listing.rs, purcharse_nft.rs, cancel_listing.rs or update_marketplace.rs, you’ll see skeleton handlers ready to be implemented:

pub fn handler(
	ctx: Context<CreateListing>,
	price: u64,
) -> Result<()> {
        // Implement your business logic here...

	Ok(())
}

Step 1 Initiliaze Marketplace​

Let’s ask the AI to implement the first instruction initialize_marketplace :

Implement the initialize_marketplace.rs file 
with fee_percentage must be between 0 to 100%

If you have specific rules or verifications, include them in the prompt.

DevAI will:

  • Analyze your codebase
  • Propose logic per instruction
  • Include transfers, PDA validation, security checks

Suggestions will appear with ✅ ❌ buttons, or click Review for a diff.

When reviewing:

  • Red = removed lines
  • Green = proposed new lines

Click Apply or Apply All when ready.

NFT logic implemented NFT logic initiliaze marketplace implemented

As you can see, the code proposed is doing :

  • Initiliation of the marketplace account data
  • With fee attribute and treasury wallet set by the creator

As the first instruction initialize_marketplace is implemented, let's prompt the next one !

Step 2 Create Listing​

Implement the create_listing.rs file.
It will create the listing PDA and transfer the NFT from user to the escrow.

As you can see, the code proposed is doing :

  • Initiliation of the listing account data
  • Set the desired price to sell the NFT
  • NFT Transfer from user to marketplace escrow
NFT logic create listing implemented

Step 3 Purchase NFT​

Let's keep prompting to implement the instructions, until they are all done.

Implement the purchase.rs file

As you can see, the code proposed is doing :

  • NFT Transfer from escrow to user buying
  • SOL Transfer from user buying to user selling
NFT logic purchase nft implemented

Same process for the remaining instructions : cancel_listing.rs, update_marketplace.rs

5️⃣ Build & Deploy​

Once your logic is implemented:

anchor build
anchor deploy

👉 See Build & Deploy guide

6️⃣ Generate Unit Tests​

Ask DevAI:

Generate unit tests in TypeScript in nft_marketplace.ts
NFT marketplace unit tests

Apply the unit test changes proposed by the AI and then run the tests:

anchor test

👉 See Unit Testing guide

🎉 Congratulations!​

You’ve built a complete NFT Marketplace smart contract with:

  • A create_marketplace instruction to initialize the marketplace
  • The ability to list NFTs for sale with a set price
  • Support for users to purchase NFTs using SOL
  • A method to cancel listings and return NFTs to the seller
  • End-to-end unit tests generated and reviewed with AI

You're now ready to test, integrate it into a dApp, or expand the marketplace features !