Configuration for default network is ignored

[fvictorio]

Describe the issue

Using a config that sets the default network to point to localhost:8545 doesn't work. Take this config:

import hardhatToolboxViemPlugin from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox-viem";
import { defineConfig } from "hardhat/config";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [hardhatToolboxViemPlugin],
  solidity: "0.8.31",
  networks: {
    default: {
      type: "http",
      url: "http://localhost:8545"
    },
  },
});

and run hh test nodejs. It should fail (assuming no node is running), but it works. Worse, running hh test nodejs --network default also doesn't seem to work as expected. Renaming the network to default2 and running hh test nodejs --network default2 does produce the expected behavior (tests fail because it cannot connect to the network).

[michalbrabec]

I do not see an issue with the potential collision of the default values with the overrides by the user as Hardhat is designed as a fully configurable system. I have tested the existing defaults with HTTP default network and there are no collisions, nothing that would produce strange results.

I have a different concern - in case the default network is overridden to HTTP, especially pointing to localhost, then it is necessary to define a new edr-simulated network to be used by hardhat node. Like the one bellow. I would propose to add a built-in edr-simulated network, similar to the localhost network.

import hardhatToolboxViemPlugin from "@nomicfoundation/hardhat-toolbox-viem";
import { configVariable, defineConfig } from "hardhat/config";

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [hardhatToolboxViemPlugin],
  solidity: "0.8.31",
  networks: {
    default: {
      type: "http",
      url: "http://localhost:8545"
    },
    edrSimulated: {
      type: "edr-simulated",
    }
  },
});