Solana · Knowledge archive
Knowledge
An editorial guide to protocols, products, and mechanics — from first principles to technical deep dives.
Editorial selection
5 Deep reads 01 / Pillar Intermediate
Alpenglow: Solana's New Consensus Mechanism Explained
Anza replaces TowerBFT and Proof-of-History with Alpenglow. What Votor and Rotor are, how block finality drops from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds, and what Constellation contributes as a complementary proposal.
Open → 02 Firedancer and Frankendancer: Solana's Second Validator Client Explained Intermediate 03 SIMD-228: Solana's Proposed Market-Based Inflation Explained Intermediate 04 Token-2022: Solana's Stablecoin Standard and Token Extensions Explained Intermediate 05 P-Token: Anza's Pinocchio-based SPL Token Rewrite Explained Intermediate
The complete topic index
Every article, grouped by topic. The editorial selection above provides an additional quick entry point.
01
Basics
4 articles
What is Solana? Technology, Ecosystem, and History in 2026 Solana explained: Proof of History, validators, performance numbers, the ecosystem, and how Solana evolved since mainnet launch in 2020. State of 2026. Beginner Solana fees explained: base fee, priority fees, compute units, and Jito tips What a Solana transaction really costs: the 5,000-lamport base fee, priority fees per compute unit, local fee markets, and Jito tips explained. Beginner Solana rent explained: how to close token accounts and reclaim SOL Why every token account locks about 0.002 SOL in rent — and how to close empty accounts safely without falling for risky third-party claim sites. Intermediate Solana governance explained: SIMDs, SGPs, and how the network votes How Solana votes: SIMDs as technical proposals, SGPs as on-chain governance with a 100,000 SOL bar, 15% support phase, and delegator override. Explained. Intermediate
02
DeFi
14 articles
DeFi on Solana 2026: Jupiter, Raydium, Kamino, and Marinade Explained The DeFi landscape on Solana — DEX aggregator Jupiter, AMMs Raydium and Orca, lending with Kamino and MarginFi, liquid staking with Marinade and Jito. How the protocols fit together. Intermediate Solana DEX Comparison: Jupiter, Raydium, Orca, Meteora at a Glance How the major Solana DEXes differ. Jupiter as aggregator, Raydium CLMM, Orca Whirlpools, and Meteora DLMM explained with concrete use cases. Intermediate Bridges to Solana: Wormhole, deBridge, and Mayan Compared How to move tokens from Ethereum, Base, or other chains to Solana. Bridges explained — Wormhole, deBridge, Mayan, Allbridge, and what to watch when bridging. Intermediate Solana On-Chain Perps Explained: Drift, Phoenix Perpetuals, and the Open-Interest Gap Where Solana stands on on-chain perpetuals. Drift as the established perp DEX, Phoenix Perpetuals by Ellipsis Labs in beta, Jupiter Perps — and what open interest actually measures. Intermediate Jupiter explained: the swap aggregator and DeFi hub on Solana What Jupiter is on Solana: an aggregator that routes swaps across many DEXes for the best price — plus limit orders, DCA, lending, perps, and the VRFD verification layer. Explained for beginners. Intermediate Kamino explained: lending, automated liquidity, and leverage on Solana What Kamino is on Solana: a DeFi protocol for lending and borrowing, automated concentrated-liquidity management (vaults), and leveraged strategies (Multiply). Explained for beginners. Intermediate Raydium explained: AMM, concentrated liquidity, and token launches on Solana What Raydium is on Solana: one of the oldest and largest automated market makers, with classic pools, concentrated liquidity (CLMM), and LaunchLab for token launches. Explained for beginners. Intermediate Orca explained: the concentrated-liquidity DEX (Whirlpools) on Solana What Orca is on Solana: a decentralized exchange focused on concentrated liquidity (Whirlpools) and ease of use. Plus permissioned pools for regulated assets. Explained for beginners. Intermediate Marginfi explained: lending and borrowing on Solana What Marginfi is on Solana: a lending protocol where users lend assets, earn interest, and borrow against collateral. How interest, collateral, and liquidations work — explained for beginners. Intermediate Meteora explained: dynamic liquidity (DLMM) on Solana What Meteora is on Solana: a liquidity protocol with a Dynamic Liquidity Market Maker (DLMM), dynamic fees, and vaults. How it differs from classic pools — explained for beginners. Intermediate Tokenized Stocks (xStocks) on Solana Explained: Backing, Trading, Risks What tokenized stocks like xStocks on Solana are: tokens backed 1:1 by real shares, tradable around the clock. How the backing, trading, and risks work — explained for beginners. Beginner Stablecoins on Solana: USDC, USDT, PYUSD, USDG, and EURC Compared (DACH View) Which stablecoin on Solana fits DACH users? USDC, USDT, PYUSD, USDG, and EURC compared directly — market share, MiCA status, German tax treatment, risks from a forensic angle. Intermediate MEV on Solana: Sandwich Attacks, Jito Bundles, and How Traders Get Affected Maximum Extractable Value on Solana explained. How sandwich attacks, backrunning, and Jito bundles work — and what regular traders can do about slippage and routing. Advanced Jito explained: the MEV and staking layer on Solana What Jito is on Solana: liquid staking with JitoSOL, MEV tips and bundles, TipRouter, restaking (NCNs, VRTs), and BAM — clearly explained, as of July 2026. Intermediate
03
Staking
3 articles
Solana Staking Guide 2026: Native, Liquid Staking, and Validator Selection How Solana staking works — native stake delegation versus liquid staking (Marinade, Jito), reward mechanics, validator selection, and slashing risk. Practical guide. Beginner Liquid Staking on Solana: Marinade, Jito, and JitoSOL Explained How liquid staking on Solana works. Marinade vs. Jito, mSOL and JitoSOL compared, MEV earnings, and what to consider when choosing a provider. Intermediate Solana Validator Selection — The Clean Native-Staking Path How to pick a Solana validator for native staking. Five practical criteria, the right research tools, and why the biggest validator is rarely the smartest choice. Intermediate
04
NFTs
1 article
05
Security
13 articles
Solana Wallet Security: Phishing, Drainers, and Best Practices How to actually protect your Solana wallet. Phishing patterns, drainer mechanics, token approval revoking, and the multi-sig setup for serious holdings. Intermediate Detecting Bot Wallets on Solana: Sniper, Bundler, and Wash-Trading Patterns How to identify bot wallets on Solana. Sniper patterns, bundler clusters, wash-trading loops — manual tools and automated forensics compared. Advanced Detecting Solana Honeypot Tokens: Why a Token Won't Let You Sell A honeypot is a token you can buy but not sell. Here's how to spot the warning signs yourself in a block explorer — freeze authority, Token-2022 extensions, sell patterns. Beginner Using Solscan: read a Solana transaction and wallet yourself Step by step: how to read a Solana transaction and a wallet yourself with a block explorer like Solscan — status, fees, balance changes, holdings, and first red flags. Verify, don't trust. Beginner Privacy on Solana Explained: Confidential Transfers, Limits, and Forensics How privacy works on Solana: Solana is transparent by default. Confidential Transfers encrypt amounts, not senders or receivers. What works, what doesn't — and what it means for wallet forensics. Intermediate Check a Solana Wallet or Token for Scams: the Warning Signs Before you interact with a Solana wallet or token: seven warning signs you can check yourself in a block explorer — mint authority, holder concentration, liquidity, coordinated wallets. Verify, don't trust. Beginner Spotting a Solana Rugpull: the Warning Signs Before the Pull Before you interact with a Solana token: the warning signs of a rugpull you can check yourself in a block explorer — unsecured liquidity, active mint authority, holder concentration, coordinated wallets. Verify, don't trust. Beginner Tracing the Fund Flow of a Solana Transaction How to follow money across Solana wallets: read a single transaction, find the funding source by tracing backward, follow funds forward across multiple hops, and recognize endpoints. Verify, don't trust. Intermediate Solana Wallet Hacked or Drained: What to Do Now Your Solana wallet got drained? Calm steps: secure what's left, revoke approvals, reconstruct the attack in a block explorer — and the honest truth about recovery and 'recovery' scammers. Beginner Stop Wallet Drainers: Read the Signature Request Before You Approve Most Solana wallets aren't emptied through the seed phrase — they're drained by a signature you approve yourself. Here's how to read a transaction or approval request properly, and spot a drainer before you tap 'Confirm'. Beginner How to Detect and Prevent Address Poisoning on Solana Address poisoning plants look-alike addresses in your transaction history — one copy-paste mistake is enough. How to spot poisoned entries in a block explorer, why Solana is especially exposed, and which habits protect you. Beginner How to Spot Fake Airdrops and Dusting Attacks on Solana Unknown tokens or NFTs suddenly sitting in your Solana wallet? How to check unsolicited airdrops with Solscan and Solana Explorer, recognize dusting attacks and phishing bait — and respond safely: ignore, hide, burn. Never claim. Beginner Multi-Signature Wallets on Solana: A Practical Guide to Squads How multi-sig wallets work on Solana, when you need one, and how to set up a Squads vault. For treasuries, DAOs, teams, and serious holdings. Intermediate
06
Wallets
2 articles
How does a Solana wallet work? Addresses, keys, and seed phrase explained simply What a Solana wallet really stores: public key, private key, and seed phrase explained clearly. How addresses are formed, what happens when you sign, and why 'not your keys, not your coins' holds. Beginner Solana Wallet Setup: Phantom, Solflare, and Hardware Wallets How to set up a Solana wallet — from Phantom to Ledger. Step-by-step guide, backup routine, and the difference between hot and cold wallets. Beginner
07
Development
2 articles
AI Agents on Solana: x402, Coinbase Agent Kit, and PayAI Explained How AI agents pay, sign, and trade autonomously on Solana. The x402 protocol, Coinbase Agent Kit, PayAI, and the emerging agentic stack. Advanced Solana RPC explained: nodes, endpoints, providers — how wallets talk to the chain What a Solana RPC node is and how wallets talk to the chain through endpoints — public vs. dedicated, rate limits, privacy, and WebSockets. Intermediate
08
Protocols
8 articles
ORE on Solana: Mining, Refining, and Buyback Explained ORE is Solana's native proof-of-work token with a hard cap of 3 million units. How the 5×5-grid mining works, what refining means, and how the buyback mechanism operates. Intermediate Pump.fun Explained: Bonding Curves, Launches and Visible Wallet Structures How Pump.fun works — bonding curve, graduation, PumpSwap. Plus: which wallet structures are visible around launches (clusters, bundler signals, service quarantine) and what to watch for when minting. Intermediate DePIN on Solana: Helium, Render, and Hivemapper Overview What DePIN means and which projects shape the Solana DePIN stack. Helium, Render Network, Hivemapper, IO.Net, and Nosana — mechanics, tokens, and status. Intermediate Alpenglow: Solana's New Consensus Mechanism Explained Anza replaces TowerBFT and Proof-of-History with Alpenglow. What Votor and Rotor are, how block finality drops from 12.8 seconds to 150 milliseconds, and what Constellation contributes as a complementary proposal. Intermediate Firedancer and Frankendancer: Solana's Second Validator Client Explained Jump Trading Group is building Firedancer as a fully independent Solana validator client in C. Frankendancer is the hybrid stepping stone. What differentiates the two, what's already on mainnet, and what's coming in 2026. Intermediate SIMD-228: Solana's Proposed Market-Based Inflation Explained SIMD-0228 would replace Solana's fixed, time-based token emission with a market mechanism that ties issuance to staking participation. What the proposal suggests, what arguments the authors put forward, and what effects on stakers, DeFi, and inflation are being discussed. Intermediate Token-2022: Solana's Stablecoin Standard and Token Extensions Explained What Token-2022 is, how PayPal, Paxos, and Circle build their stablecoins on it, which extensions enable compliance — and where Permanent Delegate and Transfer Hooks became new attack vectors in 2026. Intermediate P-Token: Anza's Pinocchio-based SPL Token Rewrite Explained How P-Token replaces the classic SPL Token program: same program ID via feature gate, 95 percent compute savings, three new instructions, Pinocchio instead of the solana-program crate. What devs, wallets, DEXes, and forensic tools need to know. Intermediate