Using Solana

You understand why Solana exists and how it works. Now you'll learn to use it: setting up a wallet, sending transactions, exploring the blockchain.

Your wallet manages your keys, not your money. Your keys control your Solana accounts. Transactions move SOL and interact with programs. Block explorers show all on-chain data.

Wallets: Managing Your Keys

A Solana wallet does not store your cryptocurrency. The coins exist as entries on the blockchain. Your wallet stores private keys and creates digital signatures to prove you can spend those coins.

Phantom is a browser extension and mobile app with a clean interface. It supports tokens, NFTs, and staking. Most new users start here.

Solflare is a browser extension and mobile app with hardware wallet support. If security is your priority, use this.

Backpack is a browser extension with integrated xNFT support and a modern UI. Developers like it.

These wallets use the same underlying technology—they generate keypairs and sign transactions. You can use the same seed phrase to recover your accounts in any wallet.

Setting up a wallet:

1. Install the wallet extension or app

2. Create a new wallet (this generates a new private key)

3. Critical: Write down your seed phrase (12 or 24 words)

4. Store the seed phrase somewhere safe (not on your computer)

5. Your wallet address is now active and can receive SOL

Your seed phrase is a human-readable representation of your private key. Anyone with your seed phrase controls all your accounts and assets.

Never:

• Share your seed phrase with anyone

• Enter it into websites claiming to "validate" it

• Store it in email, cloud storage, or screenshots

• Take photos of it

Always:

• Write it on paper

• Store it in a secure physical location

• Consider metal backup for fire/water protection

• Test recovery in a separate wallet with a small amount first

If you lose your seed phrase and your device breaks, your funds are gone forever. No customer support can recover them.

Getting SOL

To use Solana, you need SOL for transaction fees.

Mainnet (real SOL):

• Centralized exchanges: Buy SOL on Coinbase, Binance, Kraken, or other exchanges. Withdraw to your wallet address.

• Decentralized exchanges: Swap other cryptocurrencies for SOL on Jupiter, Raydium, or Orca.

• On-ramps: Use services like Moonpay or Transak to buy SOL directly with credit card.

Devnet (test SOL):

For testing without real money, use devnet:

# Install Solana CLI
sh -c "$(curl -sSfL https://release.solana.com/stable/install)"

# Configure for devnet
solana config set --url https://api.devnet.solana.com

# Request airdrop (test SOL)
solana airdrop 2

# Check balance
solana balance

Devnet SOL has no value. Use it for learning and testing applications before committing real funds.

Sending a Transaction

Here's how to send SOL using Phantom wallet.

Step 1: Open Phantom and ensure you have SOL

Check your balance. You need at least 0.000005 SOL for the transaction fee, plus whatever amount you want to send.

Step 2: Click Send

Enter the recipient's Solana address or scan their QR code. Addresses look like: 7TpX...9kLM (43 characters, base58 encoded).

Step 3: Enter amount

Specify how much SOL to send. The wallet shows the transaction fee (typically 0.000005 SOL).

Step 4: Review and confirm

Check:

• Recipient address is correct (sending to the wrong address is irreversible)

• Amount is correct

• You have enough SOL for amount + fee

Click confirm. Your wallet signs the transaction with your private key.

Step 5: Transaction processes

The wallet broadcasts your signed transaction to the network. You'll see:

• "Pending" while the transaction propagates

• "Confirmed" when included in a block (usually 1-2 seconds)

Behind the scenes:

1. Your wallet constructed a transaction containing a System Program transfer instruction

2. The transaction declared which accounts it would access (your account and recipient's account)

3. Your wallet signed the transaction with your private key

4. The wallet sent the signed transaction to an RPC node

5. The RPC node forwarded it to the current leader

6. The leader included it in a block

7. Validators confirmed the block

8. Your transaction is final and irreversible

Block Explorers

Block explorers let you view all on-chain data. Everything on Solana is public and verifiable.

Solana Explorer (https://explorer.solana.com)

The official explorer. Clean interface showing:

• Transactions by signature

• Accounts by address

• Blocks by slot number

• Programs and their interactions

To use Solana Explorer:

1. Go to https://explorer.solana.com

2. Enter any transaction signature, account address, or block slot

3. View complete details

For transactions, you can see:

• All instructions executed

• Which accounts were accessed

• Which programs were called

• Success or failure status

• Compute units consumed

• Fee paid

For accounts:

• Current lamport balance

• Owner program

• Data size and rent status

• Complete transaction history

• Token holdings (if any)

Solscan (https://solscan.io)

Solscan provides an alternative interface with better token displays, NFT galleries with images, and more analytics. Non-technical users prefer it.

Try searching for the USDC token mint address: EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v

You'll see its complete history, supply, and every holder.

Understanding Transaction Signatures

Every transaction has a unique signature—an 88-character base58 string like:

3nGq2yczqCpm8bF2dyvdPtXpnFLJ1gKWyPp4EYFS8k8wHqJLfcBBdpKYmKCKMJhpYcXqmLWdWcNQjTiJhHWMVdU5

This signature is your receipt. With it, you can:

• View the transaction on a block explorer

• Prove the transaction occurred

• Verify the transaction details

After sending a transaction, your wallet displays the signature. Copy it and search for it on a block explorer to see exactly what happened.

Common transaction scenarios:

• Success: Transaction processed, state updated, "Success" status shown

• Failure: Transaction included in a block but reverted due to program error. You still pay fees.

• Dropped: Transaction not included in a block within its timeout period. No fees paid. Need to retry.

The Solana Ecosystem

Solana has DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, payment systems, and developer tools.

In DeFi, Jupiter aggregates DEX routes for best swap prices. Marinade Finance offers liquid staking. Drift Protocol provides perpetual futures. Kamino Finance automates liquidity management. Marginfi handles lending and borrowing.

For NFTs, Magic Eden is the largest marketplace. Tensor targets professional traders. Metaplex provides the infrastructure and standards. Thousands of collections exist.

Payment systems include Solana Pay for merchant integration, Helio for business gateways, and Sphere for payroll.

Infrastructure providers like Helius, Triton, and GenesysGo operate enhanced RPC nodes. Jito focuses on MEV infrastructure.

Developers use Anchor as the main framework for building programs. Solana Playground provides browser-based development. Solanafm offers an explorer with detailed program logs.

New protocols and tools launch regularly.

Your Next Steps

What comes next depends on your goals.

To build on Solana:

Solana programs are written in Rust, but the Anchor framework generates account validation, serialization, and error handling from declarative macros—you write business logic, not boilerplate.

You do not need deep Rust knowledge. If you can read structs and write functions, Anchor's macros take care of Solana's account validation and serialization. You pick up Rust idioms as you go.

Install these tools in order:

1. Rust via rustup.rs—the first few chapters of the Rust book cover enough.

2. Solana CLI for managing wallets, deploying programs, and talking to the network.

3. Anchor CLI. Run anchor init to scaffold a project with tests and deployment config.

4. Node.js for client-side tests and interaction scripts.

Start here:

• Anchor for Dummies—your first program on Solana, from accounts to deployment.

• Pinocchio for Dummies—raw Solana programming without Anchor, for when you need full control over compute.

• Program Security—the attacks that break Solana programs (missing signer checks, reinitialization, type cosplay) and how to stop them.

To use Solana applications:

Start with small amounts while you learn. Smart contracts can have bugs. Use established protocols first.

Learn how liquidity pools and impermanent loss work before you put real money in. Follow the projects you use on Twitter and Discord—that is where exploit postmortems and protocol changes get announced first.

Safety practices:

• Verify contract addresses before interacting

• Revoke unnecessary token approvals

• Use hardware wallets for large amounts

• Be skeptical of unrealistic promises

• Research projects thoroughly before investing

To contribute without programming:

Write tutorials, create videos, and explain concepts. Help newcomers in Discord and forums. Test new applications and report bugs. Participate in DAO governance for protocols you use. Explain blockchain and Solana to others.

Solana removes the middleman the same way all blockchains do—with verifiable computation—but it stays fast by using Proof of History to order transactions and parallel execution to process them.

You now know how to manage keys, send transactions, and explore on-chain data. Everything you need to start building or using Solana is available today.