Solana API FAQ
What is Solana?
Solana is a high-performance blockchain platform designed to support the scale, open participation, and performance required to power the next generation of decentralized applications. It is built on a new consensus algorithm called Proof of History (PoH) which allows it to process up to 50,000 transactions per second. Solana also features a unique architecture that allows for low-latency transactions, low transaction fees, and a high degree of decentralization.
What is the Solana API?
The Solana API allows decentralized applications to connect to a Solana node that is part of the Solana blockchain. Developers can interact with on-chain data, send transactions, and deploy contracts by leveraging Alchemy’s API endpoints. The API follows a JSON-RPC standard, a lightweight, remote procedure call (RPC) protocol that is commonly used when interacting with blockchain data.
How can I get started using the Solana API?
Explained in the Solana API Quickstart Guide.
What methods does Alchemy support for the Solana API?
You can find the list of all the methods Alchemy support for the Solana API on the Solana API Endpoints page.
Can I see the Solana methods by category?
Yes! Check out the section below:
Query live blockchain data and network status
Access complete transaction and block history
Send and simulate transactions with fee estimation
Monitor validators, epochs and network performance
Current State Methods
Query live blockchain data including accounts, balances, current slots, and real-time network status.
Account & Balance Queries
Returns all information associated with the account of provided Pubkey.
Returns the lamport balance of the account of the provided Pubkey.
Returns the account information for a list of Pubkeys.
Returns all accounts owned by the provided program Pubkey.
Returns the addresses of the largest accounts, by lamport balance.
Returns information about the current supply of SOL.
Token Account Methods
Get all token accounts for a wallet.
Query token accounts by delegate.
Get balance of a specific token account.
Query total supply of an SPL token.
Find accounts with largest token holdings.
Current Slot & Blockhash
Get current slot number.
Get current block height of the network.
Get most recent blockhash for transactions.
Validate if a blockhash is still valid.
Get current slot leader.
Get slot leaders for a range of slots.
Transaction Status & Confirmation
Check confirmation status of transactions.
Get total number of transactions processed.
Historical Data (Archival)
Access complete transaction and block history from Solana genesis.
Transaction History
Get detailed information about a specific transaction.
Get transaction signatures for an account.
Calculate inflation rewards for accounts.
Block History
Access blockchain structure, timing, and historical data.
Get complete block information including all transactions.
Get list of confirmed blocks in a range.
Get limited number of confirmed blocks.
Get estimated production time of a block.
Get commitment for a particular block.
Transaction Submission
Send and simulate transactions with fee estimation and optimization.
Transaction Methods
Send a transaction to the network.
Simulate a transaction to preview effects.
Request SOL airdrop on Devnet.
Get recent priority fees for optimal pricing.
Calculate transaction fees before sending.
Network & Cluster Methods
Monitor validators, epochs, network performance, and cluster health.
Cluster Information
Check RPC node health status.
Get Solana software version information.
Get information about cluster validators.
Get current and delinquent vote accounts.
Get information about the current epoch.
Get epoch schedule information.
Get leader schedule for an epoch.
Network Performance & Economics
Get recent network performance metrics.
Get current inflation parameters.
Get current inflation rate.
Get epoch activation information for a stake account.
Get block production information for current/previous epochs.
Utility & System Methods
Helper methods for system information, validation, and advanced queries.
Basic Utility Methods
Calculate minimum balance for rent exemption.
Get genesis hash of the cluster.
Get identity public key of the RPC node.
Get slot of first available block.
Get highest slot with a snapshot.
Get minimum slot that node has ledger information.
Get max slot seen from retransmit stage.
Get max slot seen from after shred insert.
