Solana development FAQ

Short answers to common questions from people learning to build on Solana, with links to go deeper.

What language are Solana programs written in?

Most Solana programs are written in Rust, usually with the Anchor framework. Programs compile to eBPF-based bytecode (SBF) and run on the Solana runtime. Clients are commonly TypeScript, with community SDKs for other languages.

Do I need to know Rust to start?

Not on day one. You can learn the account model and send transactions from TypeScript first (stage 2 of the learning path). To write programs you will need Rust basics: ownership, structs, enums and Result.

What is Anchor and should I use it?

Anchor is a Rust framework that handles serialisation, account validation through declarative constraints, and IDL generation. Most programs in the stack that ship on-chain code use it. Native Rust, Pinocchio or Steel give more control at the cost of more code.

What is a PDA?

A Program Derived Address is an address derived from seeds and a program ID that has no private key, so only that program can sign for it. Programs use PDAs as deterministic homes for state and as vault authorities.

How do I get devnet SOL?

Use the official faucet at faucet.solana.com, or run solana airdrop 2 with the CLI pointed at devnet. Devnet SOL has no value.

What's the difference between the Token Program and Token-2022?

Token-2022 (Token Extensions) is a separate program with the same core layout plus optional extensions such as transfer fees, metadata and transfer hooks. Code has to pass the right token program ID for the mint it handles.

Where does the code on Sol.College come from?

From real open-source Solana projects forked into the Blockchains GitHub account. Only permissively licensed code is quoted, with attribution and a permalink to the exact lines at a pinned commit. There are currently 14 lessons and 77 project walkthroughs.

Are the build guides tested?

Lesson projects are rebuilt and exercised on a local solana-test-validator by the repository's verification workflow, and each project page shows that run's result. Some projects also have a devnet dapp you can open with your own wallet.

Is Sol.College free?

Yes. Every lesson, guide and project page is free to read, with no sign-up.

Next: the learning path, the glossary, or all lessons.