solana

Solana blockchain command-line interface

TLDR

Check wallet balance

$ solana balance

Check balance of a specific address

$ solana balance [address]

Get current cluster configuration

$ solana config get

Set cluster to devnet, testnet, or mainnet

$ solana config set --url [devnet|testnet|mainnet-beta]

Create a new keypair

$ solana-keygen new

Airdrop SOL on devnet/testnet

$ solana airdrop [amount]

Transfer SOL to another address

$ solana transfer [recipient_address] [amount]

Deploy a program

$ solana program deploy [path/to/program.so]

SYNOPSIS

solana [flags] [options] subcommand

solana is the command-line interface for interacting with the Solana blockchain. It provides tools for managing wallets, transferring tokens, deploying programs (smart contracts), staking, and querying blockchain state.The CLI connects to Solana clusters via JSON-RPC. Three main clusters are available: mainnet-beta (production), testnet (testing), and devnet (development). Configuration is stored in ~/.config/solana/cli/config.yml.Keypairs for signing transactions can be generated with solana-keygen and are typically stored as JSON files. The CLI is the primary interface for Solana validators and program developers.

PARAMETERS

-u, --url URL

URL for Solana's JSON RPC endpoint or cluster moniker (devnet, testnet, mainnet-beta).

-k, --keypair KEYPAIR

Filepath or URL to a keypair for signing transactions.

-C, --config FILEPATH

Configuration file to use.

--no-address-labels

Do not use address labels in output.

--skip-preflight

Skip the preflight transaction simulation.

--skip-seed-phrase-validation

Skip validation of seed phrases.

--commitment LEVEL

Return information at the selected commitment level (processed, confirmed, finalized).

--use-quic

Use QUIC protocol when sending transactions.

--ws URL

WebSocket URL for the Solana cluster.

--output FORMAT

Output format: json, json-compact.

-h, --help

Print help information.

-V, --version

Print version information.

CONFIGURATION

~/.config/solana/cli/config.yml

CLI configuration file storing default RPC URL, keypair path, and commitment level.

~/.config/solana/id.json

Default keypair file for signing transactions.

SUBCOMMANDS

balance

Get your balance or that of a specified address.

transfer

Transfer SOL between accounts.

airdrop

Request an airdrop of SOL (devnet/testnet only).

config

Get and set CLI configuration.

account

Show account contents.

address

Get your public key.

program deploy

Deploy a Solana program.

stake-account

Manage stake accounts.

validator-info

Publish or get validator information.

epoch-info

Get information about the current epoch.

slot

Get current slot.

block-height

Get current block height.

logs

Stream transaction logs.

confirm

Confirm a transaction by signature.

INSTALL

brew install solana

CAVEATS

Airdrops are only available on devnet and testnet, not mainnet. Transactions require SOL for fees. Private keys should be protected; never share keypair files. The CLI requires network connectivity to the configured cluster. Rate limits may apply on public RPC endpoints.

HISTORY

Solana was founded by Anatoly Yakovenko in 2017 and launched its mainnet beta in 2020. The CLI has been the primary tool for interacting with Solana since its inception. Development transitioned from Solana Labs to Anza (the Agave client) in 2024, with the CLI continuing as the first place new functionality is deployed. Solana is known for high throughput and low transaction costs.