Solana is a programmable public and open source blockchain that enables smart contracts. However, in the case of Solana, the latter are referred to as "programs" even though they serve the same purpose as smart contracts. Therefore, Solana programs are critical to Solana programming. Moreover, as mentioned in the introduction, Solana, like Ethereum, promotes the creation of fungible and non-fungible tokens. Of course, it is also a network where developers can use different dApps. In addition, "SOL" is the name of Solana's native coin or token. This native currency is used to ensure the security of the network through Solana's hybrid DeFi Staking consensus and to pay transaction fees and transfer value on this chain.
When Solana came into web
Solana was founded in 2017 by Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal. These two developers are still very active at Solana Labs, the company that developed Solana. The current CEO of Solana Labs is Yakovenko, and COO is Gokal.
Solana is one of the 2021 programmable blockchains. But Solana is about much more than just the 2021 price hike, with many developers focusing primarily on programming Solana. And unlike Ethereum, this chain has significantly lower costs, which gives it a competitive advantage over Ethereum. Moreover, the Solana chain hosts quite a few projects, not to mention SPL tokens and Solana NFTs (non-fungible tokens). Also, unlike most other well-known blockchain networks, Solana does not support EVMs. Consequently, Solidity is not used by Solana as a programming language.
Solana's proof-of-stake (PoS) chain algorithm, which uses SOL to "mine," guarantees that the Solana blockchain is up to date on all nodes. In addition, Solana has a potential throughput of 65,000 transactions per second. In addition to its high speed, Solana's transaction costs are less than a penny. In comparison, Ethereum price can often run into the hundreds of dollars. Because of these two features, Solana is very popular with both consumers and developers. However, Solana has also had problems, and many critics continue to question its level of decentralization.
Best Ways to do Solana Programming
The most general approach to getting started with Solana programming is to visit Solana's Developer Resources website. There you can read the documentation and learn about Solana development methods, programs, dApps, and client SDKs. You can also find the Solana Cookbook, SolDev and Metaplex core.
Rust – the best Solana Programming language
Rust existed before Solana, unlike Solidity, which was developed specifically for Ethereum. This information gives an advantage to developers who are already familiar with Rust. In addition, Rust is an open-source programming language that is extremely performant, statically typed, and memory efficient. Rust is an excellent alternative for those who value reliability and security. In addition, Rust makes dealing with low-level aspects such as memory relatively easy.
Another advantage of Rust is that it does not have a runtime environment or a garbage collector . Therefore, Rust is suitable for running performance-critical computations and for use on embedded devices. In addition, Rust integrates easily with other popular programming languages.
The basic Solana programming language is quite intuitive and adaptable, according to the developers, and writing programs on Solana is just one of many applications.
API for Solana Programming
The Solana API is a robust REST API, which allows you to retrieve user token balances, NFT information, and more. Like REST APIs, the Solana API can be called by default in any programming language. Therefore, you can easily access Solana data from a variety of applications and platforms.
The easiest way to access this API is to use the Moralis SDK. This way, you only need a few lines of code. Moreover, all these powerful functions are located in the "Moralis.SolanaAPI" namespace. For simplicity, the above namespace has been split into two categories: "SolanaAPI.account" and "SolanaAPI.nft" And because Solana NFTs are still popular, let us take a closer look at Solana NFT API.
Summary: The Ultimate Guide to Solana Development
If this is the first time you have heard of Solana, you now have all the information you need to get started with Solana programming. And even if you already knew the essentials, like "What is Solana?", you have had the opportunity to learn more about Solana programming. You now know that Rust is the main Solana programming language you use to create Solana programs.
You also know that you do not have to be a Rust expert to become a Solana programmer. However, if you are serious about becoming a Solana expert, a more professional approach may be the way to go for you. In this case, Solana Programming 101 is a good place to start.