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Plain-language definitions for the terms used across Foundations, Builder, and Protocol Expert. Read the official source and follow each term into a lesson.
Reviewed 2026-09-30. Protocols evolve; use the linked documentation as the current authority.
26 terms. Search works on this page; all definitions are shown by default.
A Solana account stores data at an address and has an owner program. The owner program controls changes to its data; accounts can also hold lamports.
Accounts ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →Read: 6. Programs and explicit account state →
A 32-byte value used to identify an account. An address may come from a public key or be derived as a program-derived address.
Accounts ↗ Read: 1. Solana, SOL, and a shared ledger →Read: 7. Program-derived addresses →
The deterministic token account conventionally derived for an owner and a token mint using the Associated Token Program. A wallet can own other token accounts too.
Create a Token Account ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →
A transaction's instructions execute as one unit: if an instruction fails, state changes from the transaction are rolled back, while a transaction fee may still be charged.
Transactions ↗ Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →Read: 2. Authority, signatures, and replay resistance →
A recent blockhash in a transaction message helps establish its freshness and validity window. It is not a substitute for checking execution status.
The first bump value found by the standard PDA search that yields an off-curve address. Programs should validate the expected canonical derivation when uniqueness matters.
Program Derived Addresses ↗ Read: 7. Program-derived addresses →
A Solana network environment, such as Mainnet Beta, Devnet, or Testnet. An address or transaction must be interpreted on the correct cluster.
Clusters and Public Endpoints ↗ Read: 3. Networks and transaction explorers →
A request setting that tells an RPC client how much confirmation to require when reading state or tracking a transaction. The choice affects confidence and freshness.
Confirmation and Commitment ↗ Read: 3. Networks and transaction explorers →Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →
A unit used to meter transaction execution work. A transaction can set a compute-unit limit and an optional prioritization price through the Compute Budget Program.
Compute Budget ↗ Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →
A call from one Solana program into another during transaction execution. The caller supplies the accounts; signer privilege can be forwarded or established for its own PDA with invoke-signed.
Cross-program invocation ↗ Read: 8. Cross-program calls and token authorities →Read: 12. Builder capstone: design and test a token escrow →
An authority explicitly permitted to perform limited actions. For a token account, a delegate's approved amount and authority differ from a mint-level PermanentDelegate extension.
SPL Token Basics ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →Read: 4. Public data, privacy, and token design →
A mechanism that lets a transaction use a stored nonce value instead of a short-lived recent blockhash, supporting offline signing or delayed submission. Solana's current docs say durable nonces may be deprecated in a future release, so check the latest guidance before designing around them.
Durable Nonces ↗ Read: 2. Authority, signatures, and replay resistance →
The transaction account designated to pay the network fee. Fee payment is distinct from transferred value and account storage deposits.
The confirmation state reached when the cluster recognizes a block as finalized with maximum lockout. For finalized evidence, retain the cluster and commitment context from the RPC response.
Confirmation and Commitment ↗ Read: 3. Networks and transaction explorers →Read: 6. Production operations and incident response →
A program call encoded in a transaction, with a program ID, account references, and instruction data. A transaction can contain multiple instructions.
Transactions ↗ Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →Read: 1. Build a reliable read-only client →
The smallest unit of SOL: one SOL equals one billion lamports. Network fees and account balances are commonly reported in lamports.
Fees ↗ Read: 1. Solana, SOL, and a shared ledger →Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →
An account owned by a token program that stores a token's supply, decimals, mint authority, freeze authority, and any configured token extensions.
SPL Token Basics ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →Read: 4. Public data, privacy, and token design →
An optional Token-2022 mint extension that assigns a mint-level delegate with transfer and burn authority across token accounts for that mint. Individual token-account owners cannot revoke it.
Permanent Delegate ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →Read: 4. Public data, privacy, and token design →
A deterministic off-curve address derived from seeds, a bump, and a program ID. It has no private key; its deriving program can sign for it in a CPI with invoke-signed.
Program Derived Addresses ↗ Read: 7. Program-derived addresses →Read: 6. Programs and explicit account state →
The authority that can authorize an upgrade for an upgradeable program. A program's deployment and upgrade-control state are separate from its runtime instructions.
Programs ↗ Read: 6. Production operations and incident response →Read: 4. Public data, privacy, and token design →
Application checks that prevent a previously accepted authorization or action from being used again, often by recording a nonce or consumed state. Transaction freshness alone may not protect an application's business action.
Transactions ↗ Read: 2. Authority, signatures, and replay resistance →
An account whose required cryptographic signature is verified for a transaction. A program can also provide signer privilege for its own PDA during a CPI using invoke-signed.
Transactions ↗ Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →Read: 8. Cross-program calls and token authorities →
A time period assigned to a leader to process transactions and produce a block. A slot is not necessarily a produced block; read slot numbers with their cluster and commitment context.
The Token Extension Program, a token program compatible with familiar token operations and supporting optional mint and token-account extensions. Inspect the actual program and configured extensions before relying on token behavior.
Token Extensions ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →Read: 4. Public data, privacy, and token design →
An account owned by a token program that records a token mint, token authority, balance, and related state. A wallet address and its token accounts are different accounts.
SPL Token Basics ↗ Read: 4. Accounts, mints, and token balances →
A signed message containing one or more instructions, a fee payer, and a recent blockhash or durable nonce. Validators execute it and return a status that should be checked on the intended cluster.
Transactions ↗ Read: 5. Instructions, fees, and finality →Read: 1. Build a reliable read-only client →Read: 6. Production operations and incident response →