Solana Smart Contract / Onchain Program

Executable code deployed on the Solana blockchain that processes transaction instructions to read from and modify controlled accounts, equivalent to smart contracts on other blockchains.

What is Solana Smart Contract / Onchain Program?

On the Solana blockchain, onchain programs—commonly referred to as smart contracts in ecosystems like Ethereum—are stateless executable binaries stored in dedicated accounts and written primarily in Rust, compiled to Berkeley Packet Filter (BPF) bytecode for secure execution in the Solana runtime. These programs define entrypoints that handle specific instructions from transactions, allowing them to interact with accounts they own, such as updating token balances in the SPL Token program (program ID: TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA) or executing trades on decentralized exchanges like Raydium (program ID: 675kPX9MHTjS2zt1qfr1NYHuzeLXfQM9H24wFSUt1Mp8). Deployment involves uploading the compiled program to an account via tools like the Solana CLI, requiring approximately 0.01-0.1 SOL (around $2-20 at September 2025 prices of ~$240 per SOL) for rent-exempt storage, depending on program size.

Programs execute deterministically within Solana’s parallel processing model, leveraging up to 60 million Compute Units (CUs) per transaction as of mid-2025 updates, enabling complex operations like DeFi swaps or NFT mints without exceeding network limits. Popular examples include the System Program (ID: 11111111111111111111111111111111) for basic account management and the Stake Program (ID: Stake11111111111111111111111111111111111111) for SOL staking, which as of September 2025 supports over 70% of SOL supply staked across 1,400+ validators. The Pinocchio library, introduced in early 2025, optimizes program efficiency by reducing CU consumption by up to 50% for common operations, aiding developers in building scalable applications like Orca’s whirlpool liquidity pools or Jupiter’s perpetual exchanges.

Security considerations for Solana programs emphasize thorough audits, as vulnerabilities can lead to exploits like the 2022 Wormhole bridge hack affecting cross-chain program interactions; developers use frameworks like Anchor for safer Rust-based development, and recent 2025 enhancements via the Firedancer client improve runtime reliability for program execution. With over 1,000 active programs powering $50 billion in total value locked (TVL) in DeFi and NFTs as of September 2025, these onchain components drive Solana’s ecosystem, supporting high-throughput applications such as Visa’s USDC settlements at sub-second finality.