Local Dev Basics

9 examples to get you started with local Solana development - 6 basic and 3 intermediate.

Prerequisites

• Agave 4.1.1 / Solana CLI 3.0.10 installed
• Anchor 0.32.1 for program workflows (avm use 0.32.1)
• A funded keypair at ~/.config/solana/id.json

solana --version
anchor --version

Basic Examples

1. Start a Local Validator

Run an isolated cluster on your laptop.

solana-test-validator

• Default RPC: http://127.0.0.1:8899
• Ctrl+C stops the cluster - state is ephemeral unless you use ledger flags
• No rate limits or faucet throttling unlike devnet

Related: solana-test-validator - flags and lifecycle

2. Point CLI at Localnet

Route terminal commands to the local validator.

solana config set --url http://127.0.0.1:8899
solana slot

• slot should advance every second while validator runs
• Reset to devnet when finished: solana config set --url devnet
• Match this URL in Anchor.toml for anchor test

3. Fund Your Local Wallet

Use the local faucet for unlimited test SOL.

solana airdrop 10
solana balance

• Local airdrops are generous for account rent experiments
• Same keypair works across localnet sessions if you restart validator with same ledger path
• Fees are still deducted - balance changes on transfers

Related: Airdrops & Balances - balance concepts

4. Build and Deploy Locally

Compile then deploy to the running validator.

anchor build
anchor deploy

• anchor deploy uses Anchor.toml provider URL
• Program IDs come from target/deploy/*-keypair.json
• Redeploy upgrades when upgrade authority is retained

Related: Deploying Programs - deploy details

5. Run Anchor Tests

Integration test against embedded validator.

anchor test

• Spins validator, deploys, runs TypeScript/Rust tests, tears down
• Logs appear in terminal - pair with Local Logs & Debugging
• Faster iteration than manual deploy + client send

6. Stream Logs Locally

Watch program output during tests.

solana logs

• Run in a second terminal while invoking transactions
• Shows msg! and sol_log output from your program
• No provider WebSocket limits on localhost

Related: Logs & Debugging - CLI log tools

Intermediate Examples

7. Clone a Mainnet Account

Pull real on-chain state into localnet for realistic tests.

solana-test-validator --clone <ACCOUNT_PUBKEY> --url mainnet-beta

• Validator fetches account data at startup from mainnet RPC
• Essential for testing against live AMM/oracle layouts
• Clone only accounts you need - startup time grows with count

Related: Cloning Mainnet Accounts - clone strategies

8. Load Programs from File

Deploy a compiled .so without full Anchor workspace deploy.

solana program deploy target/deploy/my_program.so \
  --url http://127.0.0.1:8899

• Useful for testing third-party program binaries
• Combine with clones to simulate mainnet CPI graphs
• Program keypair must match expected ID if clients hardcode it

Related: Loading Programs & Fixtures - seeding state

9. Choose Localnet vs Devnet

Pick the right cluster for the task at hand.

# Local: fast, deterministic
solana config set --url http://127.0.0.1:8899
 
# Shared: realistic networking, faucet limits
solana config set --url devnet

• Localnet for unit/integration speed and CI
• Devnet for multi-team shared deployments and wallet demos
• See decision workflow page for full branching guide

Related: Localnet vs Devnet Workflow - when to use each

Stack versions: This page was written for Agave 4.1.1, Solana CLI 3.0.10, Anchor 0.32.1, anchor-lang 0.32.1, Rust 1.91.1, @solana/kit 7.0.0, Surfpool 0.12.0, and LiteSVM 0.6.x.