@solana/kit Basics

9 examples to get you started with @solana/kit - 6 basic and 3 intermediate.

Prerequisites

Install kit 7.0.0 and the system program helpers:

npm install @solana/kit@7.0.0 @solana-program/system

Set RPC_URL to a devnet endpoint (provider URL recommended over public rate limits).

Basic Examples

1. Create an RPC Client

Typed JSON-RPC with .send() on every method.

import { createSolanaRpc, address } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpc = createSolanaRpc("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
const slot = await rpc.getSlot().send();
console.log(slot);

createSolanaRpc returns a tree-shakable client - import only what you use.
Every RPC call ends with .send() for explicit network I/O.
Swap the URL for mainnet-beta when you intend real SOL.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - subscriptions and providers

2. Read an Account Balance

Addresses are branded strings - not byte arrays in app code.

import { createSolanaRpc, address, lamports } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpc = createSolanaRpc(process.env.RPC_URL!);
const owner = address("YOUR_WALLET_PUBKEY");
const { value } = await rpc.getBalance(owner).send();
console.log(Number(value) / 1e9);

address() validates base58 and returns a typed Address.
Balances return Lamports (bigint) - convert carefully for display.
Cache reads in UI; chain state changes every slot.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - HTTP vs WebSocket

3. Generate a Keypair Signer

Server scripts and tests use explicit signers.

import { generateKeyPairSigner } from "@solana/kit";
 
const signer = await generateKeyPairSigner();
console.log(signer.address);

generateKeyPairSigner creates an Ed25519 key usable in transaction messages.
Browser apps should prefer wallet signers, not embedded secret keys.
Persist secrets with chmod 600 and never commit to git.

Related: Keypairs & Signers - CryptoKey and file import

4. Load a Keypair from JSON

Match the solana-keygen array format.

import { createKeyPairSignerFromBytes } from "@solana/kit";
import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 
const secret = Uint8Array.from(
  JSON.parse(readFileSync("./dev-wallet.json", "utf8"))
);
const signer = await createKeyPairSignerFromBytes(secret);

The JSON file is a 64-byte secret key array.
Use separate keypairs per cluster (devnet vs mainnet).
In CI, load from environment secrets - not repo files.

Related: Keypairs & Signers - signer traits

5. Fetch Latest Blockhash

Blockhashes expire - refresh per transaction batch.

const { value: blockhash } = await rpc.getLatestBlockhash().send();
console.log(blockhash.blockhash, blockhash.lastValidBlockHeight);

Lifetime is tied to lastValidBlockHeight - stale hashes fail confirmation.
Fetch once per user gesture, not once per page load.
Pair with retry logic on blockhash expiry errors.

Related: Building Transaction Messages - lifetimes

6. Build a Version 0 Message

Functional pipe composes immutable message transforms.

import {
  createTransactionMessage,
  pipe,
  setTransactionMessageFeePayerSigner,
  setTransactionMessageLifetimeUsingBlockhash,
  appendTransactionMessageInstruction,
} from "@solana/kit";
import { getTransferSolInstruction } from "@solana-program/system";
 
const message = pipe(
  createTransactionMessage({ version: 0 }),
  (m) => setTransactionMessageFeePayerSigner(signer, m),
  (m) => setTransactionMessageLifetimeUsingBlockhash(blockhash, m),
  (m) =>
    appendTransactionMessageInstruction(
      getTransferSolInstruction({
        source: signer,
        destination: recipient,
        amount: 10_000_000n,
      }),
      m
    )
);

Version 0 messages support address lookup tables.
Instructions come from @solana-program/* packages, not string program IDs.
Amounts are bigint lamports.

Related: Building Transaction Messages - full pipeline

Intermediate Examples

7. Sign and Send

Signers are resolved from the message, then RPC submits the wire transaction.

import {
  signTransactionMessageWithSigners,
  getSignatureFromTransaction,
  sendAndConfirmTransactionFactory,
} from "@solana/kit";
 
const signed = await signTransactionMessageWithSigners(message);
const signature = getSignatureFromTransaction(signed);
 
const sendAndConfirm = sendAndConfirmTransactionFactory({ rpc, rpcSubscriptions });
await sendAndConfirm(signed, { commitment: "confirmed" });

signTransactionMessageWithSigners collects required signers from the message.
Use WebSocket subscriptions for confirmation when available.
Log signatures for support tickets and explorer links.

Related: Signing & Sending - confirmation strategies

Push updates beat polling for wallet UIs.

import { createSolanaRpcSubscriptions, address } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpcSubscriptions = createSolanaRpcSubscriptions("wss://api.devnet.solana.com");
const abort = new AbortController();
const notifications = await rpcSubscriptions
  .accountNotifications(address("YOUR_ACCOUNT"), { commitment: "confirmed" })
  .subscribe({ abortSignal: abort.signal });
 
for await (const n of notifications) {
  console.log(n.value.lamports);
}

Always abort subscriptions on unmount.
Use wss:// endpoints - HTTP URLs fail for subscriptions.
Provider tiers differ in subscription caps.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - subscription types

9. Encode Account Data with Codecs

Kit codecs replace hand-rolled Buffer layouts.

import {
  getU32Encoder,
  getU32Decoder,
  getStructEncoder,
  getStructDecoder,
} from "@solana/kit";
 
const layout = getStructEncoder([["count", getU32Encoder()]]);
const bytes = layout.encode({ count: 42 });
const decoded = getStructDecoder([["count", getU32Decoder()]]).decode(bytes);

Encoders and decoders are separate for tree-shaking.
Pair with Codama-generated layouts for program accounts.
Prefer generated codecs over copy-pasted IDL offsets.

Related: Codecs & Serialization - advanced layouts

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.

Prerequisites

Install kit 7.0.0 and the system program helpers:

npm install @solana/kit@7.0.0 @solana-program/system

Set RPC_URL to a devnet endpoint (provider URL recommended over public rate limits).

Basic Examples

1. Create an RPC Client

Typed JSON-RPC with .send() on every method.

import { createSolanaRpc, address } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpc = createSolanaRpc("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
const slot = await rpc.getSlot().send();
console.log(slot);

createSolanaRpc returns a tree-shakable client - import only what you use.
Every RPC call ends with .send() for explicit network I/O.
Swap the URL for mainnet-beta when you intend real SOL.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - subscriptions and providers

2. Read an Account Balance

Addresses are branded strings - not byte arrays in app code.

import { createSolanaRpc, address, lamports } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpc = createSolanaRpc(process.env.RPC_URL!);
const owner = address("YOUR_WALLET_PUBKEY");
const { value } = await rpc.getBalance(owner).send();
console.log(Number(value) / 1e9);

address() validates base58 and returns a typed Address.
Balances return Lamports (bigint) - convert carefully for display.
Cache reads in UI; chain state changes every slot.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - HTTP vs WebSocket

3. Generate a Keypair Signer

Server scripts and tests use explicit signers.

import { generateKeyPairSigner } from "@solana/kit";
 
const signer = await generateKeyPairSigner();
console.log(signer.address);

generateKeyPairSigner creates an Ed25519 key usable in transaction messages.
Browser apps should prefer wallet signers, not embedded secret keys.
Persist secrets with chmod 600 and never commit to git.

Related: Keypairs & Signers - CryptoKey and file import

4. Load a Keypair from JSON

Match the solana-keygen array format.

import { createKeyPairSignerFromBytes } from "@solana/kit";
import { readFileSync } from "node:fs";
 
const secret = Uint8Array.from(
  JSON.parse(readFileSync("./dev-wallet.json", "utf8"))
);
const signer = await createKeyPairSignerFromBytes(secret);

The JSON file is a 64-byte secret key array.
Use separate keypairs per cluster (devnet vs mainnet).
In CI, load from environment secrets - not repo files.

Related: Keypairs & Signers - signer traits

5. Fetch Latest Blockhash

Blockhashes expire - refresh per transaction batch.

const { value: blockhash } = await rpc.getLatestBlockhash().send();
console.log(blockhash.blockhash, blockhash.lastValidBlockHeight);

Lifetime is tied to lastValidBlockHeight - stale hashes fail confirmation.
Fetch once per user gesture, not once per page load.
Pair with retry logic on blockhash expiry errors.

Related: Building Transaction Messages - lifetimes

6. Build a Version 0 Message

Functional pipe composes immutable message transforms.

import {
  createTransactionMessage,
  pipe,
  setTransactionMessageFeePayerSigner,
  setTransactionMessageLifetimeUsingBlockhash,
  appendTransactionMessageInstruction,
} from "@solana/kit";
import { getTransferSolInstruction } from "@solana-program/system";
 
const message = pipe(
  createTransactionMessage({ version: 0 }),
  (m) => setTransactionMessageFeePayerSigner(signer, m),
  (m) => setTransactionMessageLifetimeUsingBlockhash(blockhash, m),
  (m) =>
    appendTransactionMessageInstruction(
      getTransferSolInstruction({
        source: signer,
        destination: recipient,
        amount: 10_000_000n,
      }),
      m
    )
);

Version 0 messages support address lookup tables.
Instructions come from @solana-program/* packages, not string program IDs.
Amounts are bigint lamports.

Related: Building Transaction Messages - full pipeline

Intermediate Examples

7. Sign and Send

Signers are resolved from the message, then RPC submits the wire transaction.

import {
  signTransactionMessageWithSigners,
  getSignatureFromTransaction,
  sendAndConfirmTransactionFactory,
} from "@solana/kit";
 
const signed = await signTransactionMessageWithSigners(message);
const signature = getSignatureFromTransaction(signed);
 
const sendAndConfirm = sendAndConfirmTransactionFactory({ rpc, rpcSubscriptions });
await sendAndConfirm(signed, { commitment: "confirmed" });

signTransactionMessageWithSigners collects required signers from the message.
Use WebSocket subscriptions for confirmation when available.
Log signatures for support tickets and explorer links.

Related: Signing & Sending - confirmation strategies

Push updates beat polling for wallet UIs.

import { createSolanaRpcSubscriptions, address } from "@solana/kit";
 
const rpcSubscriptions = createSolanaRpcSubscriptions("wss://api.devnet.solana.com");
const abort = new AbortController();
const notifications = await rpcSubscriptions
  .accountNotifications(address("YOUR_ACCOUNT"), { commitment: "confirmed" })
  .subscribe({ abortSignal: abort.signal });
 
for await (const n of notifications) {
  console.log(n.value.lamports);
}

Always abort subscriptions on unmount.
Use wss:// endpoints - HTTP URLs fail for subscriptions.
Provider tiers differ in subscription caps.

Related: RPC & Subscriptions - subscription types

9. Encode Account Data with Codecs

Kit codecs replace hand-rolled Buffer layouts.

import {
  getU32Encoder,
  getU32Decoder,
  getStructEncoder,
  getStructDecoder,
} from "@solana/kit";
 
const layout = getStructEncoder([["count", getU32Encoder()]]);
const bytes = layout.encode({ count: 42 });
const decoded = getStructDecoder([["count", getU32Decoder()]]).decode(bytes);

Encoders and decoders are separate for tree-shaking.
Pair with Codama-generated layouts for program accounts.
Prefer generated codecs over copy-pasted IDL offsets.

Related: Codecs & Serialization - advanced layouts

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.

@solana/kit Basics

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@solana/kit Basics