What is Solana (SOL) and How It Works

Solana (SOL) is acquiring popularity in the crypto world for its speed and scalability. It's rapidly gaining ground on established blockchains, grabbing investor interest.

But what exactly is Solana, and what mechanisms underpin its functionality? This guide will delve into Solana’s history, purpose, distinctive points, and investment potential.

History Of Solana

Anatoly Yakovenko, once a Qualcomm executive, formulated the concept for Solana in 2017. A town on the Southern California coast inspired the name. Yakovenko wanted a swifter, more scalable blockchain network to address the limitations of existing ones.

Solana is based in San Francisco, California, at the headquarters of Solana Labs. Solana was launched in March 2020, making a major step in the advancement of blockchain technology.

What Is Solana?

Solana is a blockchain network built for speed and affordability. The purpose of Solana is to stimulate the creation of smart contracts and dApps. This versatility makes it useful for DeFi, NFTs, and more.

Solana is written in Rust language, known for its performance and memory safety. It also supports C/C++ which allows developers to leverage its skillset for the specific tasks within the Solana ecosystem.

Solana operates on its own independent blockchain network with SOL as its native token and infrastructure to power its operations. It functions as a self-contained ecosystem, independent of any other existing blockchain network.

The total supply of Solana is 576 million tokens, but only around 448.7 million are currently circulating. The remaining tokens will be released gradually over time.

Solana doesn't have a fixed maximum supply. Instead, it has a fixed inflation rate that gradually decreases each year. This inflation is currently 8% and it is distributed as a reward to users who stake their SOL tokens.

How Does Solana Work?

Unlike traditional blockchains that usually rely on the Proof-of-Work mechanism, Solana uses another approach. It combines two mechanisms:

• Proof-of-Stake: It lets validators secure the network by putting SOL tokens at stake. These validators are entrusted with adding new blocks to the blockchain and are rewarded for their contribution.
• Proof-of-History: That’s an innovative approach to timestamping transactions. PoH timestamps all events on the network, forming a verifiable record of their orders. It eliminates the need for communications between validators and boosts transaction processing speed.

The mix of these mechanisms is a key factor behind Solana's reputation for superior speed. Of course, it uses other technical aspects that contribute to its efficiency, but PoS and PoH play a critical role.

Solana’s Unique Features

As we’ve already mentioned, Solana shines in its approach to handling transactions. The thing that makes Solana unique is its combination of technologies, primarily its use of the PoH mechanism. It leads to significant boosts in transaction speed and efficiency, allowing Solana to handle a high volume of transactions.

But Solana's capabilities extend beyond just processing transactions. It also offers an opportunity for developers to build a variety of applications:

• DeFi: Developers can build DeFi platforms on the Solana network.
• NFT: Due to its fast speed and low fees, Solana helps in the creation and selling of NFTs.
• Solana Pay: It allows merchants to accept and make direct crypto payments via the Solana network. Payments are typically made in stablecoins, and it allows businesses to bypass hefty processing fees.
• Blockchain Gaming: Solana is optimized to create blockchain games, including Web3 ones. It has even worked with FTX and Forte, the giants of the gaming industry.

How Can You Use Solana?

Solana is a high-speed layer-1 blockchain created to address the limitations of scalability and transaction costs of other blockchains.

There are multiple ways to use SOL tokens. You can use Solana for constructing and operating dApps across fields like finance, gaming, and social media. SOL tokens are used to cover transaction fees, control the network, and staking.

Solana offers a variety of user cases. You can use it to make everyday payments or trade for other cryptocurrencies. It can even function as a saving source, allowing you to earn interest for staking SOL tokens.

To get started with any of these, you’ll need a Solana wallet to store your tokens and interact with the network. A great option for a wallet is Cryptomus, and you can start using it by following these steps:

• Create an account
• Verify your account
• Deposit funds
• Buy SOL tokens
• Store or trade your tokens

For further exploration, we have a relevant article on cryptocurrency use-cases.

Is Solana A Good Investment

Solana can be considered a good investment for its high throughput and low transaction costs. Its transaction speed is a major advantage, bringing it to the point of challenging Ethereum’s dominance.

Another factor to consider is Solana’s growth. Solana's highest market cap was $81.1b, reached in March 2024. This surpassed the previous high of $77.9b set in November 2021 and suggests a strong surge in investor confidence devoted to Solana's potential. However, its market cap still remains much smaller than Ethereum's.

Besides, Solana offers staking that allows you to earn more SOL tokens simply by holding them locked. It adds another layer of further profitable investing in Solana if you believe in the potential of this crypto.

Wanna learn how to stake profitably? We have a guide on Solana staking

Nevertheless, the crypto market still remains a risky and volatile place for managing crypto. Here are several points to keep in mind:

• Market Performance: SOL has experienced significant price changes, so it’s crucial to evaluate historical price data and trends before investing.
• Regulation: The regulatory aspects of crypto are constantly evolving. You should stay informed about all the regulations that could affect Solana’s future.
• Network Outages: Solana has experienced such challenges in the past, and while the network has improved, it’s still a risk to consider.

To recap, we've explored what Solana is and how it functions. It unites PoH and PoS to overcome technical default problems of other networks, providing higher transaction rates, speed, and cost efficiency.

Thanks for reading! What are your thoughts about Solana? Let's discuss in the comments below!