---
title: Interacting with Solana
description: Connect to the network and explore blockchain data
---

Before building payment flows, you need to connect to Solana and understand how
to query network data. This guide covers the basics: establishing a connection
and using the RPC methods you'll need for payments using the
[@solana/kit](https://www.npmjs.com/package/@solana/kit) TypeScript SDK and
[Solana CLI](https://solana.com/docs/intro/installation). Additionally, we will
cover the basics of using the [Solana Explorer](https://explorer.solana.com) to
manually verify payments, inspect accounts, and debug issues.

## Connecting to Solana

Solana's RPC API is the primary way to programmatically interact with the
network. Your RPC URL is effectively an API key to the network.

<Callout type="caution" title="Do not use public RPC for production">
  The public endpoints (`api.mainnet-beta.solana.com`, `api.devnet.solana.com`)
  are rate-limited, have no SLA, and are unsuitable for production payment
  flows. Use an [RPC provider](https://solana.com/rpc) to secure a private RPC
  endpoint for production deployments.
</Callout>

For development and testing, you can use rate-limited public endpoints.

Create an RPC client to interact with the network:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
import { createSolanaRpc, createSolanaRpcSubscriptions } from "@solana/kit";

const rpc = createSolanaRpc("https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com");
const rpcSubscriptions = createSolanaRpcSubscriptions(
  "wss://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com"
);
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana config set --url https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com
solana config get # to verify the connection
```

</CodeTabs>

<Callout>
  For development, use devnet (`https://api.devnet.solana.com`) or a local
  validator like [Surfpool](/docs/intro/installation/surfpool-cli-basics).
</Callout>

## Common RPC Methods

Solana's [JSON-RPC API](/docs/rpc) exposes methods to query the network. Here
are the ones you'll use most for payment flows.

### Getting Account Info

All accounts on Solana are addressable by their public key. Use the
[`getAccountInfo`](/docs/rpc/http/getaccountinfo) RPC method to fetch
information about any account. The `getAccountInfo` method returns an
`AccountInfo` object, which contains the account's public key, SOL balance,
data, and some other metadata.

The `data` field is a base64 encoded string of the account's data. You can
encode it to bytes using the `getBase64Codec` method from the `@solana/kit`
package and then decode it to a readable object using the expected codec (if
known) for the account's data (e.g., `getTokenCodec` for token accounts).

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const accountInfo = await rpc
  .getAccountInfo(address("7EcDhSYGxXyscszYEp35KHN8vvw3svAuLKTzXwCFLtV"), {
    encoding: "base64"
  })
  .send();
const dataBytes = getBase64Codec().encode(accountInfo.value.data);
const parsedTokenData = getTokenCodec().decode(dataBytes);

console.log(parsedTokenData);
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana account 7EcDhSYGxXyscszYEp35KHN8vvw3svAuLKTzXwCFLtV
```

</CodeTabs>

### Getting Token Balances

Check a token account's balance using the
[`getTokenAccountBalance`](/docs/rpc/http/gettokenaccountbalance) RPC method:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const balance = await rpc.getTokenAccountBalance(tokenAccountAddress).send();

console.log(balance.value.uiAmount); // Human-readable (e.g., 100.50)
console.log(balance.value.amount); // Base units (e.g., "100500000")
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
spl-token balance --address 7v45FoihixmfocS3LbANUrEGZQKEJ7QQUg8K9jtZd3St
```

</CodeTabs>

### Building Transactions

Every transaction needs a recent blockhash to ensure it is valid (and not
stale). Fetch one before creating a payment transaction using the
[`getLatestBlockhash`](/docs/rpc/http/getlatestblockhash) RPC method:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const { value: latestBlockhash } = await rpc.getLatestBlockhash().send();
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana block-height
```

</CodeTabs>

> Blockhashes expire after ~60 seconds. Fetch a fresh one immediately before
> signing and sending.

### Checking Transaction Status

Verify a transaction settled using the
[`getSignatureStatuses`](/docs/rpc/http/getsignaturestatuses) RPC method:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const status = await rpc.getSignatureStatuses([signature]).send();

const result = status.value[0];
// result.confirmationStatus: "processed" | "confirmed" | "finalized"
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana confirm <SIGNATURE>
# For more details:
solana confirm <SIGNATURE> -v
```

</CodeTabs>

### Getting Transaction Details

Fetch the full details of a confirmed transaction using the
[`getTransaction`](/docs/rpc/http/gettransaction) RPC method:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const transaction = await rpc
  .getTransaction(signature, { maxSupportedTransactionVersion: 0 })
  .send();
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana transaction-history <ADDRESS> --limit 1 -v
# Or decode a specific transaction:
solana confirm <SIGNATURE> -v
```

</CodeTabs>

### Transaction History

Get recent transactions for an address using the
[`getSignaturesForAddress`](/docs/rpc/http/getsignaturesforaddress) RPC method:

<CodeTabs storage="kit-cli">

```ts !! title="Kit"
const signatures = await rpc
  .getSignaturesForAddress(walletAddress, { limit: 10 })
  .send();
```

```bash !! title="CLI"
solana transaction-history <ADDRESS> --limit 10
```

</CodeTabs>

> For comprehensive payment monitoring, see
> [Accept Payments](/docs/payments/accept-payments) which covers webhooks and
> real-time transaction detection.

## Exploring Public Data

Solana's public ledger means every transaction, token account, and mint is fully
auditable. Block explorers let you manually verify payments, inspect accounts,
and debug issues without writing code.

**What you can look up:**

- Verify a payment settled
- Inspect token account balances
- Debug failed transactions
- Look up mint details (supply, decimals, authority)

**Common explorers:** [Solana Explorer](https://explorer.solana.com),
[SolanaFM](https://solana.fm), [Solscan](https://solscan.io),
[Orb](https://www.orbmarkets.io/)

**Example links:**

- [USDC Token Mint](https://explorer.solana.com/address/EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v)
  — Supply, markets, holders, and transactions for USDC
- [USDC Token Transfer](https://explorer.solana.com/tx/3d2mQChCbqM5iogAN5PZw7KGZuVtQq3LbwU8hk55u4iUvYH1XJ7SQVQpWwoZj43MtthBqGBoqGBe9fn4Bo1VznjG)
  — Details of a USDC payment transaction
- [USDG Token Account](https://explorer.solana.com/address/7v45FoihixmfocS3LbANUrEGZQKEJ7QQUg8K9jtZd3St)
  — A user's USDG balance and transaction history