---
title: SOL Transfer
description: Build and send a SOL transfer transaction with litesvm-go
---

The most basic Solana transaction: move SOL from one account to another. This is
a good first test to verify your `litesvm-go` setup works before testing more
complex program logic.

## Full Example

```go
package mytest

import (
    "testing"

    litesvm "github.com/LiteSVM/litesvm-go"
    solana "github.com/gagliardetto/solana-go"
    "github.com/gagliardetto/solana-go/programs/system"
)

func TestSolTransfer(t *testing.T) {
    svm, err := litesvm.New()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    defer svm.Close()

    // Generate payer + recipient.
    priv, err := solana.NewRandomPrivateKey()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    payer := priv.PublicKey()
    recipient := solana.NewWallet().PublicKey()

    // Airdrop SOL to the payer.
    if err := svm.Airdrop(payer, 10_000_000_000); err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }

    // Check initial balance.
    senderInitial, _, err := svm.Balance(payer)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    t.Logf("sender initial: %.3f SOL", float64(senderInitial)/1e9)

    // Build, sign, and encode the transfer.
    blockhash, err := svm.LatestBlockhash()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    ix := system.NewTransferInstruction(1_000_000_000, payer, recipient).Build()
    tx, err := solana.NewTransaction(
        []solana.Instruction{ix},
        blockhash,
        solana.TransactionPayer(payer),
    )
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    if _, err := tx.Sign(func(k solana.PublicKey) *solana.PrivateKey {
        if k.Equals(payer) {
            return &priv
        }
        return nil
    }); err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    txBytes, err := tx.MarshalBinary()
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }

    // Execute the transfer.
    out, err := svm.SendLegacyTransaction(txBytes)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    defer out.Close()

    if !out.IsOk() {
        t.Fatalf("tx failed: %s\nlogs: %v", out.Error(), out.Logs())
    }

    // Check final balances.
    senderFinal, _, err := svm.Balance(payer)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    recipientFinal, _, err := svm.Balance(recipient)
    if err != nil {
        t.Fatal(err)
    }
    t.Logf("sender final:    %.6f SOL", float64(senderFinal)/1e9)
    t.Logf("recipient final: %.3f SOL", float64(recipientFinal)/1e9)
    t.Logf("compute units:   %d", out.ComputeUnits())
    t.Logf("fee:             %d lamports", out.Fee())
}
```

## Expected Output

```
sender initial: 10.000 SOL
sender final:    8.999995 SOL
recipient final: 1.000 SOL
compute units:   150
fee:             5000 lamports
```

<Callout type="info">
  The sender's final balance is slightly less than 9 SOL due to transaction fees
  (5,000 lamports per signature).
</Callout>

This covers the simplest transaction type. For testing with custom programs, see
[Program Testing](/docs/tools/litesvm/go/examples/program-testing). For
time-dependent logic, see
[Time-Based Testing](/docs/tools/litesvm/go/examples/time-based).