THE SHORT VERSION

What is Solana RPC?

RPC is the network interface most applications use to read Solana state and submit transactions. Solana nodes expose a JSON-RPC API over HTTP plus WebSocket subscriptions for real-time updates.

READQuery stateBalances, accounts, blocks, signatures and transaction data.
WRITESubmit transactionsSend signed transactions to the network.
SUBSCRIBEWebSocket updatesListen for account, log and signature changes.
01 · CLUSTERS & ENDPOINTS

Mainnet, Devnet and Testnet are different environments

ClusterTypical use
MainnetLive production activity using real SOL.
DevnetPublic application development and testing with test SOL.
TestnetValidator and network stress testing; may be less stable.

Solana publishes public endpoints for these clusters, but current documentation says the public endpoints are rate-limited and not intended as guaranteed production infrastructure.

02 · COMMITMENT

Processed, confirmed and finalized

RPC commitment describes how finalized the queried state should be. Lower commitment can expose newer state sooner; higher commitment provides stronger confidence that the state will not be rolled back.

FASTEST VIEW

processed

The node's most recent processed state.

STRONGER CONFIDENCE

confirmed

State voted on by a supermajority under the current commitment model.

MOST FINAL

finalized

State the cluster has recognized with maximum lockout.

03 · PUBLIC VS DEDICATED

Why production apps usually need deliberate RPC infrastructure

Public endpoints are excellent for learning and light workloads. Production applications care about rate limits, geographic latency, request capacity, WebSocket stability, monitoring and support.

That does not mean every project needs an expensive provider. It means the RPC layer should be treated as production infrastructure rather than an invisible default.

04 · COMMON METHODS

What applications use RPC for

getBalance / account queriesRead SOL balances or account state.
getLatestBlockhashObtain freshness data for a transaction message.
simulateTransactionPreflight execution and inspect errors or logs.
sendTransactionSubmit a signed transaction to the cluster.
05 · RATE LIMITS & ERRORS

429 and 403 are infrastructure signals

Current cluster documentation notes that public endpoints can return 429 when an IP exceeds rate limits and 403 when access is blocked. Production code should handle backoff and provider failure instead of assuming every request will succeed immediately.

06 · CHOOSING RPC

Evaluate an RPC setup by workload

  • Traffic: request volume, burst behavior and WebSocket subscriptions.
  • Latency: where users and infrastructure are geographically located.
  • Reliability: redundancy, health checks and fallback behavior.
  • Data needs: standard RPC may not replace indexing or historical analytics.
  • Operations: monitoring, support and incident response.
FAQ

Solana RPC questions

Is the public Mainnet RPC free?

A public endpoint is available, but it is rate-limited and current Solana guidance says public endpoints are not intended as guaranteed production infrastructure.

What is the difference between RPC and an explorer?

RPC is an API used by software. An explorer is a human-facing application that retrieves and presents blockchain data, usually through RPC and indexing infrastructure.

Should developers use Devnet?

Yes, Devnet is the public cluster intended for application experimentation and offers test SOL that has no real-world value.

CONTINUE LEARNING

Related Solana Factory guides

FoundationWhat Is Solana?Core concepts, accounts, programs and transactions → ToolingSolana ToolsWallets, RPC, SDKs, explorers and infrastructure → BuildFor DevelopersPrograms, PDAs, CPIs, testing and deployment → ReferenceResourcesOfficial docs, courses, examples and learning paths →
PRIMARY REFERENCES

Sources and further reading

This guide prioritizes current first-party documentation. Network parameters, wallet software and implementation guidance can change, so check primary sources before acting on time-sensitive technical details.

Solana RPC DocumentationHTTP, WebSocket and commitment ↗Clusters and Public RPC EndpointsMainnet, Devnet, Testnet and public endpoint guidance ↗RPC JSON StructuresShared response structures and serialization ↗

Editorial note: Solana Factory is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Solana Foundation, Solana Labs, the Ethereum Foundation or any wallet/provider mentioned. References are descriptive. Nothing on this page is financial advice.