The runtime struct passed to programs for each account in an instruction: `AccountInfo { key, is_signer, is_writable, lamports, data, owner, executable, rent_epoch }`. In native programs, the entrypoint receives a slice of AccountInfos. Anchor abstracts this with typed account structs but AccountInfo is available via `to_account_info()`.
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The runtime struct passed to programs for each account in an instruction: `AccountInfo { key, is_signer, is_writable, lamports, data, owner, executable, rent_epoch }`. In native programs, the entrypoint receives a slice of AccountInfos. Anchor abstracts this with typed account structs but AccountInfo is available via `to_account_info()`.
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Think of it as one of the core moving pieces your program reads, writes, or invokes at runtime.
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Accounts, instructions, PDAs, transactions, and execution flow.
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AccountInfo (account-info)
Category: Programming Model
Definition: The runtime struct passed to programs for each account in an instruction: `AccountInfo { key, is_signer, is_writable, lamports, data, owner, executable, rent_epoch }`. In native programs, the entrypoint receives a slice of AccountInfos. Anchor abstracts this with typed account structs but AccountInfo is available via `to_account_info()`.
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The fundamental data storage unit on Solana. Every piece of state is stored in an account identified by a 32-byte public key. Accounts hold a lamport balance, an owner program, a data byte array (up to 10MB), and an executable flag. Only the owning program can modify an account's data, but anyone can credit lamports to it.
Executable code deployed on-chain, equivalent to a smart contract on other blockchains. Programs are stateless—they store no data themselves but read/write data in separate accounts they own. Programs are compiled to SBF bytecode and loaded via the BPF Loader. Every program has a unique Program ID (its account's public key).
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The fundamental data storage unit on Solana. Every piece of state is stored in an account identified by a 32-byte public key. Accounts hold a lamport balance, an owner program, a data byte array (up to 10MB), and an executable flag. Only the owning program can modify an account's data, but anyone can credit lamports to it.
A pubkey with administrative privileges over a resource—such as the mint authority (can mint tokens), freeze authority (can freeze accounts), upgrade authority (can upgrade a program), or the signer authorized to perform operations on a PDA-controlled account. Authority is a convention, not a runtime concept.
The byte array stored in an account that holds program-specific state. Data is typically serialized using Borsh and must be explicitly allocated at account creation. The maximum data size is 10MB. Programs are responsible for defining and managing their own data layout, including discriminators for type identification.
Glossary entries become useful when they are connected. These links are the shortest path to adjacent ideas.
The fundamental data storage unit on Solana. Every piece of state is stored in an account identified by a 32-byte public key. Accounts hold a lamport balance, an owner program, a data byte array (up to 10MB), and an executable flag. Only the owning program can modify an account's data, but anyone can credit lamports to it.
Executable code deployed on-chain, equivalent to a smart contract on other blockchains. Programs are stateless—they store no data themselves but read/write data in separate accounts they own. Programs are compiled to SBF bytecode and loaded via the BPF Loader. Every program has a unique Program ID (its account's public key).
These entries live beside the current term and help the page feel like part of a larger knowledge graph instead of a dead end.
The fundamental data storage unit on Solana. Every piece of state is stored in an account identified by a 32-byte public key. Accounts hold a lamport balance, an owner program, a data byte array (up to 10MB), and an executable flag. Only the owning program can modify an account's data, but anyone can credit lamports to it.
Executable code deployed on-chain, equivalent to a smart contract on other blockchains. Programs are stateless—they store no data themselves but read/write data in separate accounts they own. Programs are compiled to SBF bytecode and loaded via the BPF Loader. Every program has a unique Program ID (its account's public key).
A single operation within a transaction that invokes a program. An instruction specifies: (1) the program ID to call, (2) an array of account metas (pubkey, is_signer, is_writable), and (3) an opaque data byte array. Programs decode the instruction data to determine which operation to perform.
An atomic unit of execution containing one or more instructions, a recent blockhash, and one or more signatures. All instructions in a transaction execute sequentially and atomically—if any instruction fails, the entire transaction reverts. Transactions have a 1,232-byte size limit (matching IPv6 MTU) and a default 200,000 CU budget.