A Metaplex program that wraps Candy Machine with configurable access control guards for NFT minting. Guards include allowlist (Merkle proof), mint limit (per wallet), start/end date, sol payment, token payment, NFT gate, freeze (lock minted NFTs), and more. Multiple guards can be combined and organized into groups, allowing different mint phases (e.g., allowlist phase, then public mint) within a single launch.
Start with the shortest useful explanation before going deeper.
A Metaplex program that wraps Candy Machine with configurable access control guards for NFT minting. Guards include allowlist (Merkle proof), mint limit (per wallet), start/end date, sol payment, token payment, NFT gate, freeze (lock minted NFTs), and more. Multiple guards can be combined and organized into groups, allowing different mint phases (e.g., allowlist phase, then public mint) within a single launch.
Use the quick analogy first so the term is easier to reason about when you meet it in code, docs, or prompts.
Think of it as a building block that connects one definition to the larger Solana system around it.
Place the term inside its Solana layer so the definition is easier to reason about.
SPL assets, token standards, metadata, and NFT primitives.
Turn the term from vocabulary into something operational for product and engineering work.
This term unlocks adjacent concepts quickly, so it works best when you treat it as a junction instead of an isolated definition.
Use this compact block when you want to give an agent or assistant grounded context without dumping the entire page.
Candy Guard (candy-guard) Category: Token Ecosystem Definition: A Metaplex program that wraps Candy Machine with configurable access control guards for NFT minting. Guards include allowlist (Merkle proof), mint limit (per wallet), start/end date, sol payment, token payment, NFT gate, freeze (lock minted NFTs), and more. Multiple guards can be combined and organized into groups, allowing different mint phases (e.g., allowlist phase, then public mint) within a single launch. Related: Candy Machine, NFT (Non-Fungible Token)
Use glossary context, relationships, mental models, and builder paths to get structured answers instead of generic chat output.
Optional: paste Anchor, Solana, or Rust code so the Copilot can map primitives back to glossary terms.
The Copilot will answer using the current term, related concepts, mental models, and the surrounding glossary graph.
These branches show which concepts this term touches directly and what sits one layer beyond them.
Metaplex's on-chain program for creating and managing NFT minting launches on Solana. Candy Machine handles sequential or random minting from a pre-loaded collection, enforcing supply limits and mint pricing. It supports multiple payment tokens (SOL, SPL tokens) and integrates with Candy Guard for access control. Candy Machine v3 is the current version, widely used for PFP and generative art drops.
A non-fungible token on Solana—an SPL token with 0 decimals, supply of 1, and revoked mint authority. The NFT's metadata (image, attributes) is stored off-chain (Arweave/IPFS) linked via the Metaplex metadata account's URI field. NFTs can be standard, compressed (cNFT), programmable (pNFT), or Core assets, each with different trade-offs.
These are the next concepts worth opening if you want this term to make more sense inside a real Solana workflow.
These entries are easy to mix up when you are reading quickly, prompting an LLM, or onboarding into a new layer of Solana.
A Token-2022 extension that protects token accounts from certain actions during CPI. When enabled, it blocks approve, close, and transfer operations via CPI while still allowing them in top-level instructions. This prevents malicious programs from draining or closing token accounts during composable calls.
Metaplex's on-chain program for creating and managing NFT minting launches on Solana. Candy Machine handles sequential or random minting from a pre-loaded collection, enforcing supply limits and mint pricing. It supports multiple payment tokens (SOL, SPL tokens) and integrates with Candy Guard for access control. Candy Machine v3 is the current version, widely used for PFP and generative art drops.
Glossary entries become useful when they are connected. These links are the shortest path to adjacent ideas.
Metaplex's on-chain program for creating and managing NFT minting launches on Solana. Candy Machine handles sequential or random minting from a pre-loaded collection, enforcing supply limits and mint pricing. It supports multiple payment tokens (SOL, SPL tokens) and integrates with Candy Guard for access control. Candy Machine v3 is the current version, widely used for PFP and generative art drops.
A non-fungible token on Solana—an SPL token with 0 decimals, supply of 1, and revoked mint authority. The NFT's metadata (image, attributes) is stored off-chain (Arweave/IPFS) linked via the Metaplex metadata account's URI field. NFTs can be standard, compressed (cNFT), programmable (pNFT), or Core assets, each with different trade-offs.
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 original Solana Program Library token program (TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA) that implements fungible and non-fungible token operations. It manages mints (token definitions) and token accounts (balances). Core instructions include InitializeMint, MintTo, Transfer, Burn, Approve (delegation), and Revoke. All SPL tokens on mainnet before Token-2022 use this program.
Solana Program Library—a collection of on-chain programs and client libraries maintained by Solana Labs. Key SPL programs include Token, Token-2022, Associated Token Account, Memo, Name Service, Stake Pool, and Account Compression. SPL programs are deployed to well-known addresses and serve as the standard building blocks for Solana applications.
The next-generation token program (TokenzQdBNbLqP5VEhdkAS6EPFLC1PHnBqCXEpPxuEb) that extends SPL Token with configurable extensions. Extensions include transfer fees, confidential transfers, transfer hooks, permanent delegate, non-transferable tokens, interest-bearing tokens, metadata, and more. Token-2022 is backwards-compatible with SPL Token for basic operations.
An on-chain account defining a token type. A mint specifies: supply (total minted), decimals (0 for NFTs, 6 for USDC, 9 for most tokens), mint authority (who can mint), and optional freeze authority. Each unique token (USDC, JitoSOL, etc.) has exactly one mint account. Mint address serves as the token's unique identifier.