Solana's built-in testing framework that spins up a lightweight BanksClient runtime to execute programs in an isolated environment without a full validator. Supports adding programs, setting account state, advancing slots/time, and processing transactions. The foundation for most Solana program integration tests.
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Solana's built-in testing framework that spins up a lightweight BanksClient runtime to execute programs in an isolated environment without a full validator. Supports adding programs, setting account state, advancing slots/time, and processing transactions. The foundation for most Solana program integration tests.
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Program Test Framework (solana-program-test) (program-test-framework) Category: Developer Tools Definition: Solana's built-in testing framework that spins up a lightweight BanksClient runtime to execute programs in an isolated environment without a full validator. Supports adding programs, setting account state, advancing slots/time, and processing transactions. The foundation for most Solana program integration tests. Related: solana-program-test, Bankrun (solana-bankrun), LiteSVM
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A Rust testing framework in the solana-sdk that provides a BanksClient for in-process program testing. Programs are loaded directly into a test Bank without a network. Supports adding accounts, advancing clock, and processing transactions. Slower than LiteSVM/Bankrun but provides the most accurate runtime behavior for Rust-only test suites.
A fast Solana testing framework (solana-bankrun for TypeScript, bankrun for Rust) that runs tests against an in-process Bank without starting a full validator. Bankrun processes transactions ~100x faster than solana-test-validator, supports time warping (advance slots/time), and can load accounts from fixtures or mainnet snapshots.
A lightweight Solana VM for testing Rust programs. LiteSVM provides a minimal SVM environment that executes transactions without the overhead of a full validator. It supports account setup, program deployment, and transaction execution. Faster than solana-program-test and suitable for unit testing individual program instructions.
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The Rust crate (solana-sdk) providing types and utilities for building Solana clients and programs. For on-chain programs, use `solana-program` (no-std compatible subset). For off-chain clients, use `solana-sdk` (full features including keypair generation, transaction signing). The SDK includes types like Pubkey, Instruction, Transaction, and Account.
A Rust testing framework in the solana-sdk that provides a BanksClient for in-process program testing. Programs are loaded directly into a test Bank without a network. Supports adding accounts, advancing clock, and processing transactions. Slower than LiteSVM/Bankrun but provides the most accurate runtime behavior for Rust-only test suites.
The official command-line tool for interacting with Solana clusters. Key commands: `solana balance`, `solana transfer`, `solana program deploy`, `solana config set --url`, `solana airdrop` (devnet). Configuration in `~/.config/solana/cli/config.yml` sets the default cluster URL and keypair path.
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A Rust testing framework in the solana-sdk that provides a BanksClient for in-process program testing. Programs are loaded directly into a test Bank without a network. Supports adding accounts, advancing clock, and processing transactions. Slower than LiteSVM/Bankrun but provides the most accurate runtime behavior for Rust-only test suites.
A fast Solana testing framework (solana-bankrun for TypeScript, bankrun for Rust) that runs tests against an in-process Bank without starting a full validator. Bankrun processes transactions ~100x faster than solana-test-validator, supports time warping (advance slots/time), and can load accounts from fixtures or mainnet snapshots.
A lightweight Solana VM for testing Rust programs. LiteSVM provides a minimal SVM environment that executes transactions without the overhead of a full validator. It supports account setup, program deployment, and transaction execution. Faster than solana-program-test and suitable for unit testing individual program instructions.
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The most popular framework for building Solana programs in Rust. Anchor provides macros (#[program], #[account], #[derive(Accounts)]) that auto-generate boilerplate for account validation, serialization, discriminators, and error handling. It includes a CLI (anchor init/build/test/deploy), IDL generation, and TypeScript client generation. Reduces program code by ~80% compared to native development.
The Anchor macro applied to structs to define on-chain account data layouts. `#[account]` auto-derives Borsh serialization, adds an 8-byte discriminator prefix (SHA-256 of 'account:<Name>'), and implements space calculation. Optional attributes: `#[account(zero_copy)]` for zero-copy deserialization of large accounts.
The Anchor macro that defines the accounts struct for an instruction. Each field specifies an account with validation constraints. Account types include: `Account<'info, T>` (deserialized), `Signer<'info>` (must sign), `Program<'info, T>` (program reference), `SystemAccount<'info>`, and `UncheckedAccount<'info>` (no validation, use carefully).
Declarative validation rules on Anchor account fields. Key constraints: `#[account(mut)]` (writable), `#[account(init, payer=x, space=n)]` (create), `#[account(seeds=[...], bump)]` (PDA validation), `#[account(has_one=field)]` (field equality), `#[account(constraint = expr)]` (custom boolean), `#[account(close=target)]` (close and reclaim rent).