Programming Fundamentals

TypeScript

A statically typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. TypeScript adds type annotations, interfaces, generics, and enums to catch errors at compile time. It is the standard language for Solana client-side development—wallet adapters, dApp frontends, test suites, and SDK interactions (web3.js, Anchor client) are typically written in TypeScript.

IDtypescript

Plain meaning

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A statically typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. TypeScript adds type annotations, interfaces, generics, and enums to catch errors at compile time. It is the standard language for Solana client-side development—wallet adapters, dApp frontends, test suites, and SDK interactions (web3.js, Anchor client) are typically written in TypeScript.

Mental model

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TypeScript (typescript)
Category: Programming Fundamentals
Definition: A statically typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript. TypeScript adds type annotations, interfaces, generics, and enums to catch errors at compile time. It is the standard language for Solana client-side development—wallet adapters, dApp frontends, test suites, and SDK interactions (web3.js, Anchor client) are typically written in TypeScript.
Related: Solana Web3.js, JavaScript
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Concept graph

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Branch

Solana Web3.js

The official JavaScript/TypeScript SDK (@solana/web3.js v1) for building Solana clients. Provides classes: Connection (RPC), PublicKey, Keypair, Transaction, SystemProgram, and more. Used for sending transactions, querying accounts, and subscribing to events. v1 uses a class-based API; v2 (@solana/kit) uses a functional, tree-shakeable design.

Branch

JavaScript

The ubiquitous scripting language for web development, running in browsers and Node.js. JavaScript is dynamically typed and event-driven. Most Solana dApp frontends and scripts use JavaScript/TypeScript with libraries like @solana/web3.js. Node.js enables server-side JS for backend services, indexers, and bot development.

Next concepts to explore

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Developer Tools

Solana Web3.js

The official JavaScript/TypeScript SDK (@solana/web3.js v1) for building Solana clients. Provides classes: Connection (RPC), PublicKey, Keypair, Transaction, SystemProgram, and more. Used for sending transactions, querying accounts, and subscribing to events. v1 uses a class-based API; v2 (@solana/kit) uses a functional, tree-shakeable design.

Programming Fundamentals

JavaScript

The ubiquitous scripting language for web development, running in browsers and Node.js. JavaScript is dynamically typed and event-driven. Most Solana dApp frontends and scripts use JavaScript/TypeScript with libraries like @solana/web3.js. Node.js enables server-side JS for backend services, indexers, and bot development.

Programming Fundamentals

WebAssembly (WASM)

A portable binary instruction format designed as a compilation target for high-level languages, enabling near-native execution speed in web browsers and other environments. While Solana uses SBF (not WASM) for on-chain program execution, WASM is relevant to the ecosystem: some blockchain VMs (Polkadot, NEAR) use WASM, and Solana client-side tools may compile to WASM for browser-based dApps. Anchor IDL clients can run in WASM environments via @solana/web3.js.

Programming Fundamentals

State Machine Replication

Distributed computing pattern where identical copies of a state machine are maintained across multiple nodes. Each node processes the same sequence of inputs deterministically, producing identical outputs. Solana validators are state machines: given the same ledger of transactions, every validator produces the same account state.

Related terms

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Developer Toolssolana-web3js

Solana Web3.js

The official JavaScript/TypeScript SDK (@solana/web3.js v1) for building Solana clients. Provides classes: Connection (RPC), PublicKey, Keypair, Transaction, SystemProgram, and more. Used for sending transactions, querying accounts, and subscribing to events. v1 uses a class-based API; v2 (@solana/kit) uses a functional, tree-shakeable design.

Programming Fundamentalsjavascript

JavaScript

The ubiquitous scripting language for web development, running in browsers and Node.js. JavaScript is dynamically typed and event-driven. Most Solana dApp frontends and scripts use JavaScript/TypeScript with libraries like @solana/web3.js. Node.js enables server-side JS for backend services, indexers, and bot development.

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Programming Fundamentals

Rust

A systems programming language emphasizing memory safety, zero-cost abstractions, and concurrency without a garbage collector. Rust uses an ownership model with borrow checking at compile time to prevent data races and null pointer bugs. It is the primary language for Solana program development (via Anchor or native solana-program crate) and the Agave validator client.

Programming Fundamentals

JavaScript

The ubiquitous scripting language for web development, running in browsers and Node.js. JavaScript is dynamically typed and event-driven. Most Solana dApp frontends and scripts use JavaScript/TypeScript with libraries like @solana/web3.js. Node.js enables server-side JS for backend services, indexers, and bot development.

Programming Fundamentals

Node.js

A JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 engine that enables server-side JavaScript execution. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model. In the Solana ecosystem, Node.js is used for: running Anchor tests (Mocha/Jest), backend services, transaction bots, indexers, and CLI tools. npm/yarn/pnpm manage JavaScript package dependencies.

Programming Fundamentals

API (Application Programming Interface)

A defined interface through which software components communicate. REST APIs use HTTP methods (GET, POST) with JSON payloads. Solana uses JSON-RPC APIs where clients send method calls (getAccountInfo, sendTransaction) to validator nodes. GraphQL APIs (used by some indexers) allow clients to request exactly the data they need in a single query.