Solana Dictionary 📖

Free tokens sent to your wallet, usually to promote a new project. Think of it like free samples at a food court.

A robot that lets people swap tokens without needing a buyer and seller to match up. It uses a pool of tokens to make trades happen instantly.

How much you earn in a year on your deposit, shown as a percentage. Unlike APY, it doesn't count earning-on-earnings.

Like APR, but it includes compound interest — meaning you earn rewards on top of your rewards. A 10% APY means $100 becomes $110 after a year.

A shared digital notebook that everyone can read but nobody can erase. Every transaction is written down forever, and no single person controls it.

A math formula that sets the price of a token based on how many have been bought. The more people buy, the higher the price goes — like a ride that gets more expensive as seats fill up.

A tool that moves your tokens from one blockchain to another. Like a ferry that carries your stuff between two islands.

A company (like Coinbase or Binance) where you can buy and sell crypto. They hold your tokens for you — convenient, but you don't fully control your keys.

Something valuable you lock up as a safety deposit when borrowing. If you can't pay back, the lender keeps your collateral.

Moving tokens or data between different blockchains. Like sending a letter from one country to another.

Banking without banks. You can lend, borrow, swap, and earn interest using apps on the blockchain — no paperwork, no waiting, open to everyone.

A place to swap tokens directly from your wallet, with no company in the middle. Jupiter and Raydium are popular DEXs on Solana.

A reminder to check things out yourself before putting money in. Don't trust random strangers on the internet — verify everything.

A tiny payment you make to use the blockchain. On Solana, fees are super cheap — usually less than a penny.

The smallest unit of SOL. One SOL = 1 billion lamports. Named after computer scientist Leslie Lamport. Like how one dollar = 100 cents, but way more precise.

A platform where brand-new tokens are released for the first time. Like a launch party for a new product. Examples on Solana include Pump.fun and Raydium LaunchLab.

Borrowing money to make a bigger trade. If you have $10 and use 5x leverage, you trade as if you have $50. Wins are bigger, but so are losses — risky stuff.

When your leveraged trade loses too much, the system automatically closes it and takes your collateral. Game over for that trade.

Staking your SOL but getting a token back (like mSOL or jitoSOL) that you can still use in DeFi. You earn staking rewards AND can keep using your money.

A shared pot of tokens that people deposit so others can trade. Depositors earn fees from every swap. Like putting money in a shared tip jar that pays you back.

The money you put up as a deposit when using leverage. If the trade goes badly, you can lose your margin.

Creating a brand-new token or NFT on the blockchain. Like printing a new trading card for the first time.

A wallet that needs more than one person to approve a transaction. Like a safe that requires two keys to open — great for teams and DAOs.

A one-of-a-kind digital item stored on the blockchain. Could be art, a game item, a ticket, or proof of ownership. Unlike regular tokens, each NFT is unique.

Anything that happens directly on the blockchain, recorded for everyone to see. The opposite is off-chain (happening outside the blockchain).

Actions or data that happen outside the blockchain. Faster and cheaper, but not permanently recorded on-chain.

A way to bet on whether a token's price will go up or down, with leverage, and no expiry date. Popular with advanced traders. High risk.

A secret code that proves you own your wallet. NEVER share it with anyone. If someone gets your private key, they can take everything in your wallet.

Solana's word for a smart contract. It's code that runs on the blockchain and makes apps work — like the rules of a board game that enforce themselves.

Your wallet address that you can share with anyone. It's like your email address — people need it to send you tokens, but they can't steal from you with it.

A scam where a project's creators suddenly take all the money and disappear. Like a magic trick where your money vanishes. Always DYOR.

A trick to steal your money or tokens. Common ones include fake websites, fake airdrops, and people pretending to be support staff. Stay alert.

A list of 12 or 24 words that can recover your entire wallet. Write it down on paper and keep it somewhere safe. Never type it into a website.

The difference between the price you expected and the price you actually got when swapping. Like ordering a $5 coffee but being charged $5.10 because the price changed while you waited.

Code that runs on a blockchain and automatically does what it's programmed to do. On Solana, these are called programs.

Solana's main currency. You need SOL to pay for transactions and interact with apps on Solana. Think of it as the fuel that powers the Solana network.

Locking up your SOL to help secure the network. In return, you earn rewards — like putting money in a savings account that pays you interest.

Trading one token for another. On Solana, you can swap tokens instantly using a DEX like Jupiter.

A digital item on the blockchain. Tokens can be currencies, points, meme coins, or represent ownership of something. SOL is Solana's main token.

Any action on the blockchain — sending tokens, swapping, minting an NFT. Each transaction is recorded forever and costs a tiny fee on Solana.

A computer that helps run the Solana network by checking that transactions are legit. Validators earn rewards for their work, and you can stake your SOL with them.

An app that stores your tokens and lets you interact with the blockchain. Popular Solana wallets include Phantom, Solflare, and Backpack. It's like a digital bank account that only you control.

The rewards or earnings you get from staking, lending, or providing liquidity. Usually shown as APY or APR.