What is Solana? A skater's 2-minute version

You'll see "Solana" around Skate Labs. If you just want to skate, you can stop reading after this sentence: you don't need Solana, a wallet or anything crypto to play Global SKATE.

Still curious? Here's the 2-minute version.

What Solana is

Solana is a public blockchain. Think of a blockchain as a shared record book that lots of computers keep in sync. Anyone can read it, and nobody can quietly change what's already written.

Skate Labs is fully on Solana. That's where the optional wallet on the Dash lives, and the wallet really is optional. The game itself is free and doesn't touch it.

Accounts and keypairs

On Solana, your account is controlled by a keypair:

• A public key, which works as your address. It's public, like your handle. Fine to share.
• A private key, which signs your transactions and proves the account is yours. Never share it.

A wallet is basically a collection of keypairs. We go deeper in Do you need a crypto wallet to use Skate Labs?

Fees, in SOL

Every Solana transaction pays a small fee in SOL, Solana's own coin. The base fee is 5,000 lamports per signature, which is 0.000005 SOL. (A lamport is the smallest piece of a SOL.) There's also an optional priority fee that can push a transaction ahead when the network is busy.

You need SOL for fees even when you're sending something other than SOL. We're not going to tell you what that is in dollars, because SOL's price moves.

Explorers: looking things up

Since the record is public, anyone can look up an address and see its transactions using an explorer. On the Dash, you can open your address in Solana Explorer. Looking is free and read-only. More in Reading a Solana address and using an explorer.

One thing to remember

Solana transactions can't be reversed. If you ever do use a wallet, read before you approve anything. Our safety rules are in Wallet safety basics for skaters.

Programs and tokens on Solana

Besides sending SOL, Solana runs programs: small pieces of code that live on the chain and follow their rules the same way every time. Tokens, collections and apps are all built from programs. Every token on Solana is identified by its own address, so two tokens with the same name are still two different things. That's why the name of a token proves nothing, and why the only addresses worth trusting are the ones posted on a project's own website.

Mainnet and devnet

The real Solana network is called mainnet. Developers also use devnet, a practice network where SOL is free and worth nothing, for testing. If someone sends you a link saying something is "only devnet, so it's safe", check which network your wallet is on before approving anything.

Worked example: what a fee looks like

Fees on Solana are counted in lamports, and one SOL is a billion lamports.

• A transaction with one signature pays the base fee of 5,000 lamports, which is 0.000005 SOL.
• A transaction with two signatures pays 5,000 lamports for each one: 10,000 lamports, or 0.00001 SOL.
• If the sender adds a priority fee because the network is busy, that's on top of the base fee.

The fee comes out of the wallet sending the transaction, in SOL, even if what you're sending is something else.

Steps: if you want to look around

1. Play first. None of this is needed for Global SKATE.
2. Set up the Dash wallet only if you're curious. Setup doesn't buy, mint or transfer anything.
3. Copy your address and open it in Solana Explorer from the Dash button. You're just reading.
4. Read before you approve anything, because transactions can't be reversed.

Common mistakes

• Thinking the game needs SOL. It doesn't. The game is free.
• Mixing up the address and the private key. The address is public. The key never leaves you.
• Expecting an undo button. Solana transactions can't be reversed.
• Opening "explorer" links from DMs. Use the button on the Dash.

FAQ

Do I need SOL to play Global SKATE?

No. You don't need Solana, a wallet or anything crypto to play.

Is my Solana address private?

No. It's public, like a handle. Your private key is the secret part.

What's a lamport?

The smallest piece of a SOL. One SOL is a billion lamports.

Can a transaction be undone?

No. Read before you approve.

Quick recap

• Solana is a public blockchain, a shared record book
• Skate Labs is fully on Solana, but the game doesn't need it
• Accounts use keypairs: public address, private key
• Fees are paid in SOL, base fee 5,000 lamports per signature
• Explorers let anyone look things up, read-only
• Transactions can't be undone

Now go skate.

Next: Reading a Solana address and using an explorer

Join the testers at skatelabs.app/testers and play a Game of SKATE with your friends. Global SKATE is free and in testing on iPhone and Android.