Solana Token Standards: SPL, Token-2022

Solana Token Standards define how fungible tokens, programmable token extensions, and metadata-based digital assets are created and managed across the network.

Compatibility note: Token-2022 extensions, wallet rendering, and developer tooling change over time. Confirm current support in official documentation before selecting a token standard.

Solana has three token standards. SPL Token (Solana Program Library Token) governs all standard fungible tokens. Token-2022, also called the Token Extensions Program, governs programmable fungible tokens with optional built-in behaviors. Metaplex Token Metadata governs NFTs and semi-fungible digital assets. All three are defined not as specification documents but as deployed on-chain programs within the Solana Program Library (SPL), so every token on Solana shares the same underlying infrastructure rather than requiring a separate deployment per project.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Token standards, ecosystem data, and project details described here are subject to change. Always verify current standards with official documentation before making development or investment decisions.

Yes, Solana has its own token standards. They differ from Ethereum's ERC process in a fundamental way: on Solana, a "standard" is an actual deployed on-chain program, not a specification document that developers implement independently.

Solana is a high-performance proof-of-stake blockchain designed for high transaction throughput and low fees. The digital assets it supports fall into two categories. Fungible tokens are interchangeable: one unit is equal to any other unit of the same token (1 USDC equals 1 USDC). Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are unique: each token is distinguishable from all others, even within the same collection. On Solana, both types are implemented through the SPL Token program, but NFTs carry a supply of exactly 1 with zero decimal places, and their uniqueness is enforced through the Metaplex Token Metadata standard.

The table below maps each Solana token standard to its type, primary use case, and Ethereum equivalent.

How Solana Token Standards Differ From Ethereum

Ethereum and Solana take fundamentally different approaches to defining token standards, and that architectural gap shapes every token deployment decision on each chain.

On Ethereum, a token standard like ERC-20 is a specification document: a set of rules that each token developer implements by deploying an independent smart contract. Every ERC-20 token on Ethereum is its own separately deployed contract, containing both the token logic and the token's state. Developers gain flexibility, but each new token requires a full contract deployment with associated gas costs.

The Solana Program Library (SPL) works differently. The SPL is a collection of on-chain programs developed and maintained by Solana Labs and the broader community. It defines Solana's token standards as actual deployed programs rather than specification documents. Solana programs, the equivalent of Ethereum smart contracts, are stateless: they contain logic but store no data internally. All state, including token balances, mint properties, and metadata, lives in separate on-chain accounts. A single SPL Token program can therefore govern every fungible token on Solana, with individual accounts holding each token's data.

Creating a token on Ethereum means deploying new software from scratch. Creating a token on Solana means opening a new data record on a shared operating system that already exists and already handles all the logic.

Solana's fee structure reflects this design. Through Proof of History (PoH), a cryptographic timekeeping mechanism that lets validators agree on transaction sequence without exchanging timestamps, Solana processes approximately 65,000 transactions per second with sub-second finality and fees of approximately $0.001. PoH is not a standalone consensus mechanism; it augments Solana's Proof of Stake layer, called Tower BFT. Because token operations cost fractions of a cent, minting and transferring tokens is economically viable at scales that are not practical on Ethereum's base layer. Token transactions on Solana are processed by the network's validators, who execute on-chain programs and update account state in real time.

Solana programs, including SPL Token and Token-2022, are written in Rust, a systems programming language chosen for performance and memory safety. Both programs were developed by Solana Labs and are maintained as open-source software under the Solana Program Library.

SPL Token: Solana's Core Fungible Token Standard

SPL Token (Solana Program Library Token) is Solana's original fungible token standard: the single shared on-chain program that governs the creation and transfer of every non-native fungible token on Solana. Every major non-SOL token, from USDC to governance tokens to DeFi protocol tokens, uses the SPL Token program.

The shared program model defines SPL Token's architecture. Unlike Ethereum's ERC-20, where each token deploys its own smart contract, every SPL Token on Solana runs through the same on-chain program. The program handles transfers and approvals, along with minting and burning of supply. Individual on-chain accounts store the data specific to each token. When a developer creates a new fungible token, no new program is deployed. Instead, a new data account is created on the existing SPL Token program.

The SPL Token program governs four key properties for each token: total supply, decimal places (divisibility), mint authority (which address can create new tokens), and freeze authority (which address can freeze token accounts). These properties live in a dedicated on-chain structure called a mint account.

The most recognizable SPL Token is USDC, Circle's US dollar stablecoin, which operates as a native SPL Token on Solana for fast, low-cost dollar transfers across Solana's decentralized finance (DeFi) ecosystem. USDC on Solana is an SPL Token; it is not the same contract as USDC on Ethereum, which is an ERC-20. Raydium, a Solana decentralized exchange (DEX), runs on SPL Token, as does Jupiter, a Solana swap aggregator. Solana's DeFi ecosystem, including lending protocols and automated market makers, is built almost entirely on SPL Token, reflecting the standard's depth of adoption.

Anyone can create a token on Solana using the SPL Token program. The process requires initializing a mint account on-chain and specifying the token's supply and decimal places, plus its mint and freeze authorities. It requires a small amount of SOL for transaction fees and account rent, the storage deposit Solana requires to keep accounts active on-chain. Creating a new token account for a first-time recipient costs approximately 0.002 SOL in rent.

SPL Token covers the core needs of most fungible token projects. It has no built-in mechanism for automatic transfer fees, encrypted transfers, or interest accrual. Those capabilities are what motivated Token-2022.

Key Concept: Mint Accounts and Token Accounts on Solana

Key Concept

These two account types are the most commonly misunderstood aspects of Solana's token model. Grasping the distinction is essential to understanding how SPL Token and Token-2022 work.

Mint account: A mint account on Solana is an on-chain data structure that defines the global properties of a specific token, including its total supply, decimal places, mint authority, and freeze authority. Every SPL Token and Token-2022 token has exactly one mint account. Think of it as the master certificate for a token: it records all the rules and the total supply, but it does not hold any tokens itself.

The mint authority is the only entity authorized to issue new tokens. Minting new supply means the mint authority signs a transaction calling the SPL Token program's MintTo instruction, which credits newly created tokens to a destination token account.

Token account: A token account on Solana is a separate on-chain account that holds a specific wallet's balance of a specific token. A single Solana wallet address can hold many token accounts, one for each different token type it holds. On Ethereum, an ERC-20 balance is stored as a mapping inside the token contract itself. On Solana, that balance lives in a dedicated token account, and creating one for a first-time recipient costs approximately 0.002 SOL in rent. If the mint account is the master certificate for a token, a token account is the individual safe-deposit box where a specific wallet's tokens are stored.

A token account is not the same as a wallet address. One wallet can hold dozens of token accounts, one per token type.

Account Type	What It Stores	Who Creates It	Approximate Cost
Mint Account	Token properties: supply, authorities, decimals	Token creator	~0.002 SOL rent
Token Account	A specific wallet's token balance	Sender or recipient	~0.002 SOL rent
Wallet Address	SOL balance and signing keys	User	Free (keypair generation)

For full technical reference, see the official SPL Token documentation.

Token-2022 (Token Extensions Program): Solana's Programmable Token Standard

Token-2022, also called the Token Extensions Program, extends the capabilities of the original SPL Token program by adding a set of optional, composable features called Token Extensions that token creators can activate at mint creation time.

Token-2022 does not replace SPL Token. Both programs run simultaneously on Solana mainnet, and SPL Token remains the dominant standard by total token count and DeFi transaction volume. Token-2022 is a parallel program built for use cases that require capabilities beyond what SPL Token provides. A developer choosing Token-2022 is not migrating away from SPL Token: they are selecting a different on-chain program that offers additional functionality for specific requirements.

One architectural point matters for builders. Token-2022 uses a different on-chain program address from the original SPL Token program. Wallets and DEXes must explicitly support Token-2022's program ID to display and process Token-2022 tokens correctly. As of the time of writing, Token-2022 support is growing across major wallets and protocols but is not yet universal. Builders should verify compatibility with their target platforms before committing to Token-2022. For a structured comparison of when to choose each standard, see the SPL Token vs Token-2022 decision framework below.

The Token Extensions: What Token-2022 Enables

Token Extensions are optional, composable capabilities built into the Token-2022 program that activate when a new token is created. Each one adds a specific programmable behavior without requiring a custom on-chain program. Extensions are chosen at mint creation time and cannot be added or removed afterward.

• Transfer Fee Extension: Enables token creators to configure an automatic fee, specified in basis points, withheld from every transfer. This supports protocol fee or royalty models at the token level.
• Confidential Transfer Extension: Allows transfers where the amount is encrypted on-chain, shielding transaction values from public view while maintaining cryptographic verifiability.
• Interest-Bearing Token Extension: Enables a token to accrue interest over time at a configurable rate, with the displayed balance updating automatically without manual rebasing.
• Transfer Hook Extension: Allows creators to attach a custom on-chain program that executes on every transfer, enabling programmable compliance checks or access-control logic.
• Permanent Delegate Extension: Assigns a permanent authority that can transfer or burn tokens from any holder's account, used for regulatory compliance or controlled asset recovery.
• Non-Transferable Token Extension: Enforces that a token cannot be transferred after minting, used for soulbound tokens and identity credentials.
• Metadata Extension: Allows token metadata such as name and symbol, plus a URI, to be stored directly in the mint account, removing the need for a separate Metaplex metadata account for tokens that do not require full NFT metadata.
• Additional extensions in the Token-2022 program include the Default Account State Extension, which sets new token accounts to a frozen state by default, and the Immutable Owner Extension, which prevents token account ownership from being reassigned.

Token-2022 was developed by Solana Labs and is maintained as open-source software under the Solana Program Library. For implementation details, see the Token-2022 documentation.

Metaplex Token Metadata: Solana's NFT and Digital Asset Standard

NFT Creators: This Section Is for You

If you are planning to launch an NFT collection on Solana, the relevant standard is the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard. Wallets like Phantom support it natively, marketplaces like Magic Eden are built on it, and Metaplex's Candy Machine protocol is the primary tool for configuring and launching collections. Read this section for orientation, then follow the link to the Candy Machine documentation to begin.

NFTs on Solana run on a standard maintained by the Metaplex Foundation. Every Solana NFT is technically an SPL Token with a supply of exactly 1 and zero decimal places, combined with a Metaplex Metadata account that stores the NFT's image URI and attributes, along with its royalty configuration. Virtually all Solana NFT marketplaces, including Magic Eden, are built on this standard.

The SPL Token program handles the fungibility mechanics: it creates and governs the token object, tracks supply, and processes transfers. What SPL Token does not handle is metadata: the artwork URI, the collection name, the trait attributes, the royalty percentage, and the on-chain verification of collection membership. Metaplex Token Metadata fills that gap.

A Solana NFT works as a two-layer system. The SPL Token layer acts as the authentication certificate: it proves you own exactly 1 unit of a specific token and no one else can hold that same unit. The Metaplex Metadata account is the certificate of authenticity attached to that token: it records the token's name and artwork, along with its attributes and the creator's royalty claim. Collections like Okay Bears, Mad Lads, and DeGods all use this layered structure, with each NFT in the collection backed by an SPL Token and a linked Metaplex Metadata account.

On Ethereum, NFTs are typically governed by the ERC-721 standard, a separate smart contract interface for non-fungible tokens. On Solana, the functional equivalent is achieved by combining SPL Token with Metaplex Token Metadata. Ethereum's ERC-1155 semi-fungible standard has a rough functional equivalent in Metaplex's edition system, which supports both unique NFTs and limited-edition prints within the same collection framework.

The Metaplex Token Metadata Standard includes three key components:

• Token Metadata Program: The core on-chain program that stores and governs NFT metadata and royalties, plus collection structure.
• Master Edition: A record designating a token as a unique original, preventing duplication and enabling limited-edition prints.
• Verified Collection: An on-chain verification mechanism that proves a given NFT belongs to a specific collection, which marketplaces use to display collection membership reliably.

Metaplex's Candy Machine is a commonly used NFT minting protocol on Solana. It is a tool built on top of the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard, not a token standard itself, that enables creators to configure and launch NFT collections with customizable minting rules, allow lists, and pricing mechanics. For a complete walkthrough of launching a collection, refer to the Candy Machine documentation.

Magic Eden, a Solana NFT marketplace, is built on the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard. Every collection listed on Magic Eden uses Metaplex for its metadata and royalties, along with collection verification.

The Metaplex Token Metadata Standard is maintained by the Metaplex Foundation, an independent organization that governs the protocol and its development roadmap. This makes it distinct from Solana Labs, which maintains the SPL Token and Token-2022 programs. Phantom Wallet supports Metaplex NFTs and displays collection metadata and trait attributes directly.

For technical implementation, refer to the Metaplex Token Metadata documentation.

SPL Token vs Token-2022: How to Choose the Right Standard

The key difference between SPL Token and Token-2022 is programmability. SPL Token provides core fungible token functionality such as transfers and supply management, with no optional extensions. Token-2022 adds composable Token Extensions that activate at mint creation, enabling behaviors like automatic transfer fees, encrypted transfers, and interest accrual. Both programs run in parallel on Solana mainnet. Token-2022 does not replace SPL Token.

Choose SPL Token when:

• Maximum wallet and DEX compatibility across the entire Solana ecosystem is required
• No custom transfer behavior, fees, or encrypted amounts are needed
• The project builds on existing DeFi infrastructure where SPL Token is the default
• Broadest possible user reach from day one matters more than programmable extensions

Choose Token-2022 when:

• Transfer fees, interest accrual, confidential transfers, or transfer hooks are required
• The use case involves institutional or regulated token issuance with programmable compliance controls
• Soulbound or non-transferable tokens are needed for credentials or identity
• The team is prepared to verify Token-2022 support across target wallets and DEX integrations

Not every wallet or protocol handles Token-2022 correctly for every extension. Confirm compatibility with your target infrastructure before choosing Token-2022 for a project with broad distribution requirements. For a current view of platform support, see the Ecosystem Support section below.

Solana vs Ethereum: How the Token Standards Compare

Where Ethereum deploys one contract per token, Solana routes every fungible token through a single shared program. The architectural difference shows up most clearly in deployment cost and token creation complexity.

On Ethereum, every token is a separately deployed smart contract containing both the token logic and the token's state. Creating a new ERC-20 token means deploying a complete new contract, with gas costs that can range from tens to hundreds of dollars depending on network conditions. ERC-20 is a standard interface specification, a document defining what functions a compliant contract must implement. On Solana, a single shared program contains all the logic, while individual accounts hold all the state. SPL Token is an actual deployed on-chain program, not a specification. Creating a new SPL Token requires only a mint account, not a new program deployment.

On the NFT side, Ethereum's ERC-721 defines a smart contract interface for non-fungible tokens, and each collection typically deploys its own ERC-721 contract. On Solana, the functional equivalent is the combination of SPL Token and Metaplex Token Metadata, a layered approach rather than a monolithic contract. Metaplex includes on-chain creator verification and royalty configuration that ERC-721 does not provide natively. Ethereum's ERC-1155 semi-fungible standard corresponds roughly to Metaplex's edition system for limited-print NFTs.

Ethereum's advantages are real: it has the largest developer ecosystem, the broadest EVM tooling compatibility, the deepest institutional familiarity, and the widest token standard adoption globally. Solana's shared program model trades that breadth for lower costs, higher throughput, and a token deployment model that is accessible without a dedicated smart contract development budget. Neither approach is universally superior; the right choice depends on the target use case and ecosystem.

Ecosystem Support: Wallets, DEXes, and Real-World Adoption

The tables below map real-world tokens and protocols to their Solana token standards and show wallet compatibility across all three standards. This data reflects the state of the ecosystem at the time of writing. Verify current support status with each platform before making build or deployment decisions.

Solana's DeFi ecosystem, including decentralized exchanges, lending protocols, and stablecoin infrastructure, is built almost entirely on the SPL Token standard. As of the time of writing, Solana's DeFi protocols collectively hold several billion dollars in total value locked (TVL), a figure that reflects the depth of SPL Token's real-world adoption across the network. Raydium and Orca, along with Jupiter, route the majority of Solana trading volume, all operating on SPL Token as their base. Jupiter also supports Token-2022 tokens, making it a practical testing ground for builders evaluating Token-2022 ecosystem reach.

Wallet compatibility (as of the time of writing):

Phantom is a widely used Solana wallet and supports SPL Token, Token-2022, and Metaplex NFTs directly. Solflare is another Solana wallet with Token-2022 support. Not all wallets beyond these two display Token-2022 tokens correctly. Builders targeting broad consumer audiences should verify Token-2022 rendering in every wallet their users are likely to hold.

Token-2022 wallet and DEX support is growing but not universal. For any specific Token Extension, confirm that the wallets and protocols in your target ecosystem have implemented support before launching. Token transactions on Solana, whether a transfer, a mint operation, or an NFT sale, are processed by the network's validators, who execute on-chain programs and update account state in real time.

Frequently Asked Questions About Solana Token Standards

What are the three main Solana token standards?

Solana has three token standards. SPL Token (Solana Program Library Token) is the original standard for fungible tokens: it governs stablecoins, DeFi tokens, and governance tokens across the Solana ecosystem. Token-2022 (the Token Extensions Program) extends SPL Token with optional programmable capabilities for use cases requiring transfer fees, confidential transfers, or interest accrual. Metaplex Token Metadata is the standard governing NFTs, storing artwork, attributes, and royalties on-chain, along with collection structure.

What is the difference between SPL Token and Token-2022?

The key difference between SPL Token and Token-2022 is programmability. SPL Token provides core fungible token functionality such as transfers and supply management, with no optional extensions. Token-2022 adds composable Token Extensions that activate at mint creation, such as automatic transfer fees, encrypted transfer amounts, interest accrual, and non-transferable restrictions. Token-2022 uses a different on-chain program address from SPL Token, so not all wallets and DEXes support it yet. Token-2022 does not replace SPL Token. Both run in parallel on Solana mainnet.

What token standard do Solana NFTs use?

Solana NFTs use the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard. Every Solana NFT is technically an SPL Token with a supply of exactly 1 and zero decimal places, combined with a Metaplex Metadata account that stores the NFT's name, image URI, and royalty configuration, plus its attributes. The Metaplex Foundation maintains this standard. Magic Eden, a Solana NFT marketplace, is built on Metaplex: every collection listed there uses the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard for metadata and collection verification.

Is Token-2022 replacing SPL Token?

No. Token-2022 and SPL Token are parallel programs operating simultaneously on Solana mainnet. SPL Token remains the dominant standard by total token count and DeFi transaction volume. Token-2022 extends Solana's token capabilities for specific use cases, such as institutional-grade tokens with transfer fees or compliance controls, but it does not deprecate or replace the original SPL Token program. Both are actively maintained.

What wallets support Solana token standards?

Phantom supports SPL Token, Token-2022, and Metaplex NFTs directly, making it the most broadly compatible Solana wallet for all three token standards. Solflare supports all three as well, with particularly strong Token-2022 support. Token-2022 compatibility varies across wallets beyond these two. Builders should verify that their target wallets correctly display Token-2022 tokens and handle any specific Token Extensions in use before launching.

What are Token Extensions on Solana?

Token Extensions are optional, composable capabilities built into the Token-2022 program that token creators activate at mint creation. Each extension adds a specific programmable behavior without requiring a custom on-chain program. The main extensions include Transfer Fee (automatic per-transfer fees), Confidential Transfer (encrypted transfer amounts), Interest-Bearing (automatic interest accrual), Transfer Hook (custom logic on every transfer), Permanent Delegate (an authority that can always transfer or burn), and Non-Transferable (soulbound token enforcement). Extensions are set at mint creation and cannot be changed afterward.

Can you create your own token on Solana?

Yes. Creating a token on Solana requires initializing a mint account on the SPL Token or Token-2022 program and specifying the token's supply, decimal places, mint authority, and freeze authority. The process requires a small amount of SOL for transaction fees and account rent. For step-by-step instructions, the official Solana documentation provides a complete guide using the Solana CLI and the @solana/spl-token JavaScript library.

What is a mint account on Solana?

A mint account on Solana is an on-chain data structure that defines the global properties of a specific token, including its total supply, decimal places, mint authority, and freeze authority. Every SPL Token and Token-2022 token has exactly one mint account. Think of it as the master certificate for a token: it records all the rules and the current total supply, but it does not hold any tokens itself. On Ethereum, these properties are baked into the deployed ERC-20 contract; on Solana, they live in this dedicated account type.

What is a token account on Solana?

A token account on Solana is a separate on-chain account that holds a specific wallet's balance of a specific token. A single wallet can hold many token accounts, one per token type. This differs from Ethereum, where an ERC-20 balance is stored as a mapping inside the token contract. Creating a new token account for a first-time recipient requires approximately 0.002 SOL in rent. A token account is not the same as a wallet address: the wallet address identifies the user, while the token account holds the balance for one specific token.

Getting Started: Next Steps for Each Standard

The right next step depends on which standard fits your project. Below are direct paths to the official documentation for each.

Building a fungible token with SPL Token

Start with SPL Token for stablecoins, governance tokens, DeFi assets, and any fungible token that does not require programmable transfer behavior. The official SPL Token documentation covers all program instructions, account structures, and CLI commands. For developers new to Solana's account model, the mint account and token account sections of the documentation are a useful entry point.

Building with Token-2022 and Token Extensions

Begin with the Token-2022 documentation for a full reference on available extensions and their configuration if your project requires transfer fees, confidential transfers, interest accrual, or compliance controls. For a guided developer walkthrough, the Solana Token Extensions getting started guide covers activating and testing extensions in a development environment.

Creating an NFT collection with Metaplex

Go directly to Metaplex documentation for NFT collections and digital art projects. The Metaplex Token Metadata documentation explains how the standard structures metadata and collection verification, along with royalty configuration. To configure and launch a collection, the Candy Machine documentation covers minting rules, allow lists, pricing mechanics, and launch configuration.

Resources and Further Reading

• Official SPL Token documentation: Reference for the SPL Token program covering all instructions, account structures, and CLI examples.
• Token-2022 (Token Extensions Program) documentation: Reference for Token-2022 covering all available extensions and their configuration options.
• Solana Token Extensions getting started guide: Developer walkthrough for building with Token Extensions on the Token-2022 program.
• Metaplex Token Metadata documentation: Full reference for the Metaplex Token Metadata Standard governing Solana NFTs.
• Candy Machine documentation: Metaplex's guide to the Candy Machine NFT minting protocol.
• Solana on-chain programs overview: Explains Solana's program architecture and how on-chain programs differ from Ethereum smart contracts.

Related Solana Technical Guides

• Solana contract addresses and token mints
• Solana SPL tokens
• Solana Confidential Transfers

For market context around SOL itself, consult the SOL price page or the SOL/USDT spot market; these pages do not replace verification of an SPL token's mint address.