The quickest way to start building on Solana with QuickNode is by sending a JSON-RPC request to your endpoint. In this quickstart, you’ll create an endpoint, copy its provider URL, and make your first request. Code samples are available in cURL as well as popular SDKs and programming languages.

Get Your Solana Endpoint

1

Create a QuickNode account

Sign up here if you haven't already.

2

Go to your dashboard

Open the Endpoints dashboard from the left sidebar menu to manage all your blockchain endpoints

3

Create a new endpoint

Click Create an Endpoint in the top-right corner, select Solana as your blockchain, then select your preferred network

4

Copy your provider URLs

Keep the HTTP URL handy. You'll use it in your requests below.

Learn More about the Dashboard

For a detailed walkthrough of the QuickNode dashboard, check out our guide

Send Your First Request

Your endpoint is ready. Now, let's make your first call to the Solana blockchain. We’ll use the getSlot method, which returns the slot number. Select your preferred language or SDK and follow the steps below to send your first request.

cURL

1

Get Slot

To run the cURL request, open a terminal window and paste the following code to retrieve the current slot.

curl 'YOUR_QUICKNODE_ENDPOINT_URL' \
  -X POST  \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json"  \
  --data '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1, "method":"getSlot"}'

Solana-Web3.js

1

Set up your project

Create a new directory and initialize a Node.js project (assumes Node.js is already installed):

mkdir solana-quickstart
cd solana-quickstart
npm init -y

2

Install Solana Web3.js SDK

Install the Solana JavaScript SDK for blockchain interaction:

npm install --save @solana/web3.js

3

Create your main file

Create an index.js file with the following code:

const web3 = require("@solana/web3.js");

(async () => {
  const solana = new web3.Connection("YOUR_QUICKNODE_ENDPOINT_URL");
  const slot = await solana.getSlot();
  console.log('Current slot:', slot);
})();

4

Run your project

Execute your script to see the current slot number:

node index.js

Solana.py

1

Set up your project

Create a new directory for your Solana Python project:

mkdir solana-python-quickstart
cd solana-python-quickstart

2

Install Solana.py (if not already installed)

Check if solana is installed with `pip list | grep solana`. If not found, install it:

pip install solana cachetools

3

Create and run Python script

Create an app.py file with the following code, then execute it with `python app.py` to retrieve the current slot number:

from solana.rpc.api import Client

solana_client = Client("YOUR_QUICKNODE_ENDPOINT_URL")
slot_response = solana_client.get_slot()
print(f"Current slot: {slot_response.value}")

Solana CLI

1

Get current slot

solana slot --url YOUR_QUICKNODE_ENDPOINT_URL

If you want to continue learning about making API requests, check out our guides and sample apps.

API Overview

Discover supported Solana APIs, networks and their chain configurations

Provider Endpoints

Learn how to set up and configure your Solana RPC endpoints for development and production use

Endpoint Security

Secure your endpoints with authentication, whitelisting, and best security practices.

Error Reference

Reference guide for common Solana RPC error codes and troubleshooting tips

Marketplace Add-ons

Discover powerful add-ons and extensions to enhance your Solana development workflow

Guides

Explore comprehensive Solana development guides, tutorials, and best practices to accelerate your blockchain application development

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