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What is Solana (SOL)?

Solana basic info

Name:Solana
Ticker:
Introduction:

In this article, we will discover about Solana (SOL) - a decentralized blockchain built to enable scalable, user-friendly apps for the world.

What is Solana (SOL)?

Solana is a next-generation internet platform (Web 3.0) structured as a publicly traded blockchain-based crypto network. Solana’s open-source software network coordinates decentralized computers across the globe into a fully unified, user-owned, and operated cloud platform. Solana supports high-speed and low-cost transactions on a single-layer blockchain alleviating the need for additional scaling solutions that other networks typically require.

Founded in 2017 by Anatoly Yakovenko from Solana Labs, the Solana blockchain adopts a new method of verifying transactions. Bitcoin, Ethereum, and many other projects suffer from scalability and speed issues. Using a method known as Proof of History (PoH), the Solana blockchain can handle thousands of transactions per second.

How does Solana (SOL) work?

Solana is a third-generation, Proof of Stake blockchain. It has implemented a unique way of creating a trustless system for determining the time of a transaction called Proof of History.

Keeping track of the order of transactions is hugely vital for cryptocurrencies. Bitcoin does this by bundling transactions into blocks with a single timestamp. Each node has to validate these blocks in consensus with other nodes. This process adds a significant waiting time for nodes to confirm a block across the network. Solana instead takes a different approach. Let’s take a closer look.

Introduction image 0

Transaction flow through the Solana network: Source: Cointelegraph

Solana’s core innovation: Proof of History

While the Solana blockchain contains a number of innovations that power its greater scalability compared to other blockchains at present, the big breakthrough at the heart of the Solana blockchain is a consensus mechanism known as ‘proof-of-history’ (PoH).

Conventionally, the primary means of reaching consensus on blockchains has been known as ‘proof-of-work’ (PoW), where members of the network (miners) expend effort solving arbitrary mathematical puzzles to process and validate transactions on the blockchain.

This is the consensus mechanism utilized in Bitcoin and Ethereum (historically), and has been criticized for being energy inefficient, expensive, and not scalable.

In response to the challenges of PoW, many blockchains have moved to a new consensus mechanism known as proof-of-stake (PoS), which requires users to lock up cryptocurrency assets to become validators in the network.

These validators are responsible for the same actions as miners in the PoW mechanism, with the added advantage of greater energy efficiency (since less computational power is required) and lower barriers to entry, with reduced hardware requirements necessary for validators to participate in the network. Notably, Ethereum is moving to PoS as part of its move to Eth2.

While both PoW and PoS rely on sequential production of blocks that require confirmation across their respective networks before moving forward (i.e., different nodes need to interact with each other to establish time and order of events), Solana’s PoH breaks this sequential mechanism via the concept of a historical record.

Introduction image 1

Proof of History Infographic / Image Credit: Solana Labs

In simple terms, the Solana network essentially chains messages together to create a proof of the relative order and time of each message in the historical record.

This ‘cryptographic timestamp’ establishes the relative order and time of each message in the historical record, which allows Solana validators to verify these proofs in any order, creating superior throughput and efficiency in the network.

This core innovation powers the ability of the Solana network to handle 50,000 transactions per second with 400 millisecond block times, which is currently unparalleled in the blockchain.

What is The Native Token of The Solana Network?

SOL is the native token of the Solana network and represents a piece of ownership in the ecosystem. SOL was launched in March 2020 and has strived to become one of the top 10 cryptocurrencies entering the space by means of total market capitalization. The SOL token is utilized for (i) powering Decentralized Applications (dApps), (ii) making payments, (iii) paying network fees, (iv) providing network security via staking, and (v) facilitating network governance.

SOL token operation scheme is similar to that used in the Ethereum blockchain. Even though they function similarly, Solana token holders stake the token in order to validate transactions through the PoS consensus mechanism. Furthermore, the Solana token is used to receive rewards and pay transaction fees while also SOL enabling users to participate in governance.

SOL uses the SPL protocol. SPL is the token standard of the Solana blockchain, similar to ERC20 on Ethereum. The SOL token has two main use cases:

  1. Paying for transaction fees incurred when using the network or smart contracts.

  2. Staking tokens as part of the Proof of Stake consensus mechanism.

DApps building on Solana is also creating new SOL use cases. For example, Chainvote is creating a (decentralized finance) Defi voting app for corporate governance using SOL tokens to vote. Solana’s price saw an almost 30 times increase in the first two quarters of 2021, making it a popular pick with investors and speculators.

Introduction image 2

Solana Ecosystem Overview / Image Credit: @Solanians_ (Twitter)



Rapid Growth With White Space for Further Mainstream Adoption

As Solana has increasingly demonstrated its value proposition to developers, the number of protocols running on it has grown significantly, with a total of 302 at the time of writing (compared to 47 in May last year).

However, this still lags behind other blockchains such as Ethereum, which has over 3,000 decentralized applications in its network.

Popular decentralized applications (Dapps) on Solana include Raydium (leading decentralized exchange in Solana), Mango Markets (cross- margin trading and lending), and SolFarm (yield aggregation).

Introduction image 3

Solana Ecosystem Overview / Image Credit: @Solanians_ (Twitter)

The popularity of new segments such as play-to-earn and NFTs in the cryptocurrency space offers a large white space opportunity for Solana, given the large user bases and high transaction volumes involved.

While the Ethereum network is in the process of upgrading, many users continue to be frustrated by high gas fees and network congestion, particularly at times of ‘peak’ usage, such as during limited NFT releases and NFT gaming events.

As more developers join the ecosystem and build new protocols on Solana, it will be exciting to see how the network develops in comparison with its more mature peers such as Ethereum and BSC. Solana is also one of the most popular Layer 1 blockchains now that is enjoying an L1 Defi Summer 2.0.

How to Buy SOL Tokens?

In 2020, Solana raised its fourth private sale (dubbed a Strategic Sale) and held a public auction sale hosted by CoinList, which brought in another ~$4 million combined. The remaining tokens from the initial SOL supply will go to Solana Labs team members, the Solana Foundation (to help fund development and balance validator voting power), and a "community reserve" (also managed by the Solana Foundation) to fund community initiatives and application developers.

The initial distribution of SOL tokens is as follows:

  • 15.86% to Seed Round investors

  • 2.63 to Founding Sale investors

  • 5.07% to Validator Sale investors

  • 1.84% to Strategic Sale investors

  • 1.6% to Public Auction Sale investors

  • 12.5% to team members

  • 12.5% to the Solana Foundation

  • 38% to the Community reserve fund (managed by the Solana Foundation)

Introduction image 4

Are you looking for a reliable exchange to buy sol from? You can buy and trade Solana (SOL) on Bitget exchange. You can establish an account with this exchange, and then fund the account with fiat by credit card, Apple Pay, and Google pay.

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Current price:
All-time high:$263.83
All-time low:$0.5052

SOL supply and tokenomics

Circulating supply:474,755,260 SOL
Total supply:588,909,534.59 SOL
Max supply:0 SOL
Market cap:$121.85B
Fully diluted market cap:$151.14B
Token allocation:
Community
38.93%
Seed Round
16.23%
Founding Sale
12.92%
Team
12.78%
Foundation
10.46%
Validator Sale
5.18%
Strategic Sale
1.87%
CoinList Auction Sale
1.63%
Tokenomics:

Uniqueness

One of the essential innovations Solana brings to the table is the proof-of-history (PoH) consensus developed by Anatoly Yakovenko. This concept allows for greater scalability of the protocol, which in turn boosts usability.

Solana is known in the cryptocurrency space because of the incredibly short processing times the blockchain offers. Solana’s hybrid protocol allows for significantly decreased validation times for both transaction and smart contract execution. With lightning-fast processing times, Solana has attracted a lot of institutional interest as well.

The Solana protocol is intended to serve both small-time users and enterprise customers alike. One of Solana’s main promises to customers is that they will not be surprised by increased fees and taxes. The protocol is designed in such a way as to have low transaction costs while still guaranteeing scalability and fast processing.

Combined with the longstanding professional expertise creators Anatoly Yakovenko and Greg Fitzgerald bring to the project, Solana is ranked number 7 in the CoinMarketCap ranking as of September 2021.

This came on the back of an impressive bull run, where Solana price gained over 700% since mid-July 2021. The launch of the Degenerate Ape NFT collection sent SOL price to an all-time high (ATH) above $60, and it has been climbing since, largely due to higher developer activity on the Solana ecosystem, greater institutional interest, growing DeFi ecosystem, and the rise of the NFTs and gaming vertical on Solana. Solana price rose to an ATH of $216 on Sept. 9, 2021.

Solana has received much praise for its speed and performance, and has even been tipped as a rival that can compare to Ethereum and challenge the dominant smart contract platform. However, the network has been plagued by repeated outages that have impaired its price and aspirations to be the " Visa of crypto ." Furthermore, its ecosystem is accused of favoring venture capital investors with unfair tokenomics.

Token utility

$SOL is the native asset of the Solana blockchain. It is used for:

  • Staking: Solana is in the process of enabling inflation rewards for staking$SOL in exchange for powering and supporting the network.
  • Transaction fees: users can use$SOL to pay for token transactions and smart-contract executions on the network.
  • Governance:$SOL will be used in governance voting.

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What is the development prospect and future value of SOL?

The market value of SOL currently stands at $121.85B, and its market ranking is #4. The value of SOL is widely recognized by the market. When the bull market comes, the market value of SOL will likely continue to increase.

Moreover, if SOL can play a greater role in practical applications, such as Solana builders fully leveraging the potential of SOL, partnering with more businesses, and increasing its user base, the long-term value of SOL will be significantly enhanced.

What will the price of SOL be in 2025?
Based on SOL's historical price performance prediction model, the price of SOL is projected to reach $309.42 in 2025.
What will the price of SOL be in 2030?
In 2030, the SOL price is expected to change by -4.00%. By the end of 2030, the SOL price is projected to reach $633.72, with a cumulative ROI of +146.41%.
Reminder: Just like all cryptocurrency investments, investors must closely monitor the market performance of SOL and be aware of the associated risks. The world of cryptocurrencies is full of uncertainties, so thorough research and preparation are essential.

Is SOL worth investing or holding? How to buy SOL from a crypto exchange?

If you want to buy SOL, the following information may be helpful for your investment decisions:
In the last seven days, the price of SOL has risen by 8.28%, leading to positive returns for most SOL investors. The market is currently optimistic about the price trend of SOL.
It is important to note that the current price of SOL has retreated by -2.72% from its all-time high. This coin is currently considered low-risk, and its price is likely to reach new all-time highs. However, be mindful of significant pullbacks if the trading volume is huge.
Additionally, it's important to understand that each coin has its own optimal times for buying and selling. The optimal time to invest is dynamic: when a coin is undervalued, it's wise to adopt a buying strategy; when it becomes overvalued, you should decisively sell the coin.
To decide whether SOL is worth investing in, you need to consider various market factors such as the overall trend of the cryptocurrency market, the project's fundamentals, its current market valuation, and whether the current price is suitable for buying. If the project's fundamentals suddenly change or the price becomes excessively high, you should adjust your investment strategy and trading operations accordingly.
Your investment decisions should be based on your own risk tolerance, financial status, market analysis and research, especially the timing of your investments. Correct timing can ensure more reliable returns. Keep in mind that investing in SOL or any cryptocurrency comes with certain risks and uncertainties.
Regardless of your outlook on the development prospects and future trends of SOL, if you want to buy or sell SOL, you can consider Bitget for your trading needs. The best place to buy SOL is an exchange that offers hassle-free and secure transactions, combined with a user-friendly interface and high liquidity. Every day, millions of users choose Bitget as their trusted platform for crypto purchases.
Investing in Solana has never been easier. Simply sign up on Bitget, complete the identity verification process, and make payments using bank transfers, debit cards, or credit cards, all while ensuring security through crypto wallets. This is a widely adopted method to buy Solana. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to buy Solana on Bitget.

How to get Solana through other methods?

Using cash to buy Solana is not the only way to obtain Solana. If you have the time to spare, you can get Solana for free.
Learn how to earn Solana for free through the Learn2Earn promotion.
Earn free Solana by inviting friends to join Bitget's Assist2Earn promotion.
Receive free Solana airdrops by joining ongoing challenges and promotions.
All crypto airdrops and rewards can be converted to Solana through Bitget Convert, Bitget Swap, or spot trading.

What is Solana used for and how to use Solana?

The use case of Solana may expand as the crypto market and the project itself develop. Currently, you can use SOL to achieve the following goals:
Arbitrage by trading SOL: Since SOL is a frequently traded cryptocurrency, the price of SOL is always fluctuating. Earn more SOL by buying low and selling high on the exchange. Bitget spot market provides a variety of SOL trading pairs to fully meet your needs.
Earn by staking SOL: You can also generate income through financial management methods such as staking SOL or lending SOL. Bitget Earn offers a variety of financial products designed to help you earn more income from your SOL.
Send or pay SOL: If you want to give SOL to your friends, a charity, or a fundraiser, or you want to pay someone with SOL, you can quickly and easily send SOL to the recipient through their payment address.
You can also go to the official website of the Solana project to learn more about the use cases of SOL. For example, find out if the project supports the use of within its community or ecology, or if the project allows you to purchase physical or virtual products in .

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