Solana Test Validator

During early stage development, it is often convenient to target a cluster with fewer restrictions and more configuration options than the public offerings provide. This is easily achieved with the solana-test-validator binary, which starts a full-featured, single-node cluster on the developer's workstation.

Advantages

No RPC rate-limits
No airdrop limits
Direct on-chain program deployment (--bpf-program ...)
Clone accounts from a public cluster, including programs (--clone ...)
Load accounts from files
Configurable transaction history retention (--limit-ledger-size ...)
Configurable epoch length (--slots-per-epoch ...)
Jump to an arbitrary slot (--warp-slot ...)

Installation

The solana-test-validator binary ships with the Solana CLI Tool Suite. Install before continuing.

Running

First take a look at the configuration options

solana-test-validator --help

Next start the test validator

solana-test-validator

By default, basic status information is printed while the process is running. See Appendix I for details

Ledger location: test-ledger
Log: test-ledger/validator.log
Identity: EPhgPANa5Rh2wa4V2jxt7YbtWa3Uyw4sTeZ13cQjDDB8
Genesis Hash: 4754oPEMhAKy14CZc8GzQUP93CB4ouELyaTs4P8ittYn
Version: 1.6.7
Shred Version: 13286
Gossip Address: 127.0.0.1:1024
TPU Address: 127.0.0.1:1027
JSON RPC URL: http://127.0.0.1:8899
⠈ 00:36:02 | Processed Slot: 5142 | Confirmed Slot: 5142 | Finalized Slot: 5110 | Snapshot Slot: 5100 | Transactions: 5142 | ◎499.974295000

Leave solana-test-validator running in its own terminal. When it is no longer needed, it can be stopped with ctrl-c.

Interacting

Open a new terminal to interact with a running solana-test-validator instance using other binaries from the Solana CLI Tool Suite or your own client software.

Configure the CLI Tool Suite to target a local cluster by default

solana config set --url http://127.0.0.1:8899

Verify the CLI Tool Suite configuration

solana genesis-hash

NOTE: The result should match the Genesis Hash: field in the solana-test-validator status output

Check the wallet balance

solana balance

NOTE: Error: No such file or directory (os error 2) means that the default wallet does not yet exist. Create it with solana-keygen new.
NOTE: If the wallet has a zero SOL balance, airdrop some localnet SOL with solana airdrop 10

Perform a basic transfer transaction

solana transfer EPhgPANa5Rh2wa4V2jxt7YbtWa3Uyw4sTeZ13cQjDDB8 1

Monitor `msg!()` output from on-chain programs

solana logs

NOTE: This command needs to be running when the target transaction is executed. Run it in its own terminal

Appendix I: Status Output

Ledger location: test-ledger

File path of the ledger storage directory. This directory can get large. Store less transaction history with --limit-ledger-size ... or relocate it with --ledger ...

Log: test-ledger/validator.log

File path of the validator text log file. The log can also be streamed by passing --log. Status output is suppressed in this case.

Identity: EPhgPANa5Rh2wa4V2jxt7YbtWa3Uyw4sTeZ13cQjDDB8

The validator's identity in the gossip network

Version: 1.6.7

The software version

Gossip Address: 127.0.0.1:1024
TPU Address: 127.0.0.1:1027
JSON RPC URL: http://127.0.0.1:8899

The network address of the Gossip, Transaction Processing Unit and JSON RPC service, respectively

⠈ 00:36:02 | Processed Slot: 5142 | Confirmed Slot: 5142 | Finalized Slot: 5110 | Snapshot Slot: 5100 | Transactions: 5142 | ◎499.974295000

Session running time, current slot of the three block commitment levels, slot height of the last snapshot, transaction count, voting authority balance

Appendix II: Runtime Features

By default, the test validator runs with all runtime features activated.

You can verify this using the Solana command-line tools:

bash

solana feature status -ul

Since this may not always be desired, especially when testing programs meant for deployment to mainnet, the CLI provides an option to deactivate specific features: