Are you wondering how to acquire testnet SOL using a Solana faucet? If so, you are exactly where you need to be, as this tutorial demonstrates how to do so in no time! In fact, all you need to do is follow the three steps below:
- Acquire a Solana Wallet – Download your preferred wallet extension and set up an account (we will use Phantom for this tutorial).
- Switch to the Solana Testnet – If you are using Phantom, click on the icon at the top left, select ”Developer Settings,” followed by ”Change Network” and ”Testnet”:
- Use the Solana Testnet Faucet – Go to Moralis’ testnet faucet list and select the Solana option. From there, input your wallet address and hit the ”TESTNET” button:
Getting testnet SOL from a Solana faucet does not have to be more challenging than that. If you have any questions, join us throughout this tutorial for a more detailed breakdown of each step!
If you are serious about getting into Solana programming, using the Solana API is a no-brainer. This is one of Moralis’ enterprise-grade Web3 APIs enabling you to fully leverage the power of blockchain technology. To access this programming interface, all you need to do is register for free with Moralis!
Overview
In today’s tutorial, we will show you how to get testnet SOL from a Solana faucet in three steps:
- Acquire a Solana Wallet
- Switch to the Solana Testnet
- Use the Solana Testnet Faucet
By completing the steps above, you can get testnet SOL from a faucet, which you can use in all future Solana development endeavors to pay for transactions. If you are eager for the complete breakdown, click here to jump straight into the tutorial section!
Following the breakdown of getting SOL using a Solana testnet faucet, we will also dive into the ins and outs of faucets themselves. From there, we provide a quick introduction to Solana development, where we explore Moralis’ Solana API in more detail. Lastly, we will dive deeper into the best Solana faucet option.
The Solana API is only one of many development resources offered by Moralis. Another example is the excellent content on the Moralis blog, where you can, for example, check out our articles on Avalanche’s Fuji testnet or learn about BNB faucets! In addition, Moralis’ documentation pages include many informative step-by-step tutorials on utilizing all of Moralis’ APIs. Did you know you can access all these development resources for free? All you need to do is sign up with Moralis, which only takes a couple of seconds, so you have nothing to lose!
How to Get Testnet SOL from a Solana Testnet Faucet
In this section, let’s jump straight into the tutorial showing you how to get SOL using a Solana faucet. Thanks to the trusted alternatives in Moralis’ crypto faucet list, there are no longer any hassles associated with acquiring testnet tokens for any network, including Solana!
If you are unfamiliar with what a Solana faucet is or need to freshen your memory, you can read more about these tools further down in the “Exploring Solana and Faucets” section. Otherwise, join us right here as we show you how to get SOL using a Solana testnet faucet by immediately jumping into the first step!
Step 1: Acquire a Solana Wallet
For the first step, we will briefly show you how to get a Solana wallet. To demonstrate this, we will use the most popular option, Phantom, but you can use any provider you prefer. However, if you opt for another alternative, note that the two initial steps might differ.
First, go to “https://phantom.app/” and click on the ”Download” button:
From there, scroll down to the ”Phantom for Desktop” section and select your browser:
Next, add Phantom as a browser extension:
Once the download finalizes, the following page should open, and you can proceed by selecting ”Create a new wallet”:
From there, add a new password:
Make sure to save your secret recovery phrase:
Once you complete all the steps for setting up the wallet, you should be able to access your account as an extension:
Step 2: Switch to the Solana Testnet
Next, since we are showing you how to get SOL using a Solana faucet, you must switch from the mainnet to the testnet. To do so, start by clicking on the icon in the top left:
Next, go to ”Developer Settings”:
Click on ”Change Network”:
From there, all that remains is selecting the ”Testnet” alternative:
Step 3: Use the Solana Testnet Faucet
Now that you have switched to the Solana testnet in your wallet, the next step is to visit Moralis’ testnet faucet list and click on the Solana option:
Clicking on the Solana “Try Now” button should take you to the following page:
Next, go back to your wallet and fetch your address by first pressing your wallet’s name at the top:
From there, copy your wallet address:
With your address at your disposal, navigate back to the Solana testnet faucet, input your wallet address, and click on the “TESTNET” button:
Once you click on this button, you should receive a success message:
Now that’s it! Congratulations, you have now successfully airdropped testnet SOL to your wallet! To confirm the transaction, navigate back to your wallet, and your balance should have increased by one SOL:
Exploring Solana and Faucets
If you are new to the Web3 development space, you might not be familiar with the term ”faucets.” For this reason, the remainder of the article is dedicated to exploring the ins and outs of these development tools!
Now, to understand what they entail in a Solana context, we will start by exploring the network in further detail. Once you have a better understanding of Solana, we will take a closer look at Solana faucets in particular. Nevertheless, without further ado, let’s progress by answering the ”what is Solana?” question!
What is Solana?
Solana is an open-source, public, and programmable blockchain featuring smart contracts. The network was initially introduced in 2017 by Solana Labs – the organization behind the blockchain. Solana emphasizes speed and scalability. That means the network can process transactions faster than prominent competing networks like Ethereum.
The speed and scalability capabilities of the network are partly an effect of Solana’s hybrid consensus mechanism. Solana combines proof-of-stake (PoS) and proof-of-history (PoH), enabling the network to achieve high transaction speeds while keeping costs to a minimum.
In theory, Solana supports throughput of about 65,000 transactions each second. Moreover, combined with Solana’s efficiency, the network also offers transaction fees below a few cents on the dollar. If you compare this to Ethereum – where fees can be hundreds of dollars – it is not difficult to understand what makes Solana an attractive alternative.
Like most programmable blockchains, Solana has its native token or coin: SOL. The SOL token has two primary purposes. First, it is used to keep the network safe and secure. Second, it is a means to transfer value on the Solana network and pay for transactions.
Along with the mainnet, Solana also features a testnet for Web3 development. However, what exactly is the Solana testnet? If you want to know more about this, follow along as we set out to answer this question in the following section!
What is the Solana Testnet?
To answer the ”what is the Solana testnet?” question, a good starting point is to explore the intricacies of testnets themselves. From there, we can put the puzzle pieces together to understand what they entail in a Solana context! So, what is a testnet?
Testnets are some of the Web3 industry’s most prominent development tools. Testnets mimic their mainnet, acting and performing similarly. As such, they provide a safe and secure environment for testing a project’s performance before committing to a mainnet.
Even though testnets are closely tied to their respective mainnets, they operate on separate ledgers. This means the native tokens on a testnet have no connection to mainnet transactions. As a result, developers can deploy, test, and run projects freely without paying for transactions using mainnet tokens.
Security is also a high priority when developing any decentralized platform. As such, using a testnet also provides the benefit of discovering and investigating any vulnerabilities in projects before a mainnet launch.
So, essentially, the Solana testnet provides these key features when it comes to Solana development. This means Solana developers can use the testnet to stress-test new features on a live cluster focusing on network performance, stability, and validator behavior.
Now, with a better understanding of the Solana testnet, how do you build projects on this network? If you want to learn how to do so, read on as the next section explores the ultimate Solana Web3 development tool!
Building on the Solana Testnet
If you are looking to build Solana-compatible projects, whether it is for mainnet or testnet development, you should check out Moralis’ Solana API. With this application programming interface, you can create Solana-based projects quickly and efficiently!
Accessing and indexing on-chain data from the Solana network has never been easier. In fact, you can query the blockchain network with single API calls and use parsed data directly in your projects. This includes information such as NFT-related data, account information, token balances, and much more! By signing up with Moralis, you can supercharge your development endeavors through the most scalable APIs in Web3.
You should also know about Moralis’ cross-chain capabilities, enabling you to build Web3 projects across multiple chains. This includes Solana, BNB Chain, Polygon, Ethereum, Avalanche, and others. Consequently, any project built using the Solana API can effortlessly be ported to any EVM chain with only minor configurations.
If this sounds exciting and you want to get going with Solana development, make sure to check out Moralis’ Solana API documentation. The docs feature several instructive tutorials on how to utilize this ultimate Solana development tool for future projects!
In combination with Moralis’ Solana API, you also need a few other tools for Solana development. For one, you need a Solana wallet. If you want help finding the right fit, check out the following guide: ”What is a Solana Wallet?”
Along with a wallet, you also need testnet SOL to pay for the transactions on the network during development. Fortunately for you, this is where tools like a Solana testnet faucet enter the equation!
Solana Faucet – What is a Solana Testnet Faucet?
When building projects on the Solana testnet, you are still required to pay for transactions. However, since it is a testnet, it is possible to acquire SOL for free via a Solana faucet. So, what exactly is a Solana testnet faucet?
In short, a Solana testnet faucet is a Web3 development tool programmers can use to acquire a small amount of testnet SOL. SOL faucets are essential for developers as they provide funds to cover the transaction costs on the testnet. As a result, developers do not need to commit any funds themselves, making Solana programming more economically friendly.
A good Solana testnet faucet generally comes as a web-based application. They usually have an input field where you are required to enter your wallet address. From there, you can often get some testnet SOL sent to your wallet with the click of a button!
So, how do you go about finding the best Solana testnet faucet? If you want the answer to this question, join us in the next section as we explore the best SOL faucet option!
Best Solana Faucets Option to Get Testnet SOL
If you are somewhat familiar with Web3 development, you know that it can be challenging to find good faucets. Some faucet providers make it unnecessarily tedious to acquire testnet tokens by requiring tweet verifications or account signups. What’s more, in some instances, bad-faith actors might even be looking to abuse free faucets to gain access to wallet credentials.
Due to this hassle, the team at Moralis had enough and compiled a testnet faucet list. The list is made up of trusted and definitive crypto faucets for Web3 developers. There is no need for you to sign up or enter any personal data when using these faucets. All you need to do is input your wallet address and receive free testnet tokens in no time!
Among the featured alternatives, you can find the best Solana testnet faucet. So, if you are looking to get into Web3 Solana development, check out Moralis’ testnet faucet list immediately!
You can also learn more about the other options by checking out the following articles answering the questions, ”what is a Goerli faucet?” and ”what is a Sepolia faucet?”
Summary – How to Get Testnet SOL from a Solana Faucet
In this tutorial, we taught you how to get testnet SOL from a Solana faucet in three steps:
- Acquire a Solana Wallet
- Switch to the Solana Testnet
- Use the Solana Testnet Faucet
By following the steps above, you can easily get testnet SOL which you can use during your Solana development to pay for transactions!
If you found this tutorial helpful, we recommend checking out more content here at the Moralis Web3 blog. For instance, explore the best Ethereum faucet, learn what a Polygon Mumbai faucet is, or how to convert gwei to ETH.
What’s more, if you want to boost your Web3 development proficiency, enroll in Moralis Academy today! For example, if you are new to the space, check out the following course explaining the fundamentals: ”Blockchain & Bitcoin 101.”
Also, remember to sign up with Moralis if you want to become a blockchain developer. As a member, you gain immediate access to all Moralis tools, enabling you to leverage the power of Web3 technology to its full potential!
