Development Frameworks

Popular frameworks and boilerplates for Solana development

Frameworks simplify Solana development by providing abstractions, boilerplate code, and best practices. Choose the right framework based on your project requirements and development style.

⚓ Anchor Framework

The most popular Solana development framework

Anchor is a framework for Solana's Sealevel runtime providing several convenient developer tools. It removes a lot of the boilerplate associated with writing Solana programs, allowing developers to focus on their business logic.

Features:

Rust macros for reducing boilerplate
IDL generation for TypeScript clients
Built-in testing framework
CLI for project management
Automatic serialization/deserialization

Official Website → Anchor Book → Learn Anchor →

Getting Started with Anchor

# Install Anchor
cargo install --git https://github.com/coral-xyz/anchor avm --locked --force
avm install latest
avm use latest

# Create new project
anchor init my-project
cd my-project

# Build and test
anchor build
anchor test

Frontend Frameworks & Boilerplates

⚛️

Solana dApp Scaffold

By: Solana Labs

Official React + TypeScript scaffold with wallet integration, program interaction, and UI components.

View on GitHub →

🎨

Thuglabs dApp Boilerplate

By: Thuglabs

Modern Next.js boilerplate with Tailwind CSS, wallet adapter, and best practices.

View on GitHub →

⚡

Solana Wallet Adapter

Framework Agnostic

Modular wallet adapter for connecting to multiple Solana wallets.

View on GitHub →

🚀

create-solana-dapp

By: Solana Foundation

CLI tool to quickly scaffold a Solana dApp with your choice of framework.

View on GitHub →

Native Rust Development

Solana Program Library (SPL)

Official Solana Programs

Collection of on-chain programs maintained by Solana Labs. Includes token program, associated token account program, and many other utilities.

View on GitHub →

Native Program Development

Vanilla Rust

Develop programs using only Solana's core Rust crates without any framework. Gives you full control but requires more boilerplate code.

Read Guide →

Testing Frameworks

🧪

Anchor Testing

Built-in testing framework with Anchor using TypeScript/JavaScript.

Read Docs →

🦀

Rust Native Testing

Write tests in Rust using the solana-program-test crate.

Read Docs →

🎯

Bankrun

Fast and lightweight testing framework for Solana programs.

View on GitHub →

⚙️

Solana Test Validator

Local validator for testing programs in a realistic environment.

Read Docs →

Specialized Frameworks

Metaplex

NFT & Digital Assets

Framework and tooling for creating and managing NFTs on Solana. Includes standards for metadata, auctions, and marketplaces.

Read Documentation →

Serum

DeFi & DEX

Decentralized exchange protocol and ecosystem on Solana. Build trading bots, markets, and DeFi applications.

Read Documentation →

Mobile Development

📱

Solana Mobile Stack

SDK and tools for building mobile dApps on Android.

View on GitHub →

🌉

Solana Mobile Wallet Adapter

Connect mobile apps to Solana wallets seamlessly.

View on GitHub →

Choosing the Right Framework

For Beginners:

Start with Anchor - it's the most popular and has great documentation
Use Solana dApp Scaffold for frontend development

For Advanced Developers:

Consider Native Rust for maximum control and optimization
Use SPL programs as building blocks

For Specific Use Cases:

NFTs: Use Metaplex
DeFi/Trading: Use Serum
Mobile: Use Solana Mobile Stack

Additional Resources

Anchor Examples - Official examples repository
Program Examples - Solana Foundation's example programs
Solana Cookbook - Code snippets and patterns
Awesome Solana - Curated list of Solana resources

Need help choosing?

Check out our Anchor Tutorial or explore Developer Tools to complement your framework.