---
title: Rust Programs
description:
  Learn how to develop Solana programs using Rust, including step-by-step
  instructions for creating, building, testing, and deploying smart contracts on
  the Solana blockchain.
h1: Developing Programs in Rust
---

Solana programs are primarily developed using the Rust programming language.
This page focuses on writing Solana programs in Rust without using the Anchor
framework, an approach often referred to as writing "native Rust" programs.

Native Rust development provides developers with direct control over their
Solana programs. However, this approach requires more manual setup and
boilerplate code compared to using the Anchor framework. This method is
recommended for developers who:

- Seek granular control over program logic and optimizations
- Want to learn the underlying concepts before moving to higher-level frameworks

For beginners, we recommend starting with the Anchor framework. See the
[Anchor](https://www.anchor-lang.com/docs) section for more information.

## Prerequisites

For detailed installation instructions, visit the
[installation](/docs/intro/installation) page.

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

- Rust: The programming language for building Solana programs.
- Solana CLI: Command-line tool for Solana development.

## Getting Started

The example below covers the basic steps to create your first Solana program
written in Rust. We'll create a minimal program that prints "Hello, world!" to
the program log.

<Steps>
<Step>

### Create a new Program

First, create a new Rust project using the standard `cargo init` command with
the `--lib` flag.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo init hello_world --lib
```

Navigate to the project directory. You should see the default `src/lib.rs` and
`Cargo.toml` files

```shell title="Terminal"
cd hello_world
```

Next, add the `solana-program` dependency. This is the minimum dependency
required to build a Solana program.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo add solana-program@1.18.26
```

Next, add the following snippet to `Cargo.toml`. If you don't include this
config, the `target/deploy` directory will not be generated when you build the
program.

```toml title="Cargo.toml"
[lib]
crate-type = ["cdylib", "lib"]
```

Your `Cargo.toml` file should look like the following:

```toml title="Cargo.toml"
[package]
name = "hello_world"
version = "0.1.0"
edition = "2021"

[lib]
crate-type = ["cdylib", "lib"]

[dependencies]
solana-program = "1.18.26"
```

Next, replace the contents of `src/lib.rs` with the following code. This is a
minimal Solana program that prints "Hello, world!" to the program log when the
program is invoked.

The `msg!` macro is used in Solana programs to print a message to the program
log.

```rs title="lib.rs"
use solana_program::{
    account_info::AccountInfo, entrypoint, entrypoint::ProgramResult, msg, pubkey::Pubkey,
};

entrypoint!(process_instruction);

pub fn process_instruction(
    _program_id: &Pubkey,
    _accounts: &[AccountInfo],
    _instruction_data: &[u8],
) -> ProgramResult {
    msg!("Hello, world!");
    Ok(())
}
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Build the Program

Next, build the program using the `cargo build-sbf` command.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo build-sbf
```

This command generates a `target/deploy` directory containing two important
files:

1. A `.so` file (e.g., `hello_world.so`): This is the compiled Solana program
   that will be deployed to the network as a "smart contract".
2. A keypair file (e.g., `hello_world-keypair.json`): The public key of this
   keypair is used as the program ID when deploying the program.

To view the program ID, run the following command in your terminal. This command
prints the public key of the keypair at the specified file path:

```shell title="Terminal"
solana address -k ./target/deploy/hello_world-keypair.json
```

Example output:

```
4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Test the Program

Next, test the program using the `solana-program-test` crate. Add the following
dependencies to `Cargo.toml`.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo add solana-program-test@1.18.26 --dev
cargo add solana-sdk@1.18.26 --dev
cargo add tokio --dev
```

Add the following test to `src/lib.rs`, below the program code. This is a test
module that invokes the hello world program.

```rs title="lib.rs"
#[cfg(test)]
mod test {
    use super::*;
    use solana_program_test::*;
    use solana_sdk::{signature::Signer, transaction::Transaction};

    #[tokio::test]
    async fn test_hello_world() {
        let program_id = Pubkey::new_unique();
        let (mut banks_client, payer, recent_blockhash) =
            ProgramTest::new("hello_world", program_id, processor!(process_instruction))
                .start()
                .await;

        // Create the instruction to invoke the program
        let instruction =
            solana_program::instruction::Instruction::new_with_borsh(program_id, &(), vec![]);

        // Add the instruction to a new transaction
        let mut transaction = Transaction::new_with_payer(&[instruction], Some(&payer.pubkey()));
        transaction.sign(&[&payer], recent_blockhash);

        // Process the transaction
        let transaction_result = banks_client.process_transaction(transaction).await;
        assert!(transaction_result.is_ok());
    }
}
```

Run the test using the `cargo test-sbf` command. The program log will display
"Hello, world!".

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo test-sbf
```

Example output:

```shell title="Terminal" {4} /Program log: Hello, world!/
running 1 test
[2024-10-18T21:24:54.889570000Z INFO  solana_program_test] "hello_world" SBF program from /hello_world/target/deploy/hello_world.so, modified 35 seconds, 828 ms, 268 µs and 398 ns ago
[2024-10-18T21:24:54.974294000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM invoke [1]
[2024-10-18T21:24:54.974814000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program log: Hello, world!
[2024-10-18T21:24:54.976848000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM consumed 140 of 200000 compute units
[2024-10-18T21:24:54.976868000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM success
test test::test_hello_world ... ok

test result: ok. 1 passed; 0 failed; 0 ignored; 0 measured; 0 filtered out; finished in 0.13s
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Deploy the Program

Next, deploy the program. When developing locally, we can use the
`solana-test-validator`.

First, configure the Solana CLI to use the local Solana cluster.

```shell title="Terminal"
solana config set -ul
```

Example output:

```
Config File: /.config/solana/cli/config.yml
RPC URL: http://localhost:8899
WebSocket URL: ws://localhost:8900/ (computed)
Keypair Path: /.config/solana/id.json
Commitment: confirmed
```

Open a new terminal and run the `solana-test-validators` command to start the
local validator.

```shell title="Terminal"
solana-test-validator
```

While the test validator is running, run the `solana program deploy` command in
a separate terminal to deploy the program to the local validator.

```shell title="Terminal"
solana program deploy ./target/deploy/hello_world.so
```

Example output:

```
Program Id: 4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz
Signature:
5osMiNMiDZGM7L1e2tPHxU8wdB8gwG8fDnXLg5G7SbhwFz4dHshYgAijk4wSQL5cXiu8z1MMou5kLadAQuHp7ybH
```

You can inspect the program ID and transaction signature on
[Solana Explorer](https://explorer.solana.com/?cluster=custom&customUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8899).
Note that the cluster on Solana Explorer must also be localhost. The "Custom RPC
URL" option on Solana Explorer defaults to `http://localhost:8899`.

</Step>
<Step>

### Invoke the Program

Next, we'll demonstrate how to invoke the program using a Rust client.

First create an `examples` directory and a `client.rs` file.

```shell title="Terminal"
mkdir -p examples
touch examples/client.rs
```

Add the following to `Cargo.toml`.

```toml title="Cargo.toml"
[[example]]
name = "client"
path = "examples/client.rs"
```

Add the `solana-client` dependency.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo add solana-client@1.18.26 --dev
```

Add the following code to `examples/client.rs`. This is a Rust client script
that funds a new keypair to pay for transaction fees and then invokes the hello
world program.

```rs title="example/client.rs"
use solana_client::rpc_client::RpcClient;
use solana_sdk::{
    commitment_config::CommitmentConfig,
    instruction::Instruction,
    pubkey::Pubkey,
    signature::{Keypair, Signer},
    transaction::Transaction,
};
use std::str::FromStr;

#[tokio::main]
async fn main() {
    // Program ID (replace with your actual program ID)
    let program_id = Pubkey::from_str("4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz").unwrap();

    // Connect to the Solana devnet
    let rpc_url = String::from("http://127.0.0.1:8899");
    let client = RpcClient::new_with_commitment(rpc_url, CommitmentConfig::confirmed());

    // Generate a new keypair for the payer
    let payer = Keypair::new();

    // Request airdrop
    let airdrop_amount = 1_000_000_000; // 1 SOL
    let signature = client
        .request_airdrop(&payer.pubkey(), airdrop_amount)
        .expect("Failed to request airdrop");

    // Wait for airdrop confirmation
    loop {
        let confirmed = client.confirm_transaction(&signature).unwrap();
        if confirmed {
            break;
        }
    }

    // Create the instruction
    let instruction = Instruction::new_with_borsh(
        program_id,
        &(),    // Empty instruction data
        vec![], // No accounts needed
    );

    // Add the instruction to new transaction
    let mut transaction = Transaction::new_with_payer(&[instruction], Some(&payer.pubkey()));
    transaction.sign(&[&payer], client.get_latest_blockhash().unwrap());

    // Send and confirm the transaction
    match client.send_and_confirm_transaction(&transaction) {
        Ok(signature) => println!("Transaction Signature: {}", signature),
        Err(err) => eprintln!("Error sending transaction: {}", err),
    }
}
```

Before running the script, replace the program ID in the code snippet above with
the one for your program.

You can get your program ID by running the following command.

```shell title="Terminal"
solana address -k ./target/deploy/hello_world-keypair.json
```

```diff
#[tokio::main]
async fn main() {
-     let program_id = Pubkey::from_str("4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz").unwrap();
+     let program_id = Pubkey::from_str("YOUR_PROGRAM_ID).unwrap();
    }
}
```

Run the client script with the following command.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo run --example client
```

Example output:

```
Transaction Signature: 54TWxKi3Jsi3UTeZbhLGUFX6JQH7TspRJjRRFZ8NFnwG5BXM9udxiX77bAACjKAS9fGnVeEazrXL4SfKrW7xZFYV
```

You can inspect the transaction signature on
[Solana Explorer](https://explorer.solana.com/?cluster=custom&customUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flocalhost%3A8899)
(local cluster) to see "Hello, world!" in the program log.

</Step>
<Step>

### Update the Program

Solana programs can be updated by redeploying to the same program ID. Update the
program in `src/lib.rs` to print "Hello, Solana!" instead of "Hello, world!".

```diff title="lib.rs"
pub fn process_instruction(
    _program_id: &Pubkey,
    _accounts: &[AccountInfo],
    _instruction_data: &[u8],
) -> ProgramResult {
-   msg!("Hello, world!");
+   msg!("Hello, Solana!");
    Ok(())
}
```

Test the updated program by running the `cargo test-sbf` command.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo test-sbf
```

You should see "Hello, Solana!" in the program log.

```shell title="Terminal" {4}
running 1 test
[2024-10-23T19:28:28.842639000Z INFO  solana_program_test] "hello_world" SBF program from /code/misc/delete/hello_world/target/deploy/hello_world.so, modified 4 minutes, 31 seconds, 435 ms, 566 µs and 766 ns ago
[2024-10-23T19:28:28.934854000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM invoke [1]
[2024-10-23T19:28:28.936735000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program log: Hello, Solana!
[2024-10-23T19:28:28.938774000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM consumed 140 of 200000 compute units
[2024-10-23T19:28:28.938793000Z DEBUG solana_runtime::message_processor::stable_log] Program 1111111QLbz7JHiBTspS962RLKV8GndWFwiEaqKM success
test test::test_hello_world ... ok

test result: ok. 1 passed; 0 failed; 0 ignored; 0 measured; 0 filtered out; finished in 0.14s
```

Run the `cargo build-sbf` command to generate an updated `.so` file.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo build-sbf
```

Redeploy the program using the `solana program deploy` command.

```shell title="Terminal"
solana program deploy ./target/deploy/hello_world.so
```

Run the client code again and inspect the transaction signature on Solana
Explorer to see "Hello, Solana!" in the program log.

```shell title="Terminal"
cargo run --example client
```

</Step>
<Step>

### Close the Program

You can close your Solana program to reclaim the SOL allocated to the account.
Closing a program is irreversible, so it should be done with caution.

To close a program, use the `solana program close <PROGRAM_ID>` command. For
example:

```shell title="Terminal"
solana program close 4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz
--bypass-warning
```

Example output:

```
Closed Program Id 4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz, 0.1350588 SOL
reclaimed
```

Note that once a program is closed, its program ID cannot be reused. Attempting
to deploy a program with a previously closed program ID will result in an error.

```
Error: Program 4Ujf5fXfLx2PAwRqcECCLtgDxHKPznoJpa43jUBxFfMz has been closed, use
a new Program Id
```

If you need to redeploy a program with the same source code after closing a
program, you must generate a new program ID. To generate a new keypair for the
program, run the following command:

```shell title="Terminal"
solana-keygen new -o ./target/deploy/hello_world-keypair.json --force
```

Alternatively, you can delete the existing keypair file (e.g.
`./target/deploy/hello_world-keypair.json`) and run `cargo build-sbf` again,
which will generate a new keypair file.

</Step>
</Steps>
