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Solana RPC Endpoints

How to Integrate Solana RPC Endpoints in 5 Minutes

Solana is a high-performance blockchain used for building decentralized applications (dApps) with a focus on speed and scalability. To interact with the Solana blockchain, developers use RPC (Remote Procedure Call) endpoints — gateways that allow querying account balances, sending transactions, accessing blocks, and more.

Instead of running and maintaining your own Solana node — which can be time- and resource-intensive — you can use a shared RPC endpoint from a trusted provider such as NOWNodes. This guide walks you through integrating Solana RPC endpoints into your project in just a few minutes, using the most commonly used methods from the NOWNodes API documentation.

What Is RPC and Why It Matters in Web3

RPC (Remote Procedure Call) is a protocol that allows one program to request a function to be executed in another environment (usually on a remote server or node) — as if it were a local function call. Unlike REST, which is resource-based and uses URL paths and HTTP methods, RPC is function-based: you simply call methods by name, passing parameters in the request body.

RPC is the core communication layer between decentralized applications (dApps) and blockchain nodes. When you fetch a wallet’s balance, submit a transaction, or retrieve a block from the Solana network, you’re making RPC calls under the hood.

Solana’s architecture is built around high-throughput, low-latency operations, and RPC plays a critical role in that. It allows developers to communicate directly with Solana nodes using standardized methods — without needing to manage or synchronize a full blockchain node.

How to get start use Solana RPC endpoints?

To integrate with the Solana network via RPC, you’ll need:

  • An RPC endpoint, such as:
    https://sol.nownodes.io/
  • An HTTP client
  • A Solana wallet address for testing
  • Access to the JSON-RPC methods documented by your provider

All RPC requests are made via HTTP POST to the endpoint, with a JSON body formatted according to the JSON-RPC 2.0 specification.

Key Solana RPC Methods and Their Use Cases

Below is an overview of the most essential Solana RPC methods. Developers frequently use these methods in dApp front-ends, analytics dashboards, wallets, and backend systems.

getBalance

The getBalance method returns the SOL balance of a given wallet address in lamports (1 SOL = 1,000,000,000 lamports).

Use case: Displaying wallet balances in user interfaces, verifying asset availability before sending transactions, or validating user activity.

json{
  "method": "getBalance"
}

getBlock

getBlock retrieves full block data based on a specified slot number. This includes all transactions within the block and metadata such as timestamps and rewards.

Use case: Blockchain explorers, historical data analysis, indexing transactions, validator analytics.

json{
  "method": "getBlock"
}

getSlot

Returns the current slot number in the Solana cluster. The slot acts as a time unit and is critical for syncing and monitoring the network.

Use case: Establishing a consistent view of time across distributed processes, synchronizing transaction logic, real-time monitoring tools.

json{
  "method": "getSlot"
}

getEpochInfo

Returns information about the current epoch, such as the epoch number, total slots, slots remaining, and epoch progress.

Use case: Useful for staking dashboards, validator status pages, or any tool that tracks Solana’s epoch-based cycle.

json{
  "method": "getEpochInfo"
}

getTransaction

getTransaction provides the full result and metadata of a transaction, identified by its signature. This includes logs, inner instructions, status, and post-transaction account states.

Use case: Transaction detail views in wallets or explorers, auditing, debugging transaction execution.

json{
  "method": "getTransaction"
}

getRecentBlockhash

This method returns the most recent blockhash, which is required to sign and send transactions. Without a fresh blockhash, Solana will reject transactions as stale.

Use case: Every time a transaction is constructed and signed, this method must be called to obtain the current blockhash.

json{
  "method": "getRecentBlockhash"
}

Integration Strategy

Using NOWNodes’ methods, a typical Solana dApp or backend system may follow workflows like:

  • On page load, call getBalance to show the user’s SOL balance.
  • When initiating a transaction, use getRecentBlockhash to prepare a valid request.
  • Use getTransaction after submission to confirm finality and status.
  • For analytics, regularly poll getSlot and getBlock to track chain activity.
  • Use getEpochInfo in validator or staking interfaces to monitor epoch cycles.

All these methods work uniformly over HTTPS, and request bodies follow the same pattern — allowing fast onboarding and minimal integration overhead.

Conclusion

Integrating Solana RPC endpoints through shared providers like NOWNodes enables fast and scalable access to blockchain data and transaction functionality. With JSON-RPC 2.0 and HTTP POST requests, developers can efficiently interact with Solana across web, mobile, and backend environments — without running a full node.

For production use, consider monitoring rate limits and latency, or upgrading to dedicated endpoints when needed. But for most projects, especially at early stages, a shared Solana RPC endpoint offers everything required to build and ship quickly.

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