The Solana framework for web3.js version 2 🪁

Kite leverages the speed and elegance of Solana web3.js version 2 but allows you to complete most Solana tasks in a single step. Since Kite uses web3.js version 2 for the heavy lifting, the full features of web3.js version 2 are available. If you decide you no longer need Kite, you can easily remove it and use plain web3.js version 2.

Kite is a web3.js v2 update of @solana-developers/helpers, the most popular high-level library for web3.js version 1, by the original author. The kite package includes updated versions of most of the original helpers, including contributions from Helius, the Solana Foundation, Anza, Turbin3, Unboxed Software, and StarAtlas. The ones we haven't added yet should be there soon.

Kite is for everyone! You don't need to use Helius RPCs to use Kite. However if you do use Helius RPCs, Kite will take advantage of Helius features like priority fee estimates and low-latency transaction confirmation.

Kite works both in the browser and node.js and has minimal dependencies.

Note

This is the first public release of Kite - it has extensive tests, but you should consider it a preview and it may have some bugs. Please report any issues you find.

What can I do with Kite?

Kite includes functions for:

Connecting

• Connect to a Solana cluster

Wallets

• Create a new wallet
• Create multiple wallets
• Load a wallet from a file
• Load a wallet from an environment variable

SOL

• Airdrop SOL if balance is low
• Get a SOL balance
• Transfer SOL between wallets

Tokens

• Create a new token
• Get token account address
• Get token mint information
• Get token account balance
• Mint tokens to a wallet
• Transfer tokens between wallets

Transactions

• Send a transaction from multiple instructions
• Send and confirm a transaction you're already created
• Check if a transaction is confirmed
• Get transaction logs

Explorer

• Get a Solana Explorer link

We'll be adding more functions over time. You're welcome to suggest a new function or read the CONTRIBUTING guidelines and send a PR.

Why the name 'Kite'?

Solana itself is named after a beach. Kite is a high-level framework, so what is high above a beach? Kites! 🪁😃

How do I use Kite with Anchor, or other custom onchain programs?

You can use Kite to interact with any onchain program, including Anchor programs. Just use Codama to turn your program's IDL into a TypeScript client, and then create transactions with the program's instructions.

Installation

npm i @helius-dev/kite

Starting Kite & connecting to an RPC

To start Kite, you need to connect to an RPC.

To use the local cluster (ie, solana-test-validator running on your machine):

import { connect } from "@helius-dev/kite";

const connection = connect();

You can also specify a cluster name. The connection object defaults to localnet but any of the following cluster names are supported: mainnet-beta (or mainnet), testnet, devnet, helius-mainnet, helius-testnet, or helius-devnet.

const connection = connect("helius-devnet");

The Helius names require the environment variable HELIUS_API_KEY to be set in your environment.

You can also specify an arbitrary RPC URL and RPC subscription URL:

const connection = connect("https://mainnet.example.com/", "wss://mainnet.example.com/");

After you've made a connection Kite is ready to use. You don't need to set up any factories, they're already configured. A connection has the following functions ready out of the box:

createWallet - Create a new wallet

Like initializeKeypair from @solana/helpers

Creates a new Solana wallet (more specifically a KeyPairSigner).

If you like, the wallet will have a prefix/suffix of your choice, the wallet will have a SOL balance ready to spend, and the keypair will be saved to a file for you to use later.

Returns: Promise<KeyPairSigner>

const wallet = await connection.createWallet({
  prefix, // optional: prefix for wallet address
  suffix, // optional: suffix for wallet address
  envFileName, // optional: path to .env file to save keypair
  envVariableName, // optional: name of environment variable to store keypair
  airdropAmount, // optional: amount of SOL to airdrop
});

Options

All options are optional:

• prefix: string | null - Prefix for wallet address
• suffix: string | null - Suffix for wallet address
• envFileName: string | null - Path to .env file to save keypair
• envVariableName: string - Name of environment variable to store keypair (default: "PRIVATE_KEY")
• airdropAmount: Lamports | null - Amount of SOL to airdrop (default: 1 SOL)

Examples

Create a basic wallet:

const wallet = await connection.createWallet();

Create a wallet with a specific prefix and suffix:

const wallet = await connection.createWallet({
  prefix: "COOL",
  suffix: "WALLET",
});

Create a wallet and save it to an environment file:

const wallet = await connection.createWallet({
  envFileName: ".env",
  envVariableName: "MY_WALLET_KEY",
});

Create a wallet with a custom airdrop amount:

const wallet = await connection.createWallet({
  airdropAmount: lamports(2n * SOL),
});

loadWalletFromFile - Load a wallet from file

Like getKeypairFromFile from @solana/helpers

Loads a wallet (more specifically a KeyPairSigner) from a file. The file should be in the same format as files created by the solana-keygen command.

Returns: Promise<KeyPairSigner>

const wallet = await connection.loadWalletFromFile(keyPairPath);

Options

• keyPairPath: string - Path to load keypair from file

loadWalletFromEnvironment - Load a wallet from environment

Like getKeypairFromEnvironment from @solana/helpers

Loads a wallet (more specifically a KeyPairSigner) from an environment variable. The keypair should be in the same 'array of numbers' format as used by solana-keygen.

Returns: Promise<KeyPairSigner>

const wallet = await connection.loadWalletFromEnvironment(envVariableName);

Options

• envVariableName: string - Name of environment variable containing the keypair (default: "PRIVATE_KEY")

sendAndConfirmTransaction - Send and confirm a transaction

Like sendTransaction from @solana/helpers

Sends a transaction and waits for confirmation.

Returns: Promise<void>

await connection.sendAndConfirmTransaction(transaction, options);

Options

• transaction: VersionedTransaction - Transaction to send
• options: Object (optional)
  • commitment: Commitment - Desired confirmation level
  • skipPreflight: boolean - Whether to skip preflight transaction checks

getLamportBalance - Get the SOL balance of an account

Gets the SOL balance of an account, in lamports.

Returns: Promise<Lamports>

const balance = await connection.getLamportBalance(address, commitment);

Options

• address: string - Address to check balance for
• commitment: Commitment (optional) - Desired confirmation level (default: "finalized")

getExplorerLink - Get Solana Explorer link

Get a link to view an address, transaction, or token on Solana Explorer. The link will automatically use your RPC.

Returns: string - Explorer URL

Get a link to view an address:

const addressLink = connection.getExplorerLink("address", "GkFTrgp8FcCgkCZeKreKKVHLyzGV6eqBpDHxRzg1brRn");

Get a link to view a transaction:

const transactionLink = connection.getExplorerLink(
  "transaction",
  "5rUQ2tX8bRzB2qJWnrBhHYgHsafpqVZwGwxVrtyYFZXJZs6yBVwerZHGbwsrDHKbRtKpxnWoHKmBgqYXVbU5TrHe",
);

Or if you like abbrieviations:

const transactionLink = connection.getExplorerLink(
  "tx",
  "5rUQ2tX8bRzB2qJWnrBhHYgHsafpqVZwGwxVrtyYFZXJZs6yBVwerZHGbwsrDHKbRtKpxnWoHKmBgqYXVbU5TrHe",
);

Get a link to view a block:

const blockLink = connection.getExplorerLink("block", "180392470");

Options

• linkType: "transaction" | "tx" | "address" | "block" - Type of entity to link to
• id: string - The address, signature, or block to link to

getRecentSignatureConfirmation - Get transaction confirmation status

Checks the confirmation status of a recent transaction.

Returns: Promise<boolean>

const confirmed = await connection.getRecentSignatureConfirmation(signature);

Options

• signature: string - The signature of the transaction to check

airdropIfRequired - Airdrop SOL if balance is low

Like airdropIfRequired from @solana/helpers

Airdrops SOL to an address if its balance is below the specified threshold.

Returns: Promise<string | null> - Transaction signature if airdrop occurred, null if no airdrop was needed

const signature = await connection.airdropIfRequired(address, airdropAmount, minimumBalance);

Options

• address: Address - Address to check balance and potentially airdrop to
• airdropAmount: Lamports - Amount of lamports to airdrop if needed
• minimumBalance: Lamports - Minimum balance threshold that triggers airdrop

getLogs - Get transaction logs

Retrieves logs for a transaction.

Returns: Promise<Array<string>>

const logs = await connection.getLogs(signature);

Options

• signature: string - Transaction signature to get logs for

transferLamports - Transfer SOL between wallets

Transfers SOL from one wallet to another.

Returns: Promise<Signature>

const signature = await connection.transferLamports({
  source,
  destination,
  amount,
  skipPreflight,
  maximumClientSideRetries,
  abortSignal,
});

Options

• source: KeyPairSigner - The wallet to send SOL from
• destination: Address - The wallet to send SOL to
• amount: Lamports - Amount of lamports to send
• skipPreflight: boolean (optional) - Whether to skip preflight checks (default: true)
• maximumClientSideRetries: number (optional) - Maximum number of times to retry sending the transaction (default: 0)
• abortSignal: AbortSignal | null (optional) - Signal to abort the transaction (default: null)

createTokenMint - Create a new token with metadata

Creates a new SPL token mint with specified parameters.

Returns: Promise<Address>

Options

• mintAuthority: KeyPairSigner - Authority that can mint new tokens
• decimals: number - Number of decimal places for the token
• name: string - Name of the token
• symbol: string - Symbol of the token
• uri: string - URI pointing to the token's metadata (eg: "https://arweave.net/abc123")
• additionalMetadata: Record<string, string> | Map<string, string> (optional) - Additional metadata fields

Examples

Create a token with additional metadata:

const mintAddress = await connection.createTokenMint(
  mintAuthority,
  6,
  "My token",
  "MTKN",
  "https://example.com/metadata.json",
  {
    description: "A stablecoin pegged to the US dollar",
    website: "https://example.com",
  },
);

A metadata.json file, and any images inside, should be hosted at an decentralized storage service. The file itself is at minimum:

{
  "image": "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/solana-developers/opos-asset/main/assets/CompressedCoil/image.png"
}

Images should be square, and either 512x512 or 1024x1024 pixels, and less than 100kb if possible.

getTokenAccountAddress - Get token account address

Gets the associated token account address for a given wallet and token mint.

Returns: Promise<Address>

const tokenAccountAddress = await connection.getTokenAccountAddress(wallet, mint, useTokenExtensions);

Options

• wallet: Address - The wallet address to get the token account for
• mint: Address - The token mint address
• useTokenExtensions: boolean (optional) - Whether to use Token Extensions program (default: false)

Example

Get a token account address for a token made with the classic token program:

const tokenAccountAddress = await connection.getTokenAccountAddress(
  "GkFTrgp8FcCgkCZeKreKKVHLyzGV6eqBpDHxRzg1brRn",
  "EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v",
);

Get a token account address for a Token Extensions token:

const tokenAccountAddress = await connection.getTokenAccountAddress(
  "GkFTrgp8FcCgkCZeKreKKVHLyzGV6eqBpDHxRzg1brRn",
  "EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v",
  true,
);

mintTokens - Mint tokens to an account

Mints tokens from a token mint to a destination account. The mint authority must sign the transaction.

Returns: Promise<Signature>

const signature = await connection.mintTokens(
  mintAddress, // address of the token mint
  mintAuthority, // signer with authority to mint tokens
  amount, // amount of tokens to mint
  destination, // address to receive the tokens
);

Options

• mintAddress: Address - Address of the token mint
• mintAuthority: KeyPairSigner - Signer with authority to mint tokens
• amount: bigint - Amount of tokens to mint (in base units)
• destination: Address - Address to receive the minted tokens

Example

// Create a new token mint
const mintAuthority = await connection.createWallet({
  airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
});

const mintAddress = await connection.createTokenMint(
  mintAuthority,
  9, // decimals
  "My Token",
  "TKN",
  "https://example.com/token.json",
);

// Mint 100 tokens to the mint authority's account
const signature = await connection.mintTokens(mintAddress, mintAuthority, 100n, mintAuthority.address);

transferTokens - Transfer tokens between accounts

Transfers tokens from one account to another. The sender must sign the transaction.

Returns: Promise<Signature>

const signature = await connection.transferTokens({
  sender,
  destination,
  mintAddress,
  amount,
  maximumClientSideRetries,
  abortSignal,
});

Options

• sender: KeyPairSigner - Signer that owns the tokens and will sign the transaction
• destination: Address - Address to receive the tokens
• mintAddress: Address - Address of the token mint
• amount: bigint - Amount of tokens to transfer (in base units)
• maximumClientSideRetries: number (optional) - Maximum number of times to retry sending the transaction (default: 0)
• abortSignal: AbortSignal | null (optional) - Signal to abort the transaction (default: null)

Example

// Create wallets for sender and recipient
const [sender, recipient] = await Promise.all([
  connection.createWallet({
    airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
  }),
  connection.createWallet({
    airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
  }),
]);

// Create a new token mint
const mintAddress = await connection.createTokenMint(
  sender, // sender will be the mint authority
  9, // decimals
  "My Token",
  "TKN",
  "https://example.com/token.json",
);

// Mint some tokens to the sender's account
await connection.mintTokens(mintAddress, sender, 100n, sender.address);

// Transfer 50 tokens from sender to recipient with retries
const signature = await connection.transferTokens({
  sender,
  destination: recipient.address,
  mintAddress,
  amount: 50n,
  maximumClientSideRetries: 3,
});

sendTransactionFromInstructions - Send a transaction with multiple instructions

Like sendTransactionWithSigners from @solana/helpers

Sends a transaction containing one or more instructions. The transaction will be signed by the fee payer.

Returns: Promise<Signature>

const signature = await connection.sendTransactionFromInstructions({
  feePayer,
  instructions,
  commitment,
  skipPreflight,
  maximumClientSideRetries,
  abortSignal,
});

Options

• feePayer: KeyPairSigner - The account that will pay for the transaction
• instructions: Array<IInstruction> - Array of instructions to include in the transaction
• commitment: "confirmed" | "finalized" (optional) - Desired confirmation level (default: "confirmed")
• skipPreflight: boolean (optional) - Whether to skip preflight transaction checks (default: true)
• maximumClientSideRetries: number (optional) - Maximum number of times to retry sending the transaction (default: 0)
• abortSignal: AbortSignal | null (optional) - Signal to abort the transaction (default: null)

Example

Here's an example of sending a transaction with a SOL transfer instruction:

const feePayer = await connection.createWallet({
  airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL)
});

const recipient = await generateKeyPairSigner();

// Create an instruction to transfer SOL
const transferInstruction = getTransferSolInstruction({
  amount: lamports(0.1n * SOL),
  destination: recipient.address,
  source: feePayer
});

// Send the transaction with the transfer instruction
const signature = await connection.sendTransactionFromInstructions({
  feePayer,
  instructions: [transferInstruction],
  maximumClientSideRetries: 3 // retry up to 3 times if the transaction fails
});

You can also send multiple instructions in a single transaction:

// Create instructions to transfer SOL to multiple recipients
const transferInstructions = recipients.map(recipient =>
  getTransferSolInstruction({
    amount: lamports(0.1n * SOL),
    destination: recipient.address,
    source: feePayer
  })
);

// Send all transfers in one transaction
const signature = await connection.sendTransactionFromInstructions({
  feePayer,
  instructions: transferInstructions,
  commitment: "confirmed",
  skipPreflight: true
});

The function will automatically:

• Get a recent blockhash
• Set the fee payer
• Add compute budget instructions if needed
• Sign the transaction with the fee payer
• Send and confirm the transaction
• Retry the transaction if requested and needed

getMint - Get token mint information

Gets information about a token mint, including its decimals, authority, and supply.

Returns: Promise<Mint | null>

const mint = await connection.getMint(mintAddress, commitment);

Options

• mintAddress: Address - Address of the token mint to get information for
• commitment: Commitment (optional) - Desired confirmation level (default: "confirmed")

Example

// Get information about the USDC mint
const usdcMint = await connection.getMint("EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v");

if (usdcMint) {
  console.log(`Decimals: ${usdcMint.data.decimals}`);
  console.log(`Mint authority: ${usdcMint.data.mintAuthority}`);
  console.log(`Supply: ${usdcMint.data.supply}`);
}

The mint information includes:

• decimals: Number of decimal places for the token
• mintAuthority: Public key of the account allowed to mint new tokens
• supply: Current total supply of the token
• Other metadata if the token uses Token Extensions

createWallets - Create multiple wallets

Like makeWallets from @solana/helpers

Creates multiple Solana wallets with the same options. Returns an array of wallet promises that can be awaited in parallel.

Returns: Array<Promise<KeyPairSigner>>

const wallets = await connection.createWallets(amount, options);

Options (same as createWallet)

• amount: number - Number of wallets to create
• options: Same options as createWallet:
  • prefix: string | null - Prefix for wallet addresses
  • suffix: string | null - Suffix for wallet addresses
  • envFileName: string | null - Path to .env file to save keypairs
  • envVariableName: string - Name of environment variable to store keypairs
  • airdropAmount: Lamports | null - Amount of SOL to airdrop to each wallet

Example

Create 3 wallets with airdrops:

const [wallet1, wallet2, wallet3] = await connection.createWallets(3, {
  airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
});

If you need to create multiple wallets with different options, you can do this with:

const [sender, recipient] = await Promise.all([
  connection.createWallet({
    airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
  }),
  connection.createWallet({
    airdropAmount: lamports(1n * SOL),
  }),
]);

getTokenAccountBalance - Get token account balance

Gets the balance of tokens in a token account for a given wallet and mint.

Returns: Promise<TokenAmount>

const balance = await connection.getTokenAccountBalance(wallet, mint, useTokenExtensions);

Options

• wallet: Address - The wallet address to check the token balance for
• mint: Address - The token mint address
• useTokenExtensions: boolean (optional) - Whether to use Token Extensions program (default: false)

Example

Get a token balance for a classic SPL token:

// Get USDC balance
const balance = await connection.getTokenAccountBalance(
  "GkFTrgp8FcCgkCZeKreKKVHLyzGV6eqBpDHxRzg1brRn", // wallet
  "EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v", // USDC mint
);

console.log(`Balance: ${balance.uiAmount} ${balance.symbol}`);

Get a token balance for a Token Extensions token:

const balance = await connection.getTokenAccountBalance(
  "GkFTrgp8FcCgkCZeKreKKVHLyzGV6eqBpDHxRzg1brRn",
  "EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v",
  true, // use Token Extensions program
);

The balance includes:

• amount: Raw token amount (in base units)
• decimals: Number of decimal places for the token
• uiAmount: Formatted amount with decimals
• uiAmountString: String representation of the UI amount

Development and testing

To run tests, open a terminal tab, and run:

solana-test-validator

Then in a different tab, run:

npm run test

The tests use the node native test runner.

If you'd like to run a single test, use:

npx tsx --test --no-warnings src/tests/keypair.test.ts

We use --no-warnings to avoid ExperimentalWarning: The Ed25519 Web Crypto API algorithm is an experimental feature which is pretty boring once you've read it for the 50th time.

To just run tests matching the name connect.

npx tsx --test --no-warnings --test-name-pattern="connect"