How to Run a Solana Node: Requirements and Tips

GetBlock’s blockchain node series is back with a deep dive on Solana. In this guide, we talk how to run a Solana node, since if you’re chasing fastest response times and rock-solid availability, your server configuration is everything. We’ll cover Solana RPC node requirements and performance optimizations so you can build a resilient, future-proof node strategy.

Running your own node can quickly become a time- and budget-drain. That’s why we offer fully managed RPC endpoints so you can skip the server headaches and focus on building great dApps. Feel free to check out what we’ve got!

What is a Solana Node?

It’s tempting to think of “a node” as just “a computer running some software,” but in practice, a Solana node is the network’s engine, its cryptographic clock, transaction router, and a user-facing API.

Solana nodes make the blockchain feel fast, reliable, and trustworthy for users; for developers, they provide write, test, deploy, and upgrade your on-chain programs.

To start using it, you can simply point your dApp or client at an RPC endpoint.

For example, GetBlock provides both shared and dedicated Solana RPC nodes, so you can pick a light-weight test endpoint or a high-throughput production node.

Types of Solana nodes: Validator vs. RPC

Solana’s node model is rather simple; there are essentially only two roles you can run a node in:

1. Validators take turns as block producers on millisecond-scale “slots.” While one node is leader, it must run a high-throughput transaction ingestion pipeline, pack entries, and broadcast them.

2. Solana RPC node setup runs the pieces you need for querying, simulating, and submitting transactions and doesn’t carry the full consensus burden.

Here’s a concise breakdown of the differences between validator and RPC nodes in Solana:

Why should you run a Solana node? Benefits and use cases

Running a full validator node is typically the realm of professional node operators who want to help secure Solana and earn rewards.

You may want to run a Solana RPC node for everyday dApp work – development, testing, and production. However, for most teams building dApps, the costs and complexity of standing up a self-hosted RPC fleet tend to outweigh the benefits, as we’ll see further.

Solana node requirements

A Solana server isn’t happy on a Raspberry Pi. To handle network and compute load, you typically need plenty of CPU, NVMe, and a gigabit-class network. Let’s break down what it takes to run Solana nodes.

Hardware and software requirements for Solana Full Node

Below is an overview of the hardware you need to run a Solana Node – both minimum and recommended specs.

Minimum Practical specs will let you experiment, develop, or serve a small private fleet. Recommended specs are battle-tested for mainnet production.

If you’re simply building or testing a dApp, a dedicated RPC provider can deliver equivalent API performance without any of this hardware overhead.

Specific requirements for running a Solana Validator Node

Validators bear the cost of securing the network and earn the rewards. Therefore, to become a validator, you must lock up (stake) SOL tokens and generate a keypair to sign votes.

Technically, there is no enforced minimum amount of SOL to stake, apart from practical expenses:

• Rent-exempt reserve to create a vote account: ~0.027 SOL;
• An amount to cover daily voting costs (~1 SOL/day).

However, economic considerations drive validators to stake far more - often 10,000+ SOL. That stake can be slashed if your node misbehaves or goes offline.

Solana RPC node setup: What you need to know

In today’s Solana ecosystem, every team – big or small – can get RPC access without ever setting up a single server. For instance, dedicated private SOL nodes by GetBlock deliver all the benefits of self-hosting:

• Private API access;
• Customizable optimizations and integrations;
• Predictable throughput.

Plus a host of extras for global, production-grade dApps, e.g:

• Auto-scaling under the load;
• Built-in MEV-protection;
• Multi-regional deployment for lowest latency;
• Enterprise-grade security layers;

– and more configurations that would take months and a significant budget to build and maintain when self-hosted. That makes it a dramatically more efficient choice for development and production.

How to run a Solana node

As we see by now, “Running a Solana node” and “running a Solana Validator” are two very different levels of commitment, and most folks who just need node access stop well short of Validator land. Most people interested in running one really mean running an RPC server, rather than installing and setting up a Solana validator node. So here’s our step-by-step guide to run a Solana RPC node the most efficient way.

How to set up a Solana RPC node

In most cases, especially when building blockchain apps, you can skip self-hosting a full node. Instead, follow the quick steps below to connect to a Solana node using the GetBlock service:

1. Navigate to your personal dashboard on GetBlock and locate the “Get” button.
2. Generate a JSON-RPC Solana endpoint. Make sure to choose a region closest to your operation to minimize network latency.
3. Once you have your endpoint, you can start sending RPC calls and using SDKs (e.g. solana-web3.js). Check out GetBlock Solana documentation to get assistance with further steps.

For a fast connectivity test, run the following cURL command in your terminal:

curl -X POST https://go.getblock.io/YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "jsonrpc":"2.0",
    "id":1,
    "method":"getSlot",
    "params":[]
  }'

If you’ve installed the Solana web3 library, make sure the RPC URL works using the snippet below:

import { Connection } from "@solana/web3.js";
 
const endpoint = process.env.SOLANA_RPC_URL
  || "https://go.getblock.io/YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN";
const connection = new Connection(endpoint);
 
(async () => {
  const slot = await connection.getSlot();
  console.log("Connected! Current slot:", slot);
})();

That’s it! You’re now talking to a Solana node without running one yourself.

Note: If you choose to self-host, see our dedicated Solana Full Node guide for instructions on software installation and dependencies.

Optimizing your node’s performance and configuration

When self-hosting, you have to master sizing VMs, tuning NVMe I/O, load balancing, cache layers, monitoring, etc. With a provider service, however, you can flip those same knobs through a simple service tier choice.

With GetBlock’s dedicated nodes you get your own isolated server with:

• Right-sized hardware in high-end data centers worldwide;
• Unlimited throughput and true burst scaling under load;
• Tunable API settings;
• Enterprise features like MEV protection, archive data access, gRPC, Metaplex DAS, and other integrations;
• Dashboard control and dedicated support.

Additionally, dedicated nodes let you pin your endpoints to specific regions to hit sub-50 ms medians.

Private Solana RPC latencies in EU region / Source: CompareNodes

In other words, the service is designed for teams that need utmost performance and customization control.

Costs of running a Solana Node

Self-hosting a Solana node can quickly add up—infrastructure, networking, and 24×7 operational overhead often land you in the $20 K–$50 K / year range. Let’s see where those costs come from and why many teams choose a managed endpoint instead.

Understanding the cost of running a Solana node

Before you commit to DIY Solana nodes, it helps to break down the expense categories, e.g.:

• Server rental or bare-metal amortization,
• Bandwidth,
• Power & cooling,
• Ops staffing and overhead.

By combining these expenses, you can estimate how much really is a Solana node, though the costs will vary greatly depending on scale, specific regions, and SLAs.

GetBlock, on the other hand, is a premium blockchain RPC provider with predictable, all-in pricing that can dramatically simplify both budgeting and operations. Let’s see the exact figures.

With GetBlock's shared infrastructure for Solana, as indicated in its name, you connect to a common pool of Solana nodes with other users. It offers tiered plans, with the most affordable paid option starting at $39 per month. This tier can serve 50M CUs per day at 25 requests per second. As you move up, you get more compute units (CU) and higher requests-per-second (RPS), so you only cover the costs of the exact capacity you need.

Dedicated Solana RPC starts from $1,000/month, but you own a private Solana server with unlimited requests/RPS, full archive data access, and configuration control. With this service, your market-making bots, HFT engines, or DeFi services can push tens of thousands of calls per second with guaranteed throughput, predictable latency, without being hindered by any shared infrastructure constraints.

Solana nodes power every layer of its ecosystem, from simple wallet apps to complex DeFi protocols and analytics services. GetBlock provides reliable nodes for each use case. You never pay for more than you need, and always have enough capacity to iterate from lightweight development to production-grade applications and enterprise use cases.

If this is what you’re looking for, sign up now and get 20% off your first month with total peace of mind.

Conclusion: Key insights for running a Solana Node

For dApp development, testing, and production – where you need reliable, low-latency RPC with rich features, global scale, and zero DevOps – a dedicated RPC provider is almost always the more efficient, cost-effective, and maintenance-light path.

Next steps for optimizing your Solana Node setup

After you’ve connected to your GetBlock’s Solana RPC endpoint, here’s how to squeeze every bit of performance and reliability out of your setup:

1. Pick the right region: Ensure your node is hosted as close as possible to your user base or core services. It makes a noticeable difference for real-time apps.
2. Monitor key metrics: Use the GetBlock dashboard to track request rates, latency percentiles, error rates, and compute‐unit consumption. Set alerts on any unusual patterns.
3. Tune your request patterns: Batch RPC calls where possible, try Yellowstone gRPC add-on for fastest event streams and reduced round-trips.
4. Try dedicated infrastructure: Take advantage of GetBlock’s dedicated node offering so your node handles unexpected traffic spikes and provides the most stable performance.
5. Leverage advanced features: If you need archive data or MEV-protected endpoints, enable them on your dedicated node to unlock deeper on-chain insights and front-running protection.

With GetBlock, you no longer need to self-host a Solana node; just pick your options and build!