Solana
A high-performance non-EVM Layer 1 with sub-second finality and the deepest onchain DEX volume.
Solana is a monolithic Layer 1 built on Proof-of-History plus Proof-of-Stake, with 400ms block times and sub-second finality. It hosts a distinct non-EVM ecosystem where Kamino, Jupiter Lend, MarginFi, Drift, and Save (Solend) cover lending, and Jupiter, Orca, Meteora, and Raydium cover DEX volume. Deep stablecoin markets and Kamino's automated CLMM vaults make it the largest DeFi venue outside the Ethereum family.
- Solana DeFi TVL around $5.5–12B through 2025–2026 per DeFiLlama, driven mainly by Kamino (~$2.4–2.8B), Jupiter (~$2.6–3B), and Jupiter Lend (~$2B).
- Non-EVM chain built on the Solana Virtual Machine (SVM); ~400ms block times, sub-second finality, and fees under $0.001 per transaction.
- Maintained 100% uptime through 2025 after a multi-year hardening effort; historical outages in 2022–2023 have not recurred at scale.
- Home of JitoSOL, JupSOL, mSOL, and other LSTs that anchor lending collateral markets on Kamino and Jupiter Lend.
- Institutional integrations via Anchorage Digital (natively staked SOL borrowing on Kamino, Feb 2026) and Bitwise (a $260M USDe market on Jupiter Lend, May 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Is Solana still going down?
Solana had multi-hour outages in 2022 and early 2023 but has held 100% uptime throughout 2025 after upgrades including Firedancer testing and improved fee-market handling. It remains a monolithic chain, so a bug in the client can still theoretically halt block production, but the operational track record has improved substantially.
What are the top lending protocols on Solana?
Kamino Finance is the largest by TVL with K-Lend, Multiply, and Apex curator vaults. Jupiter Lend, built on Fluid infrastructure, grew past $2B TVL in 2026 and is the fastest-growing venue. Save (formerly Solend), MarginFi, and Drift round out the lending landscape.
How do fees and speed compare to an Ethereum L2?
Solana is faster and cheaper on both dimensions: block times of ~400ms versus 1–2s on major L2s, sub-second finality versus 7-day canonical withdrawal windows on optimistic rollups, and fees usually under $0.001 versus $0.01–0.10 on L2s. The trade-off is a non-EVM stack and a different security model (independent PoH+PoS L1 rather than Ethereum-secured rollup).