Quick Start Guide

Follow this guide to quickly set up and launch your own liquid staking protocol on Solana.

Prerequisites

Development Environment

  • •
    Rust - Install the latest stable version:
    1curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
  • •
    Solana CLI - Install and configure:
    1sh -c "$(curl -sSfL https://release.solana.com/v1.17.0/install)"
  • •
    Node.js - Version 16 or higher for client integration
  • •
    Git - For version control and deployment

Required Knowledge

  • •Basic understanding of Solana's architecture
  • •Familiarity with Rust programming
  • •Understanding of staking mechanics

Initial Setup

Let's start by setting up your development environment and initializing the project.

1. Create Project Directory

1mkdir my-liquid-staking-protocol
2cd my-liquid-staking-protocol
3git init

2. Initialize Rust Program

1cargo init program --lib
2cd program
3cargo add solana-program

3. Configure Solana Network

1solana config set --url https://api.devnet.solana.com
2solana-keygen new --force
3solana airdrop 2

Core Implementation

1. Program Structure

Create the basic structure for your liquid staking program:

src/lib.rs

1use solana_program::{
2    account_info::AccountInfo,
3    entrypoint,
4    entrypoint::ProgramResult,
5    pubkey::Pubkey,
6    program_error::ProgramError,
7};
8
9// Declare program entrypoint
10entrypoint!(process_instruction);
11
12pub fn process_instruction(
13    program_id: &Pubkey,
14    accounts: &[AccountInfo],
15    instruction_data: &[u8],
16) -> ProgramResult {
17    // Program logic will go here
18    Ok(())
19}

2. Define State Structures

src/state.rs

1use solana_program::{
2    pubkey::Pubkey,
3    program_pack::{IsInitialized, Pack, Sealed},
4};
5
6#[derive(Debug, Default)]
7pub struct StakePool {
8    pub is_initialized: bool,
9    pub stake_total: u64,
10    pub pool_mint: Pubkey,
11    pub stake_authority: Pubkey,
12    pub withdraw_authority: Pubkey,
13    pub validators: Vec<Pubkey>,
14    pub fee_account: Pubkey,
15}
16
17#[derive(Debug, Default)]
18pub struct UserStake {
19    pub is_initialized: bool,
20    pub owner: Pubkey,
21    pub stake_amount: u64,
22    pub token_amount: u64,
23}
Best Practice
Always implement proper error handling and input validation for each instruction to ensure protocol security.

Implementing Key Features

1. Stake Pool Creation

src/processor.rs

1pub fn process_initialize_pool(
2    program_id: &Pubkey,
3    accounts: &[AccountInfo],
4    min_stake: u64,
5    fee_rate: u8,
6) -> ProgramResult {
7    let account_info_iter = &mut accounts.iter();
8    let pool_account = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
9    let pool_mint = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
10    let fee_account = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
11    
12    // Initialize pool state
13    let mut pool_state = StakePool::default();
14    pool_state.is_initialized = true;
15    pool_state.stake_total = 0;
16    pool_state.pool_mint = *pool_mint.key;
17    pool_state.fee_account = *fee_account.key;
18    
19    // Save state
20    pool_state.serialize(&mut *pool_account.data.borrow_mut())?;
21    
22    Ok(())
23}

2. User Stake Management

src/processor.rs

1pub fn process_stake(
2    accounts: &[AccountInfo],
3    amount: u64,
4) -> ProgramResult {
5    let account_info_iter = &mut accounts.iter();
6    let user_account = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
7    let pool_account = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
8    let stake_account = next_account_info(account_info_iter)?;
9    
10    // Verify and process stake
11    // Mint liquid tokens
12    // Update pool state
13    
14    Ok(())
15}
Security Note
Ensure proper access controls and validation for all state-changing operations. Consider implementing emergency withdrawal mechanisms.

Deployment Steps

1. Build and Deploy Program

1cargo build-bpf
2solana program deploy target/deploy/my_liquid_staking.so

2. Initialize Client SDK

1import { Connection, PublicKey } from '@solana/web3.js'
2import { LiquidStaking } from './sdk'
3
4const connection = new Connection('https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com')
5const programId = new PublicKey('your_program_id')
6
7const liquidStaking = new LiquidStaking(connection, programId)
8
9// Initialize pool
10await liquidStaking.initializePool({
11  minStake: 1_000_000_000, // 1 SOL
12  feeRate: 1, // 1%
13})

Next Steps

After completing this quick start guide, you should: