Blockchain technology continues to evolve with each new platform. Solana and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains stand as two leading technologies, each with unique strengths. This article explores Solana’s distinctive account rent model and provides a technical comparison with EVM-based blockchains.
Understanding Solana's Account System
Solana’s blockchain uses an innovative account model that includes not only standard token balance accounts but also accounts capable of storing smart contract states. Unlike the EVM, all accounts on Solana can store data, and executable accounts are immutable—their state must reside in non-executable accounts. This design allows any program on Solana to read data from any account, but only the account’s "owner" program can modify that data.
Types of Accounts on Solana
There are three primary types of accounts on the Solana network:
- Data Accounts: Used to store data.
- Program Accounts: Used to store executable program code.
- Native Accounts: Refer to native programs on Solana, such as "System," "Stake," and "Vote."
Data accounts are further divided into:
- System-owned accounts
- Program Derived Accounts (PDA)
Each account has an address (typically a public key) and an owner (the address of a program account). Below is a detailed list of the fields stored in a complete account.
Ownership Rules
Several key rules govern account ownership:
- Only the account owner can modify the account’s data or withdraw lamports.
- Anyone can deposit lamports into a data account.
- Once account data is erased, the owner can assign a new owner.
Program accounts do not store state.
For example, consider a counter program designed to increment a value. You would need to create two accounts: one to store the program code and another to store the counter’s value.
To prevent account deletion, users must pay rent.
How Rent Works on Solana
Storing data on an account requires SOL to maintain that storage—a cost referred to as rent. If you deposit SOL equivalent to more than two years of rent into an account, it becomes exempt from further rent payments. Rent can be reclaimed by closing the account, with lamports returned to your wallet.
Rent is collected at two different points:
- When a transaction references the account.
- During epoch transitions.
A percentage of the collected rent is burned, while the remainder is distributed to voting accounts at the end of each slot.
If an account lacks sufficient balance to cover rent, it is purged, and its data is cleared.
Reclaiming Rent
Due to Solana’s architecture, each token or NFT has its own account. When you first receive a new token or NFT, you pay a certain amount of SOL as account rent. If an account is no longer in use—such as residual accounts from sold NFTs or worthless tokens—these accounts can be safely closed, and the rent can be refunded to the main account.
Details of Solana's Rent Mechanism
Rent Calculation Basics
The Solana network charges rent to store state information—such as accounts and smart contract states—preventing the network from being clogged with long-term, inactive data. The minimum balance required for each account depends on its data size. The current formula is approximately 0.00000348 SOL per byte per year.
Calculating Refunded Rent
When an account is closed, the SOL locked as rent is released and refunded to a designated account. The refund amount equals the rent paid when the account was created, minus the prorated rent for the duration the account was active. If the account existed for only a short time, a larger portion of the rent is refunded.
Example
Assume a token account requires 200 bytes of storage. At the current rent rate, the initial rent deposit would be:
200 bytes × 0.00000348 SOL/byte/year = 0.000696 SOL
If this account is closed after only a few months, most of the initial deposit would be refunded.
Important Considerations
- Dynamic Rates: Rent rates may adjust based on network congestion and governance decisions.
- Minimum Balance: Accounts must maintain a sufficient balance to cover data storage costs; otherwise, they risk being purged by the network.
Before performing any operations, it’s best to use official Solana tools or query your node for the latest rent information to obtain accurate data and fee estimates.
👉 Explore advanced blockchain tools
Storage and Interaction Model in EVM Chains
In EVM-based chains, accounts are divided into "contract accounts" (which hold smart contract code) and externally owned accounts (EOAs). Smart contract storage is designed as a key-value mapping, meaning each contract can only access and modify its own storage. This design enhances data encapsulation but limits flexibility in cross-contract interactions.
Technical Advantages and Use Cases
Solana’s account system and rent mechanism provide an ideal environment for high-frequency trading and big data applications, particularly in financial and exchange contexts requiring high throughput and low latency. EVM chains, with their mature development ecosystems and broad contract compatibility, are better suited for decentralized applications requiring complex logic and multi-party participation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Solana’s account rent?
Account rent is a fee paid in SOL to maintain data storage on the Solana network. It ensures that accounts remain active and don’t congest the blockchain with stale data.
How does rent in Solana differ from gas fees in EVM chains?
While both involve costs, rent in Solana is specifically for long-term data storage, whereas gas fees in EVM chains cover computational and transactional costs during contract execution.
Can I recover rent from unused Solana accounts?
Yes, you can close inactive accounts—such as those holding worthless tokens or old NFTs—and recover the rent paid. The refunded lamports are returned to your wallet.
What happens if I don’t pay rent on Solana?
If an account lacks sufficient SOL to cover rent, the network will eventually purge it, erasing all associated data.
Is Solana’s rent model more efficient than Ethereum’s storage approach?
Solana’s model is optimized for scalability and high-throughput applications, while Ethereum’s storage is more flexible for complex smart contracts. The choice depends on the use case.
How often does Solana adjust its rent rates?
Rent rates may change based on network conditions and governance proposals, so it’s important to stay updated via official Solana channels.
Conclusion
Solana’s account rent model offers a unique solution for managing on-chain storage efficiently. By comparing it with EVM chains, developers and users can better understand which platform suits their specific needs—whether for high-speed applications or complex decentralized logic.