Solana Changelog: Community Events, Hyperdrive Hackathon, and Faster Program Deployments

The Solana ecosystem continues to thrive with a host of new developments and initiatives designed to enhance the developer experience and foster community growth. In this week's Solana Changelog, John from the Solana Foundation DevRel team and Jonas dive into exciting updates that are set to propel the Solana ecosystem forward.

New Community Events Page

One of the most significant announcements is the launch of a dedicated community events page. This new platform serves as a central hub for the Solana community to discover and engage with a wide array of events, from workshops to meetups.

The community events page is not just a passive listing; it's an interactive space where community members can actively contribute. Anyone planning an event or aware of an upcoming Solana-related gathering is encouraged to submit it to the Community Events Calendar. This collaborative approach ensures that the calendar remains comprehensive and up-to-date, reflecting the vibrant and active nature of the Solana ecosystem.

To view or submit events, community members can visit https://solana.com/events. This initiative is a testament to Solana's commitment to fostering a strong, interconnected community of developers, enthusiasts, and innovators.

Hyperdrive Hackathon Office Hours

In an exciting development for aspiring Solana developers, the Hyperdrive Hackathon is now offering dedicated office hours. These sessions provide an invaluable opportunity for participants to receive direct guidance and support from the Solana DevRel team.

The office hours will run throughout the duration of the hackathon, offering a consistent source of expert advice and troubleshooting. Participants can join these sessions to ask questions, discuss their projects, and overcome any challenges they might be facing in their development process.

To facilitate easy access to these office hours, interested developers can find more information and join the sessions at https://lu.ma/4syiap2l. Additionally, the DevRel team will be actively present in the Discord channels, providing an extra layer of support for hackathon participants.

This initiative underscores Solana's commitment to nurturing new talent and ideas within its ecosystem. By providing direct access to experienced developers and mentors, Solana is lowering the barrier to entry for blockchain development and encouraging innovation on its platform.

Advanced Solana Development Course

For developers looking to deepen their understanding of Solana and Rust, a new advanced development course has been launched. Created by IdeaSob, this course offers a comprehensive curriculum designed to take developers from the basics to advanced concepts in Solana development.

The course, available at https://careerbooster.io/courses/rust-solana-advance-development-course, is an excellent resource for both newcomers to the Solana ecosystem and experienced developers looking to refine their skills. It covers a wide range of topics, ensuring that participants gain a thorough understanding of building on Solana.

John encourages developers to check out the course and provide feedback, stating, "So feel free to check out this course to get started, learning how to build on Solana and let us know how you like it." This feedback loop is crucial for continuously improving educational resources within the Solana ecosystem.

Solana Development Guide for EVM Developers

In a move to welcome developers from other blockchain ecosystems, particularly those familiar with the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), a new guide has been created to ease the transition to Solana development. This guide, authored by John Wong, provides a comprehensive overview of Solana development from an EVM developer's perspective.

The guide, which can be found at https://twitter.com/jwpark02/status/1698822359338086806, is not just informative but also entertaining. Jonas mentions, "He wrote an article about how to jump into Solana when you're coming from EVM. And yeah, the article is really nice. It also has a Mr Bean reference in it, counting cheap in a little video. So it's also entertaining."

This resource is particularly valuable as it addresses the specific challenges and differences that EVM developers might encounter when transitioning to Solana. By providing this tailored guidance, Solana is actively working to expand its developer base and encourage cross-chain pollination of ideas and talent.

Improved Program Deployment Speed

One of the most significant technical improvements highlighted in this changelog is the enhancement of program deployment speed on Solana. This update addresses a recent issue that had been causing difficulties for developers trying to deploy their programs.

Jonas explains the problem and its solution: "There was a problem recently that was the 1/16 version. It was very difficult to deploy our programs because the blockages would expire and you had to retry. And after five times, some people were not even able to deploy programs. So this now fixed."

The fix comes in the form of two key commits:

1. TPU client speed-up: This improvement enhances performance by awaiting all features at once.
2. Speed-up of send-and-confirm-parallel: This further decreases the time it takes to deploy programs.

These updates are crucial for developers, as they significantly reduce the friction in the deployment process. Faster and more reliable program deployments mean developers can iterate more quickly, leading to increased productivity and innovation within the Solana ecosystem.

On-Chain Poseidon Hashes

An exciting development for privacy-focused applications on Solana is the introduction of on-chain Poseidon hashes. This update stems from discussions with the Light Protocol team at the Hacker House in Berlin.

Jonas explains the significance of this update: "They were talking a lot about Poseidon and that they want to do their ZK Poseidon hashes on chain, but it needs too much compute. And I think how I understand it is that this will now be a SYS call."

This change means that Poseidon hashes can now be computed more efficiently on-chain. The compute cost will be calculated based on the input parameters of the Poseidon hash, rather than directly measuring the compute resources used. This optimization is performed directly on the validators, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

The introduction of efficient on-chain Poseidon hashes opens up new possibilities for zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving applications on Solana. This development could lead to a new wave of innovative DApps that prioritize user privacy while leveraging Solana's high performance.

Stake Account Information in Test Validator

In a nod to the ongoing contributions of former team members, Jonas highlights a commit from Joe, a former DevRel team member now working at LEPs. This update improves the test validator by writing stake account information to JSON.

While this might seem like a minor update, it's a valuable tool for developers working with stake accounts in test environments. Having this information readily available in JSON format can streamline debugging and testing processes, ultimately improving the developer experience.

This update also serves as a testament to the collaborative nature of the Solana ecosystem, where developers continue to contribute improvements even as they move between different projects and roles within the space.

Ongoing Community Support and Engagement

Throughout the changelog, both John and Jonas emphasize the importance of community engagement and support. They encourage developers to participate in the Hyperdrive hackathon, attend office hours, and make use of the various resources available.

Jonas expresses enthusiasm for the upcoming events: "I'm very happy for everyone to join the Hyperdrive hackathon. It's going to be amazing. And I can't wait to see all your programs."

The changelog concludes with a mention of the upcoming Breakpoint conference, hinting at the ongoing opportunities for the Solana community to connect, learn, and collaborate in person.

Conclusion

This week's Solana Changelog showcases the ecosystem's commitment to growth, developer support, and technical innovation. From new community resources and educational materials to significant improvements in program deployment and on-chain computations, Solana continues to evolve and adapt to the needs of its growing developer community.

The introduction of the community events page and Hyperdrive hackathon office hours demonstrates Solana's focus on fostering a strong, interconnected community. Meanwhile, technical improvements like faster program deployments and on-chain Poseidon hashes showcase Solana's commitment to pushing the boundaries of blockchain technology.

As the ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, these updates pave the way for more innovative applications, improved developer experiences, and ultimately, a more robust and diverse Solana ecosystem. With ongoing support, education, and technical advancements, Solana is well-positioned to continue its trajectory as a leading blockchain platform for developers and users alike.

Facts + Figures

• A new community events page has been launched at https://solana.com/events
• Hyperdrive Hackathon office hours are now available for participants
• An advanced Solana development course created by IdeaSob is now available
• A new guide for EVM developers transitioning to Solana has been published
• Two key commits have significantly improved program deployment speed on Solana
• On-chain Poseidon hashes are now possible through a new SYS call implementation
• Stake account information in the test validator is now written to JSON format
• The Solana DevRel team is actively present in Discord channels to support developers
• The upcoming Breakpoint conference was mentioned as a future community gathering point
• Former DevRel team member Joe, now at LEPs, continues to contribute improvements to Solana

Questions Answered

What new community resources has Solana introduced?

Solana has launched a new community events page at https://solana.com/events. This page serves as a central hub for Solana-related events, including workshops and meetups. Community members can both view existing events and submit new ones, fostering a more interconnected and active Solana ecosystem.

How is Solana supporting participants in the Hyperdrive Hackathon?

Solana is offering dedicated office hours throughout the duration of the Hyperdrive Hackathon. These sessions provide participants with direct access to the Solana DevRel team for guidance and support. Additionally, the DevRel team is actively present in Discord channels to offer further assistance to hackathon participants.

What improvements have been made to program deployment on Solana?

Two significant improvements have been made to program deployment on Solana. First, the TPU client has been optimized to await all features at once, speeding up performance. Second, the send-and-confirm-parallel process has been improved, further decreasing deployment time. These updates address previous issues where program deployments were failing due to block expiration.

How is Solana making it easier for EVM developers to transition to its ecosystem?

A new guide has been created specifically for EVM developers looking to transition to Solana development. This guide, authored by John Wong, provides a comprehensive overview of Solana development from an EVM perspective. It includes entertaining elements like Mr Bean references to make the learning process more engaging.

What new on-chain computation capabilities have been added to Solana?

Solana has introduced the ability to perform Poseidon hashes on-chain more efficiently. This is implemented as a SYS call, where the compute cost is calculated based on the input parameters rather than direct measurement. This optimization enables more efficient zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving applications on Solana.

What educational resources are available for advanced Solana development?

An advanced Solana development course created by IdeaSob is now available. This course covers a wide range of topics, from basics to advanced concepts in Solana and Rust development. It's designed to help both newcomers and experienced developers refine their skills in building on Solana.

How is Solana improving its test validator for developers?

A recent update to the Solana test validator now writes stake account information to JSON format. This improvement, contributed by a former DevRel team member now working at LEPs, makes it easier for developers to access and work with stake account data in test environments, streamlining the debugging and testing process.

What upcoming events should Solana developers and enthusiasts be aware of?

The changelog mentions the ongoing Hyperdrive Hackathon and its associated office hours as key events for developers. Additionally, the upcoming Breakpoint conference is highlighted as a future opportunity for the Solana community to connect and collaborate in person.