Solana Changelog: Geyser Improvements, Program-Test, and Bokken Debugger

The Solana ecosystem continues to evolve at a rapid pace, with developers and contributors constantly pushing the boundaries of what's possible in blockchain technology. In this week's Solana Changelog, we delve into some exciting developments that promise to enhance the developer experience, improve network efficiency, and unlock new possibilities for decentralized applications.

SIMD 0008: A Fee Market for Storage

One of the most significant proposals highlighted in this week's changelog is SIMD 0008, which introduces the concept of a fee market for storage on the Solana blockchain. This proposal addresses a fundamental question: Why should storage costs remain static when real-world storage prices fluctuate over time?

The proposed fee market for storage aims to create a dynamic pricing model based on the demand for storage within a block or transaction. This innovative approach could revolutionize how users pay for storing data on the Solana network, affecting everything from NFTs and token accounts to smart contracts.

As one of the hosts explains, "It changes the way that things happen on the cluster and how much you pay for things like NFTs, token accounts, just literally everything or programs, it can all change."

This proposal is particularly intriguing because it aligns with Solana's growing interest in implementing fee markets for various aspects of the network. It also has the potential to remove arbitrary storage limits, allowing users to store more than 10MB in a particular account, provided they're willing to pay for it. This could open up new use cases and possibilities for developers and users alike.

The Solana community is encouraged to participate in the discussion and provide feedback on this proposal, as it could significantly impact the ecosystem's future direction.

Geyser Improvements: Enhancing RPC Capabilities

Another notable update discussed in the changelog is the improvement to Solana's Geyser plugin. The Geyser plugin is a crucial component of the Solana architecture, allowing external systems to subscribe to and receive real-time updates about on-chain events.

Recent commits have added missing fields to the Geyser plugin, including the previous block hash. This enhancement is particularly exciting because it enables developers to build RPC (Remote Procedure Call) clients on top of Geyser, a feature that many in the community have been eagerly anticipating.

One of the hosts emphasizes the significance of this update: "Now like we were just talking about earlier, like you'll actually be able to build RPC clients on top of geyser, which is something that like a lot of people have really been waiting for and like interested in doing."

These improvements to Geyser open up new possibilities for increasing speed and throughput in Solana applications. By allowing developers to offload reads and potentially even some writes from the main network, this update could lead to more efficient and scalable dApps.

Program-Test and Solana Test Validator Updates

The changelog also highlights important updates to the program-test framework and the Solana test validator. These tools are essential for developers working on Solana projects, allowing them to test their applications in a controlled environment before deploying to the mainnet.

One of the most notable changes is the inclusion of the Token 2022 program by default in both the program-test and Solana test validator. This update eliminates the need for developers to manually load the Token 2022 program, streamlining the testing process and potentially driving increased adoption of this new token standard.

As one of the hosts notes, "So now there's been an update to both the program test and the Solana test validator to actually include the token 2022 program by default and you don't have to like load it in manually yourself."

This change is expected to encourage more developers to experiment with and implement the Token 2022 standard, which offers enhanced functionality compared to the original SPL Token program.

Bokken: A Game-Changing Debugger for Solana Programs

Perhaps the most exciting development discussed in this changelog is the introduction of Bokken, a new debugger for Solana programs. This tool represents a significant leap forward in the Solana development experience, offering capabilities that were previously unavailable to developers working on the platform.

Bokken allows developers to add breakpoints in their code and run debuggers, similar to the debugging experience in other programming environments. This feature has been highly anticipated by the Solana developer community and promises to streamline the development process significantly.

One of the hosts, who has already tested Bokken, shares their enthusiasm: "It totally works from what I tell. It's I even chat with the people that made it. So what you can do is you can actually just like you connect to like there's this broken kind of RPC. It's a little bit different. It's kind of like a local test file editor. And in that because it's a remote debugger, you can now actually put breakpoints and see like, hey, I sent a transaction. What is the state at the specific line in my program of every account? What are the balances? What are the changes that you can see?"

The ability to inspect the state of accounts, balances, and changes at specific points in a program's execution is a powerful tool for developers. It allows for more efficient debugging and could significantly reduce the time and effort required to develop and deploy Solana programs.

The hosts agree that Bokken "could really help people build new programs on Solana and it could change the game for development." This sentiment underscores the potential impact of this new tool on the Solana ecosystem.

Programmable NFTs: Metaplex's New Implementation

The changelog also touches on the recent release of Metaplex's implementation of programmable NFTs. This development is particularly noteworthy given the ongoing debate about the future direction of NFT standards.

Programmable NFTs represent a new asset class that extends the functionality of traditional NFTs. While the concept is still evolving, and there are competing standards in the space, Metaplex's implementation is a significant step forward for the Solana ecosystem.

One of the hosts encourages the community to explore this new implementation: "Metaplex released this last week is definitely worth checking out and kind of like reviewing again some of the other solutions that exist."

As the NFT space continues to evolve, programmable NFTs could open up new use cases and possibilities for creators and developers alike. The Solana community will be watching closely to see how this implementation is adopted and what innovative applications emerge as a result.

Reproducible Online Tracer for Banking

Among the commits highlighted in the changelog is the addition of a fully-reproducible online tracer for the banking stage of Solana's architecture. This tool is designed to help core engineers identify and debug performance issues in the banking process.

The online tracer allows developers to reproduce and examine issues that occur during the banking stage, providing valuable insights into the inner workings of the Solana network. This commit represents an important step forward in Solana's ongoing efforts to optimize performance and reliability.

As one of the hosts explains, "What it does is it kind of allows you to later, if there's a performance issue in banking that you notice, to later reproduce and examine the issues and debug them. So it's a really cool change and it will help out the core engineers a ton."

While this tool may not directly impact end-users, it's a crucial addition that will enable the Solana team to maintain and improve the network's performance over time.

Solana U Ambassadors Program

The changelog concludes with an exciting announcement about the Solana U Ambassadors program. This initiative aims to foster adoption of Solana development within the student community and promote awareness of Web3 technologies.

The hosts encourage listeners to check out the Solana U Twitter account for announcements about the selected ambassadors. These students will play a crucial role in introducing their peers to Solana development and helping to grow the ecosystem from the ground up.

As one of the hosts explains, "These are going to be students who were elected based on like a vote like they applied. They got the ambassadorship for Solana U and that basically means they're going to be helping with like stewarding, you know, adoption of the of the Solana development community and like turning students who are interested in web three onto Solana and like they're really doing a lot of important work."

This program represents an important investment in the future of the Solana ecosystem, helping to ensure a steady influx of new talent and ideas into the community.

Conclusion

The latest Solana Changelog highlights a series of significant developments that promise to enhance the platform's capabilities, improve the developer experience, and drive innovation within the ecosystem. From the proposed fee market for storage to the game-changing Bokken debugger, these updates demonstrate Solana's commitment to continuous improvement and innovation.

As the ecosystem continues to evolve, these changes will likely play a crucial role in shaping the future of decentralized applications on Solana. Developers, users, and investors alike should keep a close eye on these developments, as they have the potential to unlock new possibilities and drive the next wave of blockchain innovation.

The Solana community is encouraged to engage with these new tools and proposals, provide feedback, and contribute to the ongoing development of the platform. With each update, Solana moves closer to its goal of providing a high-performance, scalable blockchain solution for the next generation of decentralized applications.

Facts + Figures

• SIMD 0008 proposes a fee market for storage on the Solana blockchain, potentially changing how users pay for storing data on the network.
• Geyser plugin improvements now allow developers to build RPC clients on top of Geyser, enhancing speed and throughput capabilities.
• The program-test framework and Solana test validator now include the Token 2022 program by default.
• Bokken, a new debugger for Solana programs, allows developers to add breakpoints and inspect account states during execution.
• Metaplex has released an implementation of programmable NFTs, contributing to the evolving standards in the NFT space.
• A fully-reproducible online tracer for the banking stage has been added to help core engineers debug performance issues.
• The Solana U Ambassadors program has been launched to promote Solana development among students and foster Web3 adoption.
• Recent hackathons, including Sandstorm by Lamport Dow and the Encode hackathon, have seen numerous innovative submissions.
• The proposed fee market for storage could potentially remove the 10MB storage limit for accounts, opening up new use cases.
• Solana is showing increased interest in implementing fee markets for various aspects of the network.
• The Geyser updates include the addition of missing fields such as the previous block hash.
• Bokken connects to a modified RPC, described as a "local test file editor," to enable its debugging capabilities.
• The Solana U Ambassadors were selected through an application and voting process.

Questions Answered

What is SIMD 0008?

SIMD 0008 is a proposal for implementing a fee market for storage on the Solana blockchain. It suggests creating a dynamic pricing model for storage based on demand within blocks or transactions. This proposal aims to make storage costs on Solana more reflective of real-world storage price fluctuations and could potentially remove arbitrary storage limits, allowing users to store more data if they're willing to pay for it.

How does the Geyser plugin improvement affect Solana development?

The Geyser plugin improvement adds missing fields, including the previous block hash, which enables developers to build RPC clients on top of Geyser. This enhancement allows for potential increases in speed and throughput for Solana applications. Developers can now offload reads and potentially some writes from the main network, leading to more efficient and scalable decentralized applications on Solana.

What is Bokken and how does it work?

Bokken is a new debugger for Solana programs that allows developers to add breakpoints in their code and run debuggers, similar to debugging experiences in other programming environments. It connects to a modified RPC, described as a "local test file editor," which allows developers to set breakpoints and inspect the state of accounts, balances, and changes at specific points in a program's execution. This tool significantly enhances the Solana development experience by providing detailed insights into program behavior during execution.

What updates have been made to the program-test and Solana test validator?

The program-test framework and Solana test validator now include the Token 2022 program by default. This update eliminates the need for developers to manually load the Token 2022 program when testing, streamlining the development process. This change is expected to encourage more developers to experiment with and implement the Token 2022 standard, which offers enhanced functionality compared to the original SPL Token program.

What are programmable NFTs and why are they significant?

Programmable NFTs represent a new asset class that extends the functionality of traditional NFTs. Metaplex has recently released an implementation of programmable NFTs for Solana. This development is significant because it contributes to the ongoing evolution of NFT standards and could potentially open up new use cases and possibilities for creators and developers in the Solana ecosystem. The implementation by Metaplex is worth exploring to understand the potential future direction of NFTs on Solana.

What is the Solana U Ambassadors program?

The Solana U Ambassadors program is an initiative aimed at fostering adoption of Solana development within the student community and promoting awareness of Web3 technologies. Selected students serve as ambassadors, helping to introduce their peers to Solana development and grow the ecosystem. These ambassadors were chosen through an application and voting process and will play a crucial role in expanding the Solana developer community among students interested in Web3 technologies.

How does the new online tracer for banking benefit Solana?

The new fully-reproducible online tracer for the banking stage of Solana's architecture allows core engineers to identify and debug performance issues in the banking process. It enables developers to reproduce and examine issues that occur during the banking stage, providing valuable insights into the inner workings of the Solana network. While not directly impacting end-users, this tool is crucial for maintaining and improving the network's performance over time.

What potential impact could the fee market for storage have on Solana?

The proposed fee market for storage could significantly change how users pay for storing data on the Solana network. It may affect the costs associated with NFTs, token accounts, and smart contracts. Additionally, it could potentially remove the current 10MB storage limit for accounts, allowing users to store more data if they're willing to pay for it. This change could open up new use cases and possibilities for developers and users on the Solana blockchain.