Solana Name Service (SNS)

Solana Name Service (SNS) is the original decentralised naming protocol on Solana, operating since 2020 and now serving over 452,000 registered domains. Where a raw Solana wallet address is a 44-character string of random letters and numbers, an SNS domain is a short, memorable handle — such as alice.sol or alice.sns — that any integrated wallet or application can resolve to the correct address. The protocol was built by a team with backgrounds in cryptocurrency analytics and blockchain engineering, with the stated goal of making on-chain identity as straightforward to establish and use as a Web2 username.

How It Works

SNS originally ran on the SPL Name Service program, a shared Solana program that maps arbitrary string keys to arbitrary on-chain data. A domain registration creates an on-chain record linking a chosen name to a wallet public key, plus optional metadata fields: profile avatar, website, Discord handle, Twitter handle, and custom key-value pairs. Because the record lives on-chain, it is self-custodied — only the holder's wallet can modify it — and the domain itself is a transferable on-chain asset that can be listed, bought, and sold on NFT marketplaces such as Magic Eden or on SNS's own built-in marketplace.

In 2026 SNS began a significant infrastructure migration, moving from the original SPL Name Service to a purpose-built program called the Solana Record Service (SRS). The old SPL program is a general-purpose shared program that cannot be modified to support the next generation of .sol capabilities, including potential interoperability with the traditional domain name system. SRS was designed specifically for Web3 naming, with an architecture intended to support broader resolution and interoperability in future. The migration happens in three phases: existing .sol domains first become .sns domains (retaining all records and functionality), eligible holders then receive matching new .sol domains via a free airdrop, and the new SRS-based .sol domains are finally activated across wallets and applications through Q4 2026 and into Q1 2027.

The transition is automatic and free for existing holders. No claim transactions or fees are required.

Key Features

Domain resolution. An SNS domain resolves to whatever wallet address the holder sets as its target record. Every integrated wallet and dApp that calls the SNS SDK can substitute a .sol or .sns name for a raw address in payment flows. SNS lists over 112 ecosystem partners supporting resolution, including Phantom, Backpack, Solflare, OKX, Coin98, Trust Wallet, and major aggregators such as Birdeye, DeFi Llama, and Nansen.

Sub-registrars. Domain holders can operate a sub-registrar under their own name, issuing and managing subdomains within their namespace. A DAO or community project holding community.sol can issue member.community.sol addresses to participants, set custom registration rules, and optionally charge for the service. The 2026 roadmap extends sub-registrars into Community Hubs: on-chain community spaces with member management dashboards and a public discovery directory.

sol.site. SNS launched a feature called sol.site that turns any .sns domain into a live Web2-accessible website, bridging on-chain identity with a browsable web presence. The service is planned for retirement ahead of new SRS-based .sol domain activation in late 2026 or early 2027.

AI agent integration. SNS supports domain management through AI agents via a dedicated interface at sns.id/agent, positioning .sns domains as machine-readable identifiers that agents can resolve, register, and configure programmatically.

Marketplace. The built-in SNS marketplace provides domain discovery, buying, selling, and analytics. Category markets group domains by type (for example, 3-letter clubs, 4-digit sets, or dictionary word lists) and display floor prices, volumes, and supply. A V2 rebuild in 2026 added faster load times, real-time activity feeds, and an AI-powered prompt search that lets users describe a domain by intent in plain language rather than searching by exact string. The marketplace also supports bulk operations for portfolio management and time-limited curated auctions for premium names.

The SNS Token

[[TOKEN:SNS8DJbHc34nKySHVhLGMUUE72ho6igvJaxtq9T3cX3]] launched in May 2025 via a Token Generation Event and LFG campaign. Total supply is 10 billion tokens, allocated as follows: 40% to airdrop recipients, 26.25% to ecosystem growth, 20% to future emissions and community programs, 8.75% to core contributors, and 5% to liquidity. The token is tradeable on Jupiter and listed on CoinGecko and CoinMarketCap.

Holders who use the SNS token to pay for domain registration receive a 5% discount. The 2026 roadmap adds the SNS token as a native payment option for all marketplace trades, alongside plans to expand its role in community governance and reward mechanisms.

Ecosystem and Integrations

SNS lists over 112 named integration partners spanning wallets, exchanges, data providers, DeFi protocols, and infrastructure projects. Highlighted partners include Phantom, Backpack, Solflare, Magic Eden, OKX, Tensor, Step Finance, Streamflow, Squads, TipLink, Pyth Network, Wormhole, Injective, Base, and BNB Chain. The breadth of integrations reflects both the protocol's age — SNS has been live since 2020 — and its position as the dominant on-chain naming standard on Solana.

The SNS GitHub organisation at github.com/SolanaNameService hosts the protocol's open-source SDKs and developer tooling. Comprehensive documentation, including an SDK reference and developer guide, is available at docs.sns.id/dev.

ICANN and the .sol gTLD

In July 2026 SNS published a statement endorsing the Solana Foundation's application to ICANN for the .sol generic top-level domain (gTLD). If the application succeeds, .sol domains could eventually resolve on the conventional internet domain name system, eliminating the Web3/Web2 boundary for .sol addresses entirely. SNS is preparing technical and community readiness work in parallel — including DNS specification work and stakeholder education — while noting that any ICANN process is led by the Solana Foundation and has no committed timeline.

2026 Roadmap

Beyond the infrastructure migration, the SNS 2026 roadmap covers: Marketplace V2, AI prompt-based domain search, SNS-token-native marketplace payments, category-specific market pages with floor and volume analytics, an Offers 2.0 system with category-wide offers and one-click acceptance, infrastructure performance improvements, 24h/7d/30d volume leaderboards, bulk transfer and wrap tooling, Community Hubs (sub-registrar V2), curated domain auctions, transparency dashboards, and .sol Web2 compatibility work for the ICANN process.

Grant and Ambassador Programs

SNS operates a grant programme for developers and builders who want to create integrations or tools on top of the protocol, and an ambassador programme for community representatives. Both are open through official channels.

Ecosystem Fit

SNS occupies the same conceptual space as ENS on Ethereum — a human-readable identity and naming layer purpose-built for its host network. At 452,000 registered domains and over 112 integrations, it is the most widely adopted naming protocol on Solana. The 2026 migration to SRS represents the largest architectural change in the project's history, designed to give .sol a more durable technical foundation as the protocol pursues both Web3 and potential Web2 resolution capabilities.