Solana Name Service (SNS)

Solana Name Service (SNS) is the primary decentralized naming protocol on Solana, converting complex 44-character public keys into human-readable .sol domain names linked permanently to on-chain data.

What It Does

SNS provides a decentralized and affordable way to map domain names to on-chain data — Solana wallet addresses, IPFS content identifiers, Arweave links, images, and arbitrary text records. Instead of sharing a wallet address like 7cJxK…mPqL, a user can register yourname.sol and receive payments, point to a decentralized website, or authenticate with dApps using that single identifier.

Every .sol domain is minted as an NFT on Solana's blockchain. Ownership is permanent: users pay once at registration and hold the domain indefinitely with no annual renewal fees. Domains can be transferred, listed on secondary markets, and used to create organizational subdomains — for example, a DAO can issue member.dao.sol handles to its community.

How It Works

SNS is built on top of the Solana Program Library's name-service primitives (on-chain program address 85iDfUvr3HJyLM2zcq5BXSiDvUWfw6cSE1FfNBo8Ap29). Smart contracts store a hash of each domain name as a key in an on-chain hash map, linking it to its owner's public key and any configured record data. Compatible wallets such as Phantom and Solflare read these records at transaction time, resolving .sol names to the correct destination address without requiring any centralized lookup server.

Reverse resolution is also supported: given a wallet address, the protocol can return its associated primary .sol domain name, which platforms use to display readable identities rather than truncated public keys.

Record types extend beyond simple address routing. A domain can store an IPFS or Arweave content hash to serve a decentralized website, carry social-profile metadata, or hold login credentials for Web3 applications. This makes .sol domains a building block for broader on-chain identity rather than a narrow payment alias.

Ecosystem and Integrations

SNS has deep roots in the Solana ecosystem. The Solana Foundation supported the project from its founding in 2020. By mid-2026 more than 270,000 .sol domains had been registered, and the protocol was integrated into over 160 wallets, DEXes, and applications — including Phantom, Solflare, Jupiter, and Birdeye.

A notable cross-ecosystem milestone arrived in August 2025 when MetaMask added native .sol resolution, enabling Ethereum-native users to send funds to .sol addresses directly from the MetaMask interface. The Pyth Network DAO selected SNS to manage its pyth.sol subdomain infrastructure, illustrating adoption at the institutional layer.

Cross-chain interoperability has expanded through a Wormhole integration allowing .sol domains to be bridged to other networks including Injective, BNB Chain, and Base, letting users use their Solana identity for cross-chain transactions.

Team and History

SNS was originally developed by Bonfida, one of Solana's earliest infrastructure teams. Bonfida launched the naming service in 2020 alongside a suite of Serum-era analytics and API tools. In 2024 new leadership took over and the project refocused entirely on the naming and identity use case. The Bonfida brand was retired and the project rebranded as Solana Name Service, with open-sourcing of additional smart contract code to increase transparency.

Token History: FIDA to SNS

The original ecosystem token, FIDA, was designed around the Serum-era product suite. As the project pivoted to pure naming infrastructure, the team concluded that FIDA's tokenomics were not aligned with .sol domain holders' long-term interests. In May 2025, the team launched the SNS token as a replacement governance mechanism.

SNS has a capped total supply of 10 billion tokens, distributed as follows: 40% allocated to community airdrops delivered in phases to genesis users, existing .sol domain holders, and active Solana participants; 26.25% to ecosystem growth, unlocking linearly over four years from token launch; 8.75% to core contributors under a 12-month cliff followed by three-year linear vesting; 20% reserved for future emissions and long-term community incentives; and 5% allocated to liquidity provision across supported markets.

FIDA continues to exist on-chain and retains a 5% registration-fee discount for domain purchases, but governance has fully migrated to SNS.

Security

SNS maintains a bug bounty program through Immunefi, providing a public disclosure channel for security researchers. The smart contracts were open-sourced as part of the 2024 rebrand initiative, enabling broader community review. The project also employs a RESERVED BY SNS safeguard mechanism to protect high-profile identifiers from impersonation.

What Is Next

In August 2026, SNS announced a significant identity expansion: a new .sns top-level domain will launch alongside the existing .sol namespace. Existing .sol holders will automatically receive both yourname.sol and yourname.sns at no additional cost, effectively doubling each holder's identity footprint. Birdeye is among the first integrations confirmed for the upgrade. Longer-term plans include enhanced developer SDKs, cross-chain identity support across multiple blockchains, and richer on-chain profiles that aggregate verifiable credentials and community activity linked to a single .sol identity.

SNS occupies a foundational position in the Solana stack: readable on-chain identity is infrastructure every application layer — wallets, DEXes, social protocols, governance systems — relies on, and SNS is the primary provider of that layer on Solana.