What about iOS support for Solana Mobile features?

Solana Mobile Stack features like Seed Vault are Android-first. On iOS, use Wallet Adapter deep-links and optimize web-based signing flows.

When should I choose Solana over an EVM L2?

Choose Solana when you need low-cost, high-volume mints or micro-transactions, and when in-feed Actions/Blinks and Android-native mobile UX are priorities.

Solana’s Consumer Sprint: Blinks, Compressed NFTs, and Mobile A Builder’s Guide vs. EVM L2s

Q: Are Blinks custodial or do they require a special wallet?

Blinks render Actions that compatible wallets can execute. Users sign with their own wallets; no custody is required.

Q: Can I combine cNFT claims with a paid upgrade?

Yes. Start with a free cNFT claim via a Blink, then present a second Action for a paid pass. Track both with transaction webhooks.

Solana keeps shipping consumer-grade UX primitives Actions/Blinks for in-feed transactions, Compressed NFTs (cNFTs) for near-zero-cost collectibles, and a mobile stack that treats crypto like a native capability. This guide distills “why it matters,” then shows exactly how to architect and ship.

Use this alongside broader ecosystem views like a16z crypto’s market reports for macro context, and pair with Solana’s official docs when you implement.

TL;DR (for founders & PMs):

Solana Actions & Blinks: turn any link, search result, or social post into a transaction surface. Users can mint/buy/subscribe without leaving the feed. Docs: Solana Actions, Blinks.
Compressed NFTs (cNFTs): Merkle-tree “state compression” cuts mint/storage costs by orders of magnitude, think millions of mints for the cost of thousands. Docs: Metaplex Compression, Solana State Compression.
Mobile: Solana Mobile Stack (SMS), dApp Store, secure seed vault, and deep-link kits reduce friction from ad → app → onchain action. Docs: Solana Mobile, SMS Docs.
Infra edge vs EVM L2s: local fee markets, QUIC networking, and the account model give high throughput + low latency. EVM L2s are strong on Ethereum composability and wallets; pick based on UX and audience.
What to build first: in-feed purchase/mint via Blink; “claim path” with cNFTs for onboarding; mobile deep-links for retention. Ship in weeks, not months.

Why Solana now? Consumer primitives finally click

Consumer growth is 90% UX. Users act where intent happens (feed, search, chat). On most chains, intent requires a context switch: open wallet, change network, copy-paste an address, sign a confusing message. Solana’s recent shipping cadence removes steps by moving the action surface to where users already are.

Actions/Blinks: a standard way for any site to expose an “action endpoint” that UI surfaces (X posts, search cards, chats) can turn into a one-tap transaction. Links: Solana Actions, Blinks examples.
cNFTs: onchain identity, tickets, quests, and receipts at consumer scale thanks to state compression + Metaplex Bubblegum.
Mobile: Solana Mobile Stack (secure seed vault, Android attestation, easy deep-links) and the dApp Store so you’re not gated by WebKit restrictions.
Infra: single shared state with high throughput, local fee markets to isolate congestion, QUIC for low-latency RPC, and Firedancer on the horizon for more headroom.

Architecture: Solana vs. EVM L2s (what changes for builders)

Dimension	Solana	EVM L2s (OP Stack / Arbitrum / Base)	Implication for consumer apps
Execution model	Parallel runtime with explicit accounts list; programs in Rust/C/C++ (program model).	EVM single-threaded semantics; fraud/validity proofs roll up to L1. Docs: OP, Arbitrum, Base.	Higher raw throughput & low latency favor real-time UX; EVM L2s win on Solidity re-use.
Fee dynamics	Local fee markets, cheap sig verify, priority fees, QUIC.	Fees vary by L2 + L1 congestion; finality inherits L1 cadence.	Solana is predictable for micro-TX; L2s inherit some L1 volatility.
NFT infra	State compression + Metaplex standards; royalties & rules support.	ERC-721/1155 widely supported; scaling via L2 or app-chains.	Solana is better for massive free/cheap mints; EVM better for cross-EVM liquidity.
Mobile	Solana Mobile Stack, seed vault, dApp Store, device attestations.	Rely on wallet deep-links and general app-store flows; strong browser wallet ecosystem.	Solana reduces “install → fund → sign” steps for crypto-native Android audiences.

Diagram — Intent → Action Surface → Onchain

Feed/Search/Chat

User intent (scroll, tap)

Action/Blink

One-tap TX card

Program Call

Solana TX executes

Actions & Blinks: make every link a checkout

Solana Actions expose a simple HTTP endpoint that returns an Action payload describing a transaction the user can perform (buy, mint, tip, subscribe). A Blink is how that Action gets rendered outside your app inside X posts, search results, blogs, or chat surfaces, so users never leave their context.

Where Actions shine:

In-feed commerce: impulse buys (digital goods, event tickets, creator perks) with one tap.
Referral & loyalty: link-based claims and upgrades that carry attribution parameters.
Search monetization: “buy now” or “claim pass” on rich results without opening a dApp.

Minimal Action endpoint (Node/Express)

import express from "express";
import { Connection, Keypair, SystemProgram, Transaction, PublicKey } from "@solana/web3.js";

// 1) Config
const app = express();
app.use(express.json());
const RPC = process.env.RPC_URL; // e.g. Helius, Triton, QuickNode
const connection = new Connection(RPC, "confirmed");
const merchant = Keypair.fromSecretKey(Uint8Array.from(JSON.parse(process.env.MERCHANT_SK)));

// 2) Describe the action (GET)
app.get("/actions/buy-coffee", (req, res) => {
  const amountSol = Number(req.query.amount ?? "0.01");
  res.json({
    icon: "https://yourcdn.com/coffee.png",
    title: "Buy us a coffee",
    description: "Support the team ☕",
    label: `Pay ${amountSol} SOL`,
    links: { actions: [{ label: "Pay now", href: `/actions/buy-coffee/tx?amount=${amountSol}` }] }
  });
});

// 3) Return a serialized transaction (POST/GET)
app.get("/actions/buy-coffee/tx", async (req, res) => {
  const amountSol = Number(req.query.amount ?? "0.01");
  const buyer = new PublicKey(String(req.query.sender));
  const tx = new Transaction().add(
    SystemProgram.transfer({
      fromPubkey: buyer,
      toPubkey: merchant.publicKey,
      lamports: Math.floor(amountSol * 1e9),
    })
  );
  const { blockhash, lastValidBlockHeight } = await connection.getLatestBlockhash();
  tx.recentBlockhash = blockhash;
  tx.feePayer = buyer;
  res.json({ transaction: tx.serialize({ requireAllSignatures: false }).toString("base64"), lastValidBlockHeight });
});

app.listen(8080, () => console.log("Actions server on :8080"));

Now, share the link https://yourdomain.com/actions/buy-coffee. Compatible clients and Blink renderers will show a button that pulls the transaction and prompts the user to sign. For production, add signing domain validation, rate limits, analytics, and idempotency.

Best practices:

Keep payloads < 10KB; return pre-built transactions; avoid RPC calls on GET.
Include icon, title, label for consistent rendering; respect UI spec.
Append UTM/referrer params for growth analytics; store server-side after TX confirmation.

Compressed NFTs (cNFTs): infinite freebies, near-zero cost

State compression stores NFT data in a Merkle tree anchored on Solana, pushing most data to an off-chain store that can be verified on-chain. That means you can mint millions of NFTs for a fraction of the normal cost perfect for onboarding quests, receipts, tickets, loyalty stamps, and UGC collectibles.

Docs: Solana State Compression, Metaplex Compression, Bubblegum program reference.
Indexing: Helius guides, Shyft, QuickNode.

Minting cNFTs (Metaplex JS)

// Pseudocode using Metaplex JS + Bubblegum
import { createTree, mintCompressedNft } from "@metaplex-foundation/mpl-bubblegum";
import { Connection, Keypair } from "@solana/web3.js";

const connection = new Connection(process.env.RPC_URL, "confirmed");
const payer = Keypair.fromSecretKey(...);

// 1) Create/ensure Merkle tree
const tree = await createTree(connection, payer, { maxDepth: 14, maxBufferSize: 64 }); // ~16k leaves

// 2) Mint a leaf (compressed NFT)
const mint = await mintCompressedNft(connection, payer, {
  tree,
  name: "Welcome Stamp",
  uri: "https://cdn.yourapp.com/metadata/123.json",
  symbol: "WELCOME",
  creators: [{ address: payer.publicKey, verified: true, share: 100 }],
});

// 3) Show claim in app or via Blink link
console.log("cNFT minted:", mint.leafId);

Use cases that work now:

Free claim paths after ad clicks (prove engagement without card on file).
Ticketing/POAP-style proofs for events, spaces, and live streams.
Loyalty streaks (daily quests), with onchain counters the user actually owns.
Creator drops at scale; combine with Blink for in-feed claims.

Cost thinking: The tree creation costs a chunk up front (rent/space), then marginal mints become extremely cheap. You can amortize by provisioning trees per campaign, per partner, or per cohort. For indexing, use a provider (Helius, Triton, QuickNode) and cache leaf proofs for fast UX.

Mobile: deep links, seed vault, and a dApp store

Solana’s mobile push targets the entire funnel: install → identity → sign → pay. The Solana Mobile Stack (SMS) gives Android developers a secure seed vault and signing APIs, while the Solana dApp Store reduces gatekeeping and review friction for crypto UX.

Seed Vault: hardware-backed key storage and signing on supported devices. Docs: Seed Vault.
Mobile Wallet Adapter: standard for apps to request signatures from wallets. Docs: MWA.
Deep-links & intents: jump a user from web/ad to specific in-app flows and sign TX immediately.

Android quickstart (Kotlin)

// build.gradle
dependencies {
  implementation("com.solanamobile:seedvault:1.0.0") // check docs for latest
  implementation("com.solanamobile:mobile-wallet-adapter:1.0.0")
}

// Sign a transaction (simplified)
val walletClient = MobileWalletAdapterClient(context)
val result = walletClient.transact {
    authorize(dappIdentity = DappIdentity("YourApp","https://yourapp.com","https://yourcdn/icon.png"))
    val txBytes = buildTransferTransaction(from, to, lamports)
    signAndSendTransactions(arrayOf(txBytes))
}

Mobile growth loop:

Run a Blink claim on social.
After claim, prompt “Unlock more in the app” → deep-link to Play Store / dApp Store.
On first open, issue a mobile-only cNFT perk; encourage push opt-in for drop alerts.
Drop weekly claims to create session streaks (retention driver).

A practical builder playbook (ship in ~90 days)

Phase 1 (Weeks 1–3): Decide stack, stand up infra

Programs: Rust + Anchor; starter kits: SolDev, Cookbook.
Client SDK: @solana/web3.js, Helius / Triton / QuickNode RPC.
Indexing/analytics: Enhanced TX APIs, Sonoma, or self-hosted pipelines.
Compliance: if you sell digital goods, clarify ToS + refunds; for fiat, add a provider.

Phase 2 (Weeks 4–6): Build the core flow

Implement an Actions endpoint for your primary SKU (e.g., creator pass, event ticket).
Provision a compression tree; mint cNFT claimables from a Blink.
Set up webhooks on TX confirmation (award points, email receipt, fire analytics).
Ship a mobile deep-link path; prototype SMS seed-vault signing on Android.

Phase 3 (Weeks 7–12): Iterate to product/market fit

Run 3 experiments: price test, bundle test (cNFT + perk), and “streak unlock” test.
Add priority fees on hot drops to keep confirmations fast.
Integrate Jito tips for MEV-aware routing on time-sensitive TX: Jito docs.
Localize metadata; push to creator partnerships; measure Blink conversion vs. web checkout.

KPIs that matter:

Intent → TX start rate (Blink opens ÷ impressions)
TX start → success (sign/settle rate; watch fee spikes)
D1/D7 retention (streaks, new drops), ARPPU, and refunds/fraud

Costs & performance: what to expect

TX fees: Solana TXs are typically fractions of a cent; budget bursts higher during network stress; add priority fees for drops.
Compression costs: tree setup is the big cost; mints are tiny thereafter. See Metaplex cost notes.
RPC: start with a free tier; production apps usually need a paid plan for rate limits and webhooks.
Latency: Actions+Blink + local fee markets = low perceived latency; still optimize cold-start RPC and CDN.

Item	Solana (typical)	EVM L2 (typical)	Notes
Simple transfer	$0.000x–$0.00x	$0.00x–$0.0x + L1 congestion risk	Prices fluctuate; check live RPC provider dashboards.
cNFT mint (marginal)	Near-zero after tree setup	Varies by chain/L2 design	Compression is the cost killer on Solana.
End-to-end latency	Low (QUIC, local fee markets)	Low–medium (depends on L2/L1)	Tune prefetch and CDN; cache proofs.

Security & risk checklist

Program review: use Anchor IDLs, security guides, and third-party audits for mainnet.
Actions security: verify request origin, sign responses, and pin transaction semantics; rate-limit by IP + wallet.
Anti-bot: challenge-response (CAPTCHA-like), allowlists, or Jito routing with per-user tips to reduce sandwiching on hot mints.
cNFT integrity: use reputable indexers; persist Merkle proofs; pin metadata to IPFS/Arweave; monitor for broken URIs.
Key custody on mobile: prefer Seed Vault where available; fall back to Wallet Adapter on iOS/other Android.

When to choose Solana vs. EVM L2s (OP Stack / Arbitrum / Base)

Pick Solana if…

Your UX depends on low-cost, high-volume mints or micro-TX (loyalty, receipts, quests).
You want in-feed purchases with Actions/Blinks now, not via custom integrations.
You ship Android first and want Seed Vault + dApp Store distribution.

Pick an EVM L2 if…

You need tight composability with Ethereum DeFi and EVM-native wallets.
Your team is 100% Solidity today and speed to market matters more than raw throughput.
You rely on existing EVM infra (or want an OP-Stack fork for custom governance).

Docs: Base, Optimism, Arbitrum, Solana Devs.

FAQ

Are Blinks custodial or do they require a special wallet?

No. A Blink renders an Action the user’s wallet understands; users still sign with their wallet (e.g., Phantom, Backpack). Docs: Actions.

Can I combine cNFT claims with a paid upgrade?

Yes. Use a free Blink claim to start the session, then present a second Action for a paid pass. Track both via TX webhooks to compute conversion and LTV. See compression: Metaplex.

What about iOS?

Use Wallet Adapter deep-links for now; Solana Mobile’s dApp Store and Seed Vault are Android-first. Keep iOS web flows light: prebuild transactions, reduce signing prompts, and cache RPC.

Will EVM L2s add equivalents to Blinks and compression?

Expect convergent UX (link-driven checkouts, cheaper mints) via third-party frameworks and shared standards. For large-scale free mints, Solana’s compression is ready today.

References & further reading

Solana Actions & Blinks
State Compression (Solana) • Metaplex Compression / Bubblegum
Solana Mobile Stack • Solana dApp Store
Solana Cookbook • Anchor
QUIC RPC • Local Fee Markets • Firedancer
Helius • Triton • QuickNode
Base Docs • Optimism Docs • Arbitrum Docs
a16z crypto — market research
Jito Solana