Setting Up a Solana Wallet

A wallet is your gateway to the Solana ecosystem. It stores your private keys and lets you sign transactions.

Phantom Wallet (Recommended)

1. Visit phantom.app and install the browser extension
2. Click "Create a new wallet"
3. Write down your recovery phrase and store it safely
4. Set a password for your wallet

Understanding Keypairs

In Solana, a keypair consists of:

• Public Key: Your wallet address (safe to share)
• Private Key: Used to sign transactions (NEVER share this)

import { Keypair } from '@solana/web3.js';

// Generate a new keypair
const keypair = Keypair.generate();

console.log('Public Key:', keypair.publicKey.toBase58());
// Example: 7C4jsPZpht42Tw6MjXWF56Q5RQUocjBBmciEjDa8HRtp

Connecting to Devnet

Switch your Phantom wallet to Devnet:

1. Open Phantom settings
2. Go to "Developer Settings"
3. Change network to "Devnet"

Getting Devnet SOL

You can get free devnet SOL from:

• Solana CLI: solana airdrop 2
• Sol Faucet

Devnet SOL has no real value and is only for testing.