Connecting to a Solana RPC

To start Kite, you need to connect to a Solana RPC  - RPCs are how your code communicates with the Solana blockchain.

To use the local cluster (ie, solana-test-validator running on your machine):

import { connect } from "solana-kite";
 
const connection = connect();

You can also specify a cluster name. The connection object defaults to localnet but any of the following cluster names are supported:

• devnet - Development network for testing with fake SOL. This is where Solana apps developers typically deploy first.
• mainnet-beta (or mainnet) - Main Solana network where transactions involving real value occur.
• testnet - Used to test future versions of the Solana blockchain.
• quicknode-mainnet, quicknode-devnet - the Quicknode names require the environment variables QUICKNODE_SOLANA_MAINNET_ENDPOINT (for mainnet) or QUICKNODE_SOLANA_DEVNET_ENDPOINT (for devnet) to be set in your environment. You can get an API key from Quicknode .

const connection = connect("quicknode-devnet");

• helius-mainnet, helius-testnet, or helius-devnet - the Helius names require the environment variable HELIUS_API_KEY to be set in your environment. You can get an API key from Helius .

• triton-mainnet, triton-devnet, triton-testnet - the Triton names require environment variables to be set:

  • TRITON_SOLANA_MAINNET_ENDPOINT for mainnet
  • TRITON_SOLANA_DEVNET_ENDPOINT for devnet
  • TRITON_SOLANA_TESTNET_ENDPOINT for testnet

  You can get an API endpoint from Triton .

const connection = connect("triton-devnet");

You can also specify an arbitrary RPC URL and RPC subscription URL:

const connection = connect("https://mainnet.example.com/", "wss://mainnet.example.com/");

After you’ve made a connection Kite is ready to use.

If you’re used to raw @solana/kit you don’t need to set up any factories, they’re already configured.

Using Kite as a Plugin (Advanced)

⭐ New in Kite 3.0.0

For advanced users who want to integrate Kite into an existing @solana/kit RPC setup, you can use Kite as a plugin:

import { createSolanaRpc } from "@solana/kit";
import { createKitePlugin } from "solana-kite";
 
// Create your RPC connection
const rpc = createSolanaRpc("https://api.devnet.solana.com");
 
// Use Kite as a plugin
const connection = rpc.use(createKitePlugin({
  clusterNameOrURL: 'devnet'
}));
 
// Now you can use Kite functions
const wallet = await connection.createWallet();

Plugin vs Traditional Connection

Traditional (Recommended for most users):

const connection = connect('devnet');

Plugin Pattern (For advanced RPC customization):

const rpc = createSolanaRpc('devnet');
const connection = rpc.use(createKitePlugin({ clusterNameOrURL: 'devnet' }));

Use the plugin pattern when:

• You need custom RPC transport configuration
• You’re integrating Kite into existing @solana/kit code
• You need fine-grained control over RPC connection settings

For most users, the traditional connect() approach is simpler and recommended.