Get Current Slot

The getCurrentSlot function retrieves the current slot the node is processing. Slots are Solana’s unit of time, with each slot representing approximately 400ms.

Usage

const slot = await connection.getCurrentSlot();

Parameters

• commitment: Commitment (optional) - Confirmation level to use (default: “finalized”)
  • "processed" - Processed by current node (most recent)
  • "confirmed" - Confirmed by supermajority of the cluster
  • "finalized" - Confirmed by supermajority and unlikely to revert

Returns

Returns a Promise<bigint> - The current slot number.

Example

// Get the current slot with default commitment
const slot = await connection.getCurrentSlot();
console.log(`Current slot: ${slot}`);
 
// Get with specific commitment level
const processedSlot = await connection.getCurrentSlot("processed");
console.log(`Current slot (processed): ${processedSlot}`);
 
const finalizedSlot = await connection.getCurrentSlot("finalized");
console.log(`Current slot (finalized): ${finalizedSlot}`);
 
// Calculate elapsed time since a transaction
const transactionSlot = 123456789n;
const currentSlot = await connection.getCurrentSlot();
const slotsDiff = currentSlot - transactionSlot;
const secondsElapsed = Number(slotsDiff) * 0.4; // Approximate
console.log(`Transaction was ${slotsDiff} slots ago (~${secondsElapsed.toFixed(1)}s)`);

Use Cases

• Monitoring network progression
• Calculating time elapsed since a transaction
• Checking if the network is producing blocks
• Implementing time-based logic in programs

Notes

• Each slot represents approximately 400 milliseconds
• Not every slot contains a block (some slots may be skipped)
• Using “processed” commitment gives the most recent slot
• Using “finalized” commitment gives a slightly older but more reliable slot
• The slot number is always increasing (unless the network experiences issues)