TL;DR

surfpool is to Solana what anvil is to Ethereum: a blazing fast ⚡️ in-memory testnet that has the ability to point-fork Solana mainnet instantly.

Introduction

Surfpool provides a blazing-fast, developer-friendly simulation of Solana Mainnet that runs seamlessly on your local machine. It eliminates the need for high-performance hardware while maintaining an authentic testing environment.

Whether you're developing, debugging, or educating yourself on Solana, Surfpool gives you an instant, self-contained network that dynamically fetches missing Mainnet data as needed—no more manual account setups.

Features

• Fast & Lightweight – Runs smoothly on any machine without heavy system requirements.

• Dynamic Account Fetching – Automatically retrieves necessary Mainnet accounts during transaction execution.

• Anchor Integration – Detects Anchor projects and deploys programs automatically.

• Educational & Debug-Friendly – Provides clear insights into transaction execution and state changes.

• Easy Installation – Available via Homebrew, Snap, and direct binaries.

Installation

Install Surfpool CLI with:

# macOS (Homebrew)
brew install txtx/taps/surfpool

# Linux (Snapstore)
snap install surfpool

Verify installation:

surfpool --version

Usage

Start a local Solana network with:

surfpool run

If inside an Anchor project, Surfpool will:

• Automatically generate infrastructure as code (similar to Terraform).

• Deploy your Solana programs to the local network.

• Provide a clean, structured environment to iterate safely.

The command:

surfpool run --help

Is documenting all the options available.

Crypto Infrastructure as Code: A New Standard in Web3

Infrastructure as code (IaC) transforms how teams deploy and operate Solana programs:

• Declarative & Reproducible – Clearly defines environments, making deployments consistent.

• Auditable – Security teams can review not just the code of your Solana programs, but the way you will be deploying and operating your protocol.

• Seamless Transition to Mainnet – Test with the exact infrastructure that will go live.

With Surfpool, every developer learns to deploy Solana programs the right way—scalable, secure, and production-ready from day one.

Architecture & How to Contribute

Surfpool is built on the low-level solana-svm API, utilizing the excellent LiteSVM wrapper. This approach provides greater flexibility and significantly faster boot times, ensuring a smooth developer experience.

We are actively developing Surfpool and welcome contributions from the community. If you'd like to get involved, here’s how:

• Explore and contribute to open issues: GitHub Issues

• Join discussions and collaborate via our Telegram Channel

Your contributions help shape the future of Surfpool, making it an essential tool for Solana developers worldwide.