Solana: How to get the version of Solana platform tools? Or the version of `rustc` that Solana uses to compile programs?

Getting Started with Solana: Platform Tools and Cargo

Solana is a fast, decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that allows users to build and run their own decentralized applications (dApps). One of the key benefits of using Solana is its unique approach to development, which relies on a specialized set of tools and compilation methods.

Platform Tools vs. Rust Compiler (rustc)

Solana takes a different approach to compiling programs than traditional frameworks that rely on the Rust compiler (rustc). Instead of using the standard system Rust compiler, Solana uses its own “platform tools” under the hood. These platform tools are designed specifically for Solana and provide a simplified way to create and deploy smart contracts.

Cargo Build-SBF: Platform Tools

When building a Solana program, you don’t have to use the standard Rust compiler (rustc). Instead, Cargo Build-SBF is used as an intermediate step in the compilation process. Here’s what happens behind the scenes:

• Cargo.toml: The Cargo.toml file defines your project’s dependencies and metadata.

• build-sbf: The cargo build-sbf command compiles your code into a platform-specific binary (PSB) format that is optimized for Solana’s unique architecture.

• Platform Tools

  : The generated PSBs are then processed by the Solana platform tools, which perform additional Solana-specific optimizations and transformations.

Rus Compiler (rustc)

Developers who already know the Rust compiler (rustc) do not need to use Cargo Build-SBF to compile their programs. In this case, you can simply install the standard cargo and compile your code using the rustc command.

Usage Example

Here is an example of how you can build a Solana application using “cargo build-sbf”:

$ cargo build-sbf --release --target salt-rust

This will generate a platform-specific binary (PSB) file that can be used to deploy your application on the Solana blockchain.

Conclusion

Solana’s unique approach to development relies heavily on platform tools that are specifically designed for the Solana ecosystem. By using Cargo Build-SBF as an intermediate step in the compilation process, developers can take advantage of optimized code transformations and additional optimizations that come with building on the Solana platform. This simplified approach makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage applications on the Solana blockchain.

METAMASK CONTRACT METAMASK