Definition
A machine-readable description of a program’s instructions and accounts, generated by Anchor, that lets wallets, explorers and client libraries interact with the program.
Why it matters
The IDL is what frontends, indexers, explorers and integrators use to talk to your program. An accurate, published IDL makes integrations faster and lets explorers decode your transactions.
What to check
- Ask whether the IDL is published on-chain or in the repository, and kept in sync with every deployment.
Related terms
- AnchorThe most widely used framework for writing Solana programs in Rust.
- ProgramSolana’s term for a smart contract: executable code deployed to an account.
- IndexerAn off-chain service that reads Solana transactions and accounts and stores them in a queryable database, so applications can show history and aggregated data quickly.
Guides
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