Top Solana Starter Templates for Beginners.

Here's the deal: If you're just dipping your toes into Solana dev and want to skip the endless setup hell, starter templates are your best friend. They come pre loaded with all the boilerplate - wallets, connections, Anchor for programs, frontend hooks - so you can actually build something real instead of fighting Rust configs for hours. I usually grab one, tweak it, and have a dApp running in under an hour. Sound familiar?

Look, Solana's blazing fast - think ~0.000005 SOL per transaction, thousands of TPS - but getting started? It's a rabbit hole of CLI installs, keypairs, and RPC endpoints if you're flying solo. Templates handle that crap. In my experience, beginners waste days on "npm install solana web3.js" errors or missing borsh deps. These kits? Plug and play. The thing is, they're not one size fits all. Some are React heavy for frontends, others Rust focused for programs. Pick based on what you're building - a simple wallet connector or full DeFi swap? Why does this matter? 'Cause a bad template locks you into slow, and you'll quit before lunch.

Top Picks: My Go To Solana Starter Templates

I've tested a bunch. Here's the cream - all free, GitHub ready, beginner proof. Ranked by how fast they get you shipping.
  • Solana Starter Kit on GitHub - Modern dApp boilerplate. Has everything: Anchor programs, React frontend, Phantom integration. Perfect for token swaps or NFT mints.
  • NextJS Solana Starter on CodeSandbox - TypeScript + NextJS. Live preview, no local setup needed. Great if you're web2 comfy.
  • Solana Developer Templates site - Official ish collection. Mobile apps with React Native/Expo, DeFi stubs, NFT marketplace skeletons. Battle tested patterns.
  • Blockchain Coder's YouTube Template - Personal dev's kit with property buy/sell programs. Includes Anchor provider setup, signer objects. Download from their channel source code.
Honestly, start with the GitHub one. It's what I use 80% of the time.

But wait - potential gotcha. Some templates assume you have Solana CLI installed. If not, transactions fail with "no provider" errors. Fix? Run sh -c "$(curl -sSfL https://release.solana.com/stable/install)" first. Boom, fixed.

Quick Compare: Which One for You?

TemplateBest ForSetup TimeHas Mobile?Fees Example
Solana Starter Kit (GitHub)Full dApps, DeFi10 minsNo~0.000005 SOL/tx
NextJS StarterWeb frontends2 mins (sandbox)NoN/A (dev only)
Dev Templates SiteMobile/NFT15 minsYes (Expo)~0.000005 SOL/tx
YouTube Property KitLearning Anchor20 minsNoProperty ops: 0.001 SOL avg
See? Pick your poison. NextJS if you're lazy, GitHub if you're serious.

Setting Up Your World First - Don't Skip This

Okay, templates won't save you if your env sucks.

Grab a wallet. Phantom's king for beginners - download extension, create account, jot that seed phrase on paper (offline!). Fund it with like 0.1 SOL from Kraken or a bridge. Fees? Pennies. Why? Solana's PoH + PoS magic - timestamps txs without chit chat between nodes.

Now CLI: solana keygen new for a keypair. Set config: solana config set --url devnet. Testnet's free, mainnet costs real SOL. In my experience, stick to devnet till your first deploy. Airdrop SOL: solana airdrop 2. Boom, wallet loaded.

Rust? curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh. Then Anchor: cargo install --git https://github.com/coral xyz/anchor anchor cli --locked. Common issue? Version mismatches. Nuke ~/.cargo and reinstall. Works every time.

What's next? Clone a template and run.

Hands On: Build with Solana Starter Kit (GitHub One)

This one's gold. Let's make a basic counter program + frontend. Follow along.
  1. Clone it: git clone https://github.com/SolanaUpdateTools/solana starter kit. cd in.
  2. Backend (Anchor program): anchor init mycounter. Edit programs/mycounter/src/lib.rs. Add a counter struct:
rust use anchor_lang::prelude::*; #[account] pub struct Counter { pub count: u64, } #[program] pub mod mycounter { use super::*; pub fn initialize(ctx: Context) -> Result<()> { ctx.accounts.counter.count = 0; Ok(()) } pub fn increment(ctx: Context) -> Result<()> { ctx.accounts.counter.count += 1; Ok(()) } }

Short, right? Anchor handles serialization with Borsh. Deploy: anchor deploy. Grabs your keypair, builds IDL, pushes to devnet. Cost? Under 0.01 SOL.

  1. Frontend: Usually React. npm install, yarn dev. Connect Phantom:
jsx import { useWallet } from '@solana/wallet adapter react'; import { WalletMultiButton } from '@solana/wallet adapter react ui'; function App() { const { publicKey } = useWallet(); // Call increment via @solana/web3.js or @coral xyz/anchor return (
{publicKey && }
); }

Hook it to your program ID from anchor deploy output. Test: Click button, watch counter on chain via solscan.io. Boom - your first interaction.

Trouble? "Account not found"? Init first. "Signer error"? Check wallet approval. Pretty much every noob hits this; console.log your PDA (program derived address) - Anchor generates 'em automatically.

Switch It Up: NextJS Template for Web Devs

Hate Rust? This sandbox one's pure JS/TS.

Fork https://codesandbox.io/p/sandbox/nextjs solana starter kit-8ehzth. No install. Edits live. It has wallet connect, balance fetch, send SOL button out the box. Tweak pages/index.js:

javascript import { useWallet } from '@solana/wallet adapter react'; export default function Home() { const { publicKey, sendTransaction } = useWallet(); const handleSend = async () => { // Build tx with Connection, sign, send const tx = new Transaction().add( SystemProgram.transfer({ fromPubkey: publicKey, toPubkey: someAddress, lamports: 1000000, // 0.001 SOL }) ); await sendTransaction(tx, connection); }; return ; }

Why love it? Instant deploy to Vercel. Fees show real time - watch that ~0.000005 SOL burn. Issue? CORS on RPC? Swap to QuickNode free tier endpoint.

But it's frontend only. Pair with Anchor for programs.

Mobile? Grab the Expo Template

From templates.solana.com - React Native + Paper UI.
  1. npm create expo app my solana app --template tabs@50
  2. yarn add @solana/web3.js @solana mobile/mobile wallet adapter protocol web3js
  3. Copy their boilerplate. Connect wallet, fetch balance.

Runs on iOS/Android sim. In my experience, mobile's trickier - test QR code scans for wallet deep links. Pump.fun style token buys? This kit's got the hooks.

Common pit: Expo Go doesn't support native modules. Use dev build. Fixed in 5 mins.

That YouTube Template - For Anchor Deep Dive

Blockchain Coder's kit. Download from video desc. It's got buyProperty, sellProperty funcs.

Setup: Run their provider script. Pass signer, price (say 1 SOL), description. Calls program like:

rust // Their style let provider = AnchorProvider::new(rpc, wallet, CommitmentConfig::confirmed()); let program = program(provider, id); program.rpc.buy_property(params)?;

Interact via frontend buttons. Get property details? One call. Fees: 0.001-0.003 SOL per op. Why use? Teaches real estate NFT logic. Tweak to tokens.

Issue: Old deps? Update Cargo.toml to solana sdk 1.18.x. Good to go.

Tips That Save Your Ass

  • Always devnet first. Mainnet? Bridge SOL via Rango, but double check addresses.
  • Phantom + Solflare both? Switch networks easy, but approvals carry over - revoke old ones.
  • Gas? Solana calls it "compute units." Default 200k per tx. Bump with setComputeUnitLimit if complex.
  • Debug: solana logs or Anchor test anchor test. Logs signers, errors.
  • Scale up: After basics, clone NFT marketplace template. Add SPL tokens.

One more: PDAs. Solana's magic - deterministic accounts no seeds needed. Templates generate 'em. Mess up seeds? Account mismatches. Regenerate with same bump.

Real Talk: Common Screw Ups and Fixes

Ever hit "invalid account data"? Borsh mismatch. Match structs exactly - u64 count on both sides. Wallet not connecting? Check @solana/wallet adapter react ui version. Pin to ^0.19.0. Deploy fails? Keypair perms: chmod 600 ~/.config/solana/id.json. In my experience, 90% are env issues. Screenshot errors, Google "solana [error]". StackExchange goldmine.

From Zero to Deploy in 30 Mins

Quick path:
  1. Phantom wallet + 0.1 devnet SOL.
  2. Clone GitHub starter.
  3. anchor up (builds frontend too).
  4. yarn dev → localhost:3000.
  5. Connect, click, profit.

Now build 5 things: Counter, token transfer, NFT viewer, DEX swap UI, chat dApp. Like the YouTube guy says. Muscle memory kicks in.

Level Up: Mix Templates Like a Pro

Take NextJS frontend + YouTube backend. Copy IDL.json, import to frontend. Call rpc.buy_property from React. Fees chain: frontend signs (0.000005), program exec (0.001). Mobile? Expo template + SPL for tokens. Stake SOL example: javascript // Pseudo const stakeTx = createStakeInstruction(stakeAccount, amount); wallet.signAndSend(stakeTx); Rewards? ~7% APY, liquid staking via Marinade. The thing is, templates evolve. Check GitHub stars, last commit. Fork and own it.

Stuck? Devnet explorer: solscan.io/devnet. Trace txs. Or hit Solana Discord - newbs welcome.

There. You're armed. Go build that dApp. Hit me if it breaks - but try the fixes first. What's your first project?