Connecting to Solana: Clusters and Local Validators | Beginner To Advanced Part 1 (2026)

Description

Beginner to Advanced Solana Development series Part 1: Using: Solana Kit, Surfpool Studio and Solana. You’ll learn how to connect to the Solana blockchain using the modern Solana Kit SDK, understand the different Solana clusters (mainnet, devnet, testnet, and localnet), and verify that your application is communicating correctly with the network. We also spin up a local Solana validator using Surfpool Studio, allowing unlimited airdrops and full visibility into transactions, a critical setup for serious development. Twitter: https://x.com/digbenjamins Join Discord server: https://discord.gg/S4JJQ5cvq4 Get the best RPC and VPS infrastructure: https://cloud.solanavibestation.com/?affid=3 GitHub: https://github.com/digbenjamins/mastering-solana What to expect: - What are Solana clusters, and what is the difference between mainnet, devnet, testnet, and localnet? - How do you connect to a Solana cluster using the new Solana Kit SDK? - What is an RPC endpoint, and why does every Solana app need one? - How can you verify that your application is successfully connected to Solana? - Why should developers use a local Solana validator (Surfpool) instead of devnet? - How do airdrops work on Solana, and why are they not available on mainnet? - What are lamports, and how do they relate to SOL balances? - How can Surfpool Studio help with local Solana development and debugging?