Agave Validator Documentation
Agave is a validator client for the Solana blockchain, maintained by the core engineering team at Anza. It is a fork of the original Solana validator software, designed for mass adoption with high-performance capabilities across finance, NFTs, payments, and gaming applications. Solana operates as a single global state machine that is open, interoperable, and decentralized. Agave is one of several Solana validator clients, providing the infrastructure to participate in network consensus and transaction processing.Get Started
Quickstart
Get a local test validator running in minutes
Installation
Install Agave from source or prebuilt binaries
What is Agave
Learn about Agave’s architecture and features
CLI Tools
Install and use the Solana CLI tool suite
Key Features
High Performance
Optimized transaction processing using pipelined architecture with TPU and TVU components
Proof-of-Stake
Energy-efficient consensus mechanism with Tower BFT for fast finality
Developer Friendly
Complete CLI tool suite with test validator for local development
Production Ready
Battle-tested on Solana mainnet-beta with comprehensive monitoring tools
Core Documentation
Understanding the Architecture
Get to know the underlying architecture of how the proof-of-stake blockchain works:- Clusters - A collection of validators that work together for consensus
- Validators - Individual nodes that form the backbone of the network
- Runtime - Native programs that are core to the validator and blockchain
- Pipelining - Optimized processing using TPU (Transaction Processing Unit) and TVU (Transaction Validation Unit)
Running a Validator
Explore what it takes to operate an Agave validator and help secure the network:- Validator vs RPC node differences
- System requirements and hardware recommendations
- Quick start guide for setting up your first validator
- Networking and firewall configuration
Command Line Tools
The Solana CLI tool suite provides everything you need to interact with the network:- Install and configure the CLI tools
- Create and manage wallets
- Choose a cluster (devnet, testnet, mainnet-beta)
- Deploy and interact with on-chain programs
Next Steps
Start Building
Follow the quickstart guide to run a local test validator and start developing on Agave