🪙 Solana Token Tutorial — Token-2022 (2025 Edition)

A modern, streamlined workflow for creating and testing your own Solana token using the Token-2022 program with built-in metadata extensions.

All steps are tested and work on Windows (via WSL), macOS, and Linux using Devnet.

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🧩 Step-by-Step Tutorial

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⚙️ Pre-Step: Windows Setup (WSL Requirement)

If you’re on Windows, Solana development requires the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).

Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:

wsl --install

Restart your PC when prompted, then open Ubuntu from the Start menu.
You’ll be asked to create a Linux username and password — that’s your local user account.

💡 Once WSL is installed, all remaining steps are performed inside the Ubuntu terminal, not PowerShell.

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1️⃣ Install Solana CLI & Dependencies (Official Solana Installer)

Run the official installer from the Solana documentation:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSfL https://solana-install.solana.workers.dev | bash

Example successful output:

Installed Versions:
Rust: rustc 1.86.0 (05f9846f8 2025-03-31)
Solana CLI: solana-cli 2.2.12 (src:0315eb6a; feat:1522022101, client:Agave)
Anchor CLI: anchor-cli 0.31.1
Node.js: v23.11.0
Yarn: 1.22.1

Verify installation:

rustc --version && solana --version && anchor --version && node --version && yarn --version

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2️⃣ Create a Wallet

Switch to the Devnet (Solana’s free public test network):

solana config set --url devnet

Create a wallet:

solana-keygen new --outfile ~/.config/solana/devnet.json

This will create your wallet and output your public key — save it somewhere safe.

Set it as the active wallet for the Solana CLI:

solana config set --keypair ~/.config/solana/devnet.json

Check your config:

solana config get

Request some Devnet SOL for testing:

solana airdrop 2

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3️⃣ Create a Token Mint (Token-2022)

Token-2022 allows on-chain metadata, decimals configuration, and future-proof extensions.

spl-token create-token --program-id TokenzQdBNbLqP5VEhdkAS6EPFLC1PHnBqCXEpPxuEb --enable-metadata --decimals 9

Copy the mint address from the output.

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4️⃣ Create Token Account

spl-token create-account <MINT_ADDRESS>

This creates a wallet account capable of holding your new token.

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5️⃣ Mint Token Supply

spl-token mint <MINT_ADDRESS> 1000000

This mints 1,000,000 tokens to your account.

Check balances:

spl-token balance <MINT_ADDRESS>

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6️⃣ Verify in Solana Explorer

Visit:

https://explorer.solana.com/address/<MINT_ADDRESS>?cluster=devnet

Your token will not display with its name, symbol, and image since we haven't added metadata yet.

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7️⃣ Add Metadata (Image + Description)

📁 Folder Setup

Create a local folder, e.g. metadata/, with two files:

metadata/
 ├── mytoken-logo.png
 └── metadata.json

metadata.json example:

{
  "name": "MyToken Token",
  "symbol": "MTK",
  "description": "The official utility token of the MyToken project — an example Solana token used for this tutorial.",
  "image": "mytoken-logo.png",
  "external_url": "https://mytoken.io",
  "attributes": [
    { "trait_type": "Category", "value": "Utility" },
    { "trait_type": "Network", "value": "Solana Devnet" }
  ],
  "properties": {
    "files": [{ "uri": "mytoken-logo.png", "type": "image/png" }],
    "category": "image",
    "creators": [{ "address": "<YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS>", "share": 100 }]
  }
}

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8️⃣ Upload to IPFS (via Pinata or Storacha)

You can host your token metadata on any IPFS gateway. Below are two simple options:

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🅰 Option 1 — Pinata

1. Upload the entire metadata folder to Pinata.
2. Copy the folder’s CID (e.g. bafybeihabc123...).
3. Your JSON file will now be hosted at:

https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json

and the image at:

https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/mytoken-logo.png

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🅱 Option 2 — Storacha (Alternative Gateway)

If you prefer a decentralized, fast gateway alternative:

1. Visit https://storacha.network
2. Click Upload Folder and select your metadata directory.
3. After upload, Storacha will return a CID (e.g. bafkreihxyz789...).
4. Your hosted files will be accessible at:

https://storacha.network/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json

and

https://storacha.network/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/mytoken-logo.png

🧠 Tip: both Pinata and Storacha host the same IPFS content, so you can use either gateway URL interchangeably in the next step.

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✅ Continue to Step 9

Once you have your folder’s CID from either service, proceed to attach it to your token:

spl-token initialize-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> "MyToken Token" "MTK" "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json"

Replace the URL with your chosen gateway (Pinata or Storacha).

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9️⃣ Attach Metadata to the Token

spl-token initialize-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> "MyToken Token" "MTK" "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json"

This associates your metadata with your Token-2022 mint.

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🔟 Transfer Tokens

spl-token transfer <MINT_ADDRESS> 100 <RECIPIENT_ADDRESS>

This sends 100 tokens to another wallet.

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1️⃣1️⃣ (Optional) Update Metadata Later

Need to change your token’s name, symbol, or URI after launch? Use the Token-2022 metadata update command.

🔐 You must sign with the current metadata update authority set during initialization.

Update any subset of fields (include only what you want to change):

# Examples (pick what you need)
spl-token update-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> --name "MyToken Pro"
spl-token update-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> --symbol "MTKP"
spl-token update-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> --uri "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<NEW_FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json"

# Or all at once:
spl-token update-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS>   --name "MyToken Pro"   --symbol "MTKP"   --uri "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<NEW_FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json"

Then refresh views:

• Explorer: reload the mint page.
• Wallets: restart / clear cache (Phantom: Settings → Troubleshooting → Clear cache).

ℹ️ Note: Phantom may still show “Unknown Token” if it can’t resolve your JSON via the Metaplex metadata path. The token will still display balances. Wallets like Solflare fully display Token-2022 metadata (name/logo).

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🚀 How to Deploy to Mainnet-Beta

Once your token works on Devnet, you can easily deploy it to the real Solana network (Mainnet-Beta).
The process is identical — the only difference is which cluster your CLI is targeting.

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🌐 1️⃣ Switch to Mainnet-Beta

Run this command:

solana config set --url https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com

Confirm:

solana config get

It should show:

RPC URL: https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com

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💰 2️⃣ Fund Your Wallet with Real SOL

You’ll need real SOL to cover:

• Transaction fees
• Token creation fees
• Metadata initialization fees

Transfer SOL from an exchange (e.g. Coinbase, Binance, Kraken) to your wallet’s public address.

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⚙️ 3️⃣ Repeat the Same Steps

All token creation and metadata commands are exactly the same:

• spl-token create-token ...
• spl-token create-account ...
• spl-token mint ...
• spl-token initialize-metadata ...

Just make sure you’re now on mainnet-beta and not devnet.

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🔍 4️⃣ Verify Your Token on Explorer

After deploying, view it here:

https://explorer.solana.com/address/<MINT_ADDRESS>

⚠️ No “?cluster=devnet” this time — mainnet is the default.

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🧠 5️⃣ Tips Before Going Live

• Double-check your metadata URI is permanent and hosted on IPFS (Pinata / Storacha).
• Once launched, edits on mainnet cost real SOL.
• Test everything on Devnet first, then deploy to mainnet when ready.

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🧭 Quick Recap

For reference, here’s the full command sequence:

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✅ Quick Reference Summary

Step	Command	Purpose
Pre	wsl --install	Set up WSL on Windows
1	Solana installer	Install all dependencies
2	solana config set --url devnet	Switch to Devnet
3	solana-keygen new	Create wallet
4	spl-token create-token --program-id TokenzQdBNbLqP5VEhdkAS6EPFLC1PHnBqCXEpPxuEb --enable-metadata --decimals 9	Create Token-2022 mint
5	spl-token create-account <MINT_ADDRESS>	Create token account
6	Explorer	Verify token in Explorer
6.5	spl-token mint <MINT_ADDRESS> 1000000	Mint supply
7	spl-token initialize-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> "MyToken" "MTK" "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/<FOLDER_CID>/metadata.json"	Attach metadata
8	spl-token transfer <MINT_ADDRESS> 100 <RECIPIENT_ADDRESS>	Transfer tokens
11 (opt)	spl-token update-metadata <MINT_ADDRESS> --name/--symbol/--uri ...	Update metadata later
🚀	solana config set --url https://api.mainnet-beta.solana.com	Deploy to Mainnet-Beta

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🧠 Author: BlockExplorer
📅 Updated: October 2025
📘 Version: Token-2022 Tutorial Edition