Instead of sending SOL to 7xKXtg2CW87d97TXJSDpbD5jBkheTqA83TZRuJosgAsU, you can send it to alice.sol. That's the core value proposition of the Solana Name Service (SNS) — human-readable names that replace cryptographic wallet addresses for transactions, identity, and more.
Domain name services aren't unique to Solana. Ethereum has ENS (.eth domains), and virtually every major chain has some equivalent. But Solana's naming ecosystem has some distinct characteristics: it's cheaper, faster, and has multiple competing providers offering different TLDs (top-level domains). This guide covers all of it.
What Is the Solana Name Service (SNS)?
The Solana Name Service is a protocol originally built by Bonfida that maps human-readable .sol domain names to on-chain data — primarily Solana wallet addresses, but also IPFS content hashes, social profiles, and arbitrary records.
Update (September 2026): SNS shipped a major infrastructure change in August 2026. Every domain that existed before the August 17, 2026 snapshot was renamed .sns (records, subdomains, and ownership unchanged), and its holder was delivered a matching .sol domain at no cost. The new .sol is being rebuilt on the Solana Foundation's Solana Record Service, and SNS has asked ICANN to recognize .sol as an official top-level domain — full SRS-based .sol activation is rolling out gradually into Q4 2026 and Q1 2027. Registrations made since the snapshot (reopened under .sns) don't carry a free .sol pairing. Everything below describes the SNS-program domain — currently issued as .sns, with .sol following the same registration flow through sns.id as the rollout continues.
How it works technically:
- Each
.sol domain is an NFT (SPL token) stored in your Solana wallet
- The domain maps to a registry of records on-chain (wallet address, IPFS hash, social handles, etc.)
- Anyone can resolve a
.sol name to its underlying wallet address using the SNS SDK or API
- Because domains are NFTs, they can be traded on marketplaces, transferred between wallets, and managed like any other token
Key stats (2026):
- Hundreds of thousands of
.sol/.sns domains registered
- Domains are supported by all major Solana wallets and applications
- Registration cost: $20-750/year depending on domain length
Registering a .sol Domain
Step 1: Search for Availability
Go to sns.id (the official SNS frontend by Bonfida) and type your desired domain name.
The search will show:
- Whether the name is available
- The registration price
- If taken, the current owner
Step 2: Understand Pricing
.sol domain pricing is based on the length of the name:
| Domain Length | Annual Cost (approximate) |
|---|
| 1 character | $750 |
| 2 characters | $700 |
| 3 characters | $640 |
| 4 characters | $160 |
| 5+ characters | $20 |
Prices are denominated in USDC but can be paid in SOL, USDC, or other SPL tokens. Shorter names cost more because they're scarcer and more valuable — just like traditional domain names.
Important: .sol domains can be registered for 1-10+ years. You pay upfront for the registration period. There are no automatic renewals — if your domain expires and you don't renew, someone else can register it.
Step 3: Register
- Connect your Phantom or other Solana wallet to sns.id
- Select the domain you want
- Choose your registration period (1 year minimum)
- Select payment token (SOL, USDC, etc.)
- Approve the transaction
- The domain NFT appears in your wallet within seconds
Step 4: Set Your Primary Domain
After registering, set it as your primary domain (also called "favorite domain"):
- Go to "My Domains" on sns.id
- Click on your domain
- Click "Set as Primary"
- Approve the transaction
Your primary domain is what applications display next to your wallet address. When someone looks up your wallet, they'll see your .sol name instead of the raw address.
Setting Up Your .sol Domain
Linking Your Wallet Address
By default, your .sol domain resolves to the wallet that registered it. To change this (point it to a different wallet):
- Go to your domain on sns.id
- Click "Records" or "Edit"
- Update the SOL address record
- Approve the transaction
You can also add records for other blockchains — map your .sol domain to your Ethereum address, Bitcoin address, and others. This creates a universal identity across chains.
Adding Profile Information
SNS supports various record types you can attach to your domain:
- SOL address: The primary wallet address (set by default)
- Other crypto addresses: ETH, BTC, and other chain addresses
- IPFS content hash: Point your domain to a decentralized website
- URL: A traditional web URL
- Avatar: Profile picture URL
- Email: Contact email
- Discord, Twitter, Telegram: Social handles
- Bio/Description: Short text description
These records can be read by any application that integrates with SNS, creating a portable on-chain profile.
Subdomains
You can create subdomains under your .sol domain. For example, if you own alice.sol, you can create:
payments.alice.sol — A separate address for receiving paymentsnfts.alice.sol — A dedicated NFT collection addressdao.alice.sol — An address for DAO-related activities
Subdomains are free to create (just a transaction fee) and can each point to different wallet addresses.
AllDomains: Alternative TLDs on Solana
AllDomains is a platform that offers alternative top-level domains on Solana beyond .sol. These include community-driven TLDs tied to specific Solana projects and communities.
Available TLDs include:
.bonk — Tied to the BONK memecoin community.abc — General-purpose alternative.poor — Community/meme domain.superteam — Superteam DAO community.backpack — Backpack ecosystem- And many others
How AllDomains Differs from SNS
| Feature | SNS (.sol) | AllDomains |
|---|
| Primary TLD | .sol | .bonk, .abc, .poor, etc. |
| Operator | Bonfida | AllDomains protocol |
| Wallet support | Universal | Growing |
| Marketplace | Multiple | AllDomains marketplace |
| Price range | $2-750+/year | Varies by TLD, often cheaper |
| Best for | Primary identity | Community identity, collecting |
Should you get an AllDomains name? If you're part of a specific Solana community (BONK holders, Superteam members, etc.), having a matching domain is a fun identity signal. But for practical use (sending/receiving funds), .sol domains have far wider support across wallets and applications. AllDomains names are increasingly supported but not yet universal.
Registering on AllDomains
- Go to alldomains.id
- Browse available TLDs or search for a name
- Select the TLD you want
- Connect your wallet and register
- The domain NFT goes to your wallet
Bonfida: The Team Behind SNS
Bonfida is the team that built the Solana Name Service protocol. Besides SNS, Bonfida also operates:
- sns.id: The primary frontend for registering and managing
.sol domains
- Name tokenization: The system that makes domains tradeable as NFTs
- SNS SDK: Developer tools for integrating
.sol domain resolution into applications
- Bonfida API: Lookup and resolution API for domain queries
Bonfida is essentially the Solana equivalent of what ENS Labs is to Ethereum Name Service. They built the core protocol, though governance has been shifting to the community since SNS launched its own $SNS governance token in 2025 — Bonfida now facilitates that transition rather than solely running the show, and the protocol itself remains permissionless and open-source.
