When I first read "everything in Solana is an account" — I had exactly three questions on my mind. 🤔
What does "account" even mean here?
What does "everything" actually look like?
And... why?
If you, like me, come from a Web2 background and live with an assumption that data lives somewhere "magical" ✨ — some lowest layer under the world — you know the feeling. You deploy your backend, your database spins up, and data just... exists. It's not your primary concern. You're thinking about APIs, auth, maybe caching. Storage is already handled — a line item on your AWS bill, baked into your infra cost, invisible by design.
Nobody told you to think about it first hand. So you didn't.
But in Week 2, when I was learning about the fundamental unit of data storage, Solana said: everything is an account. 🤨
| Holding | Account Type |
|---|---|
| Your wallet, SOL balance | System Account |
| A specific token balance | Token Account |
| Deployed executable code | Program Account |
| Program state / stored data | Data Account |
Same container, different purpose.
After digesting this, if I had to condense "Account" in one line, I would say:
An account is a persistent data container that stores state, SOL balances, or program code — identified by a unique public key.
Now remember that magical place where Web2 data just exists?
Solana looked me in the eyes and said — "yeah, that's not how this works here."
On Solana, storage isn't free or permanent by default. The protocol enforces a Rent system — a refundable deposit of SOL proportional to the bytes used. 💰
When I heard "accounts pay rent to stay alive on Solana", my mind had two reactions at once:
- 💡 "Wow, that's a smart way to value your infra and use it wisely."
- 🤨 "Monetizing the core component of any application? Brilliant business idea."
Both reactions are still alive in me. I haven't resolved the tension. Maybe I don't need to yet.
That's when it hit me. ✨
In Web2, storage takes a back seat — not a concern until you're seriously hunting for optimization.
Solana treats it as a first class citizen. You think about it first, not last.
But here's what's still floating for me: Transactions, Instructions, Programs. I see these words everywhere in the docs. I know they matter. I just don't have the mental model yet — the same way I didn't have one for accounts two weeks ago.
Week 3, I'm coming for you. 🫡
This is part of my #100DaysOfSolana journey with MLH. I'm documenting everything — the clicks, the confusion, and everything in between. Follow along if Web3 has been on your curiosity list.
