Solana Stream SDK Now Fully Updated for the Solana v3 Upgrade
Solana Stream SDK Now Fully Updated for the Solana v3 Upgrade
ELSOUL LABO B.V. (Headquarters: Amsterdam, The Netherlands; CEO: Fumitake Kawasaki) and Validators DAO have released new versions of the open-source Solana Stream SDK, now fully updated to support the Solana v3 upgrade. Both the Rust and TypeScript editions have been upgraded to ensure reliable and high-performance access to Solana’s real-time data streams, including Shreds and Geyser gRPC, in the coming Alpenglow era.
The Rust crate
solana-stream-sdk now supports Solana v3 with version 0.6.1, while the TypeScript / Node.js package @validators-dao/solana-stream-sdk has been updated to version 0.12.0. Together they provide a unified foundation for high-performance stream processing as Solana transitions to its next-generation architecture.Background – Why Solana v3 and Alpenglow Require Client-Side Updates
Solana v3 marks a major transition toward the new Alpenglow consensus architecture. Alpenglow replaces the existing TowerBFT + Proof of History combination with a redesigned consensus path aimed at dramatically improving network responsiveness. Under Alpenglow, finality is expected to shorten from roughly 12 seconds today to around 100–150 milliseconds.
This shift fundamentally changes the pace of block production and the propagation characteristics of real-time data across the network.
This shift fundamentally changes the pace of block production and the propagation characteristics of real-time data across the network.
At the same time, validators and RPC operators face increased operational demands under v3, with more frequent build cycles and configuration updates. Validators DAO has been modernizing the server-side environment through tools such as SLV, but this transition also highlights a critical point:
Client software must also update to v3, or the performance gains of the network cannot be fully realized.
This is especially true for real-time streams such as Shreds and Geyser gRPC. Clients that do not follow the new specifications or runtime characteristics tend to accumulate latency or lose consistency over time. As RPC nodes and validators move to v3, client software must now migrate in parallel.
The goal of this Solana Stream SDK update is to bridge that gap and provide a ready-to-use foundation for real-time applications in the Alpenglow era.
What’s New in Solana Stream SDK v0.6.1 (Rust) and v0.12.0 (TypeScript)
The Solana Stream SDK has been designed from the start to support both Shreds and Geyser gRPC. In this release, the SDK has been updated with several improvements to ensure stable performance on Solana v3 and readiness for the Alpenglow-based runtime.
Rust Crate v0.6.1
The Rust edition is designed as a high-performance reference implementation for traders, indexers, and any real-time workloads requiring maximum throughput. Key updates include:
- Support for the protocol changes in the Solana v3 series
- Efficient processing of Shreds and Geyser gRPC streams via Rust’s asynchronous runtime
- A refined wrapper around Shreds-related protobuf definitions, making stream-processing logic easier to implement
- Multi-threaded execution paths optimized to minimize latency accumulation even under sustained high throughput
The Rust edition is recommended for users who need to fully leverage Shreds and Geyser gRPC at the highest possible performance level.
TypeScript / Node.js v0.12.0
The TypeScript edition is designed to preserve the ergonomics of Node.js development while incorporating Rust-powered stream processing under the hood. In v0.12.0, the following enhancements have been applied:
- Full retention of the existing event-driven interface (such as
emitter.on) to avoid breaking changes - Integration of Rust and NAPI-RS for internal stream handling, allowing Node.js to process Shreds reliably where
@grpc/grpc-jspreviously reached its limits - Updated handling of both Geyser gRPC and Shreds streams to ensure compatibility with Solana v3
For most users, upgrading to v0.12.0 simply requires bumping the version in package.json—no code modifications are necessary.
Why Node.js Alone Cannot Keep Up with Shreds
ShredStream is the lowest-latency, highest-frequency data source in Solana’s ecosystem. While Shreds enable unmatched real-time visibility into network activity, they also demand very high processing throughput from the client.
Node.js clients built on
@grpc/grpc-js face structural bottlenecks:- The event loop is single-threaded, so protobuf deserialization and user callbacks block each other
- When messages arrive rapidly, the JavaScript thread becomes saturated and processing queues build up
- HTTP/2 flow control reduces the receiving window as buffers fill, eventually pausing the stream and causing the appearance of “network slowdown” or “no data”
In many observed cases, the issue is not the network nor the ShredStream server—it is the Node.js client falling behind internally.
This limitation is inherent to Node.js when handling unfiltered Shreds at scale.
Rust + NAPI-RS overcomes this.
How Rust + NAPI-RS Accelerates Node.js Stream Processing
The TypeScript edition of Solana Stream SDK offloads heavy work to Rust while preserving familiar JavaScript APIs.
- gRPC connection management, stream ingestion, and protobuf deserialization are executed asynchronously in Rust
- Node.js receives the processed data as a standard stream or event emitter, allowing existing code to continue working as-is
- NAPI-RS minimizes overhead between Rust and Node.js, enabling true multi-threaded throughput behind a JavaScript interface
As a result, applications written with the Solana Stream SDK can handle significantly greater Shred and Geyser gRPC throughput compared to Node.js-only approaches using
@grpc/grpc-js, while maintaining stable latency characteristics even under heavy traffic.Why Supporting Both Shreds and Geyser gRPC in One SDK Matters
Solana’s real-time data can be viewed in two complementary layers:
- Shreds:
Extremely low-latency fragments emitted directly from the leader, offering the earliest possible view of chain activity - Geyser gRPC:
Structured streams of slots, transactions, and account updates, providing a clean and predictable data model
Solana Stream SDK enables developers to start with Geyser gRPC to understand data structures, then transition to Shreds for ultra-low-latency scenarios—without switching tools or rewriting their pipeline.
As Alpenglow accelerates block production and confirmation, this dual-layer approach becomes even more valuable.
Getting Started: Resources and Test Environments
The Solana Stream SDK is fully open-source, and sample code for both Shreds and Geyser gRPC is available on GitHub.
Rust Crate (v0.6.1): https://crates.io/crates/solana-stream-sdk
npm (TypeScript, v0.12.0): https://www.npmjs.com/package/@validators-dao/solana-stream-sdk
GitHub - Solana Stream SDK: https://github.com/ValidatorsDAO/solana-stream
For real-world testing, ERPC offers a one-day free trial for high-performance ShredStream and Geyser gRPC endpoints, allowing developers to validate v3 behavior under production-grade conditions.
ERPC Official Website: https://erpc.global/
Join the Validators DAO Community
Questions, feedback, and discussions about Solana v3, Alpenglow, real-time stream design, or SDK improvements are welcome in the Validators DAO community.
Validators DAO Official Discord: https://discord.gg/C7ZQSrCkYR
As Solana transitions into the Alpenglow era, its network will achieve unprecedented levels of real-time performance. Validators DAO and ELSOUL LABO will continue providing high-quality open-source tools to help developers build the next generation of real-time applications on Solana.
Thank you for your continued support.
