I've Been Building on Sand. Solana Builds on Bedrock.

Denil Bhatt — Sun, 03 May 2026 11:07:47 +0000

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.

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Your Signature is Your Identity

Denil Bhatt — Sun, 26 Apr 2026 10:57:25 +0000

Meri chabi, meri pehchan. My key, my identity. Sounds dramatic — until you realize it's literally how identity on Solana works.

Identity in Web2: The World You Know

Say there is a new social media app rolled out this week, and you plan to be a part of it. When you hop on, the first thing you are asked for is to create an account — "your identity" on the platform. You enter a username, set up a password, and voila, you are all set.

Next time you wish to access the platform, you use this combination and are allowed in. Now you can post a pic of your "Sunday Brunch" or share a clip of your "Bali Trip".

Identity on Solana: The Same, But Yours

Identity on a blockchain network such as Solana works similarly, but uses cryptography to let you generate your own username and password — what we call a Public Key and Private Key.

The public key, like a username or social media handle, acts as your identity on the Solana ecosystem, while your private key acts as the password — a proof of ownership of that identity.

The "Forgot Password" Moment

Now let's imagine you lost the password to this social media platform. What happens? You hit "Forgot Password?" The company sends you an email to reset it, and — you have your account back.

For a second, let's analyze what just happened. You lost the keys to your house, cried for help, and "Abracadabra" — someone handed you a key to access it. How? Wasn't it your own house? How could someone else hand you access? Did you actually own it?

There is no "Forgot Password" on Solana. There is no Solana Inc. support team that will fly to your rescue. No one can let you back in. Because no one owns your identity except you.

Okay, But So What?

At this point, you might be thinking — "yaa yaa, I get the idea, identity, ownership, so what??"

Here's what: your Solana identity — the keypair (public/private key) — works across every app on the network without asking anyone's permission. The tokens you hold, the votes you cast, the reputation you build — all of it is tied to one keypair that belongs entirely to you. No app can ban your keypair out of existence. No company can hand someone else your address.

I spent the past five days participating in the 100 Days of Solana challenge by MLH, understanding identity on Solana, and I realised — I never really owned my identity on Web2. But on Solana, it lives in my hands.