The Internet Computer has flipped a key switch in its latest technical rollout, launching a Solana Remote Procedure Call (RPC) canister now live on testnet. This development gives Internet Computer (ICP) canisters the ability to query Solana RPC endpoints directly—without relying on bridges or third-party wrappers. The move signals a cleaner, more direct connection between two of the fastest-growing blockchain ecosystems, positioning them for richer collaboration across decentralised apps and services.
The canister acts as a native access point, effectively letting smart contracts on the Internet Computer talk to Solana nodes as if they were part of the same infrastructure. It cuts out the middlemen traditionally needed to get different blockchains to communicate. No additional layers, no added trust assumptions—just two networks speaking directly. That’s a rare thing in Web3, where bridges are often the go-to method for interoperability, despite being prone to security lapses and added latency.
This is the latest chapter in the Internet Computer’s steady effort to integrate major Layer 1 networks without adding centralised elements into the mix. With the Solana RPC canister, developers can now start building tools and interfaces that bring ICP and SOL data together in real time. Use cases could include Solana asset dashboards running entirely from Internet Computer canisters, offering live analytics without ever leaving the decentralised environment. There’s also scope for visualising staking performance on Solana using ICP-based analytics engines, opening the door to more transparent, user-owned insights. Dapp developers may now start looking at dual-network setups, where Solana’s fast execution layer can be combined with ICP’s decentralised backend to power services that run end-to-end on-chain.
The testnet version of the canister is available now, allowing developers to trial the functionality ahead of full deployment. The production-ready version will be managed by the Network Nervous System (NNS), the Internet Computer’s on-chain governance system. That adds an additional layer of trust minimisation to the rollout, removing the need for a central party to oversee upgrades or maintenance once the canister is live. This keeps the ethos of decentralisation firmly in place, even as the network’s interoperability expands.
Solana’s popularity in recent months has surged thanks to a growing wave of meme coins, NFT activity, and low-fee token transfers, all running on its high-speed proof-of-history design. The Internet Computer, by contrast, has made its mark as a Web3 cloud, allowing canisters to serve full web apps, APIs, and smart contracts directly to users without depending on traditional cloud infrastructure. Where Solana brings performance, ICP brings full-stack decentralisation—combining them could mean faster, cheaper, and more transparent decentralised services than either could manage alone.
For example, a Solana dapp developer could use ICP’s HTTP outcalls to fetch cross-chain data and serve it directly to users without relying on off-chain APIs. Or a DAO on ICP could pull in Solana-based token prices or governance metrics, enabling more informed decisions across blockchain communities. The level of integration goes beyond price feeds—it’s about letting two ecosystems share logic, data, and infrastructure in a way that doesn’t compromise on trust.
Importantly, the Solana RPC canister doesn’t work like traditional interoperability solutions, which tend to rely on off-chain bridges, relayers, or oracles to pass data between networks. These methods, while common, introduce added risk. Several high-profile bridge hacks have shown how attackers can exploit centralised control points to drain funds or falsify data. With the new canister approach, Solana RPC requests are handled directly from ICP canisters using native HTTP outcalls, removing the need for any off-chain middle layer. This keeps the data path short, verifiable, and decentralised.
The development was made possible by enhancements to ICP’s outcall functionality, which now supports asynchronous HTTP calls to external blockchains. This lets canisters reach beyond the Internet Computer’s own network boundaries and interact with other protocols while still keeping execution within the WebAssembly smart contract framework. Solana is one of the first major integrations to fully leverage this model, but it likely won’t be the last. The architecture is extensible, meaning support for other blockchains could follow.
What makes the Solana RPC canister particularly useful is how straightforward it is for developers to use. Solana’s RPC API is widely documented and already used by thousands of dapps. Now, that same API is available natively to Internet Computer developers, who can incorporate it into their workflows without needing to run custom nodes, proxies, or gateways. The path from concept to prototype just got shorter.
The integration is expected to be of particular interest to analytics platforms, DeFi toolmakers, and developers building cross-chain applications. With native access to Solana data, an Internet Computer-based dapp can analyse token movements, staking yields, NFT activity, or any other metric exposed by Solana’s RPC interface. For end users, this could lead to more powerful dashboards, real-time reporting, and interactive tools that don’t rely on centralised services or closed databases.
The decision to put the production canister under NNS control reflects a long-standing commitment by the Internet Computer community to on-chain governance. Once live, the canister can be upgraded or maintained via proposals voted on by neuron holders—participants who lock ICP tokens to contribute to network decisions. This keeps technical updates in the hands of the community and ensures that core infrastructure like cross-chain RPC services evolves in line with user needs.
The next stage of the rollout will focus on testing and feedback from the developer community. Given that the canister is now available on testnet, early adopters can begin integrating it into their own dapps or monitoring solutions. The team behind the integration is expected to publish usage guides and sample code shortly, making it easier for teams to build with confidence.
This development slots into a broader vision where blockchains are no longer isolated data silos but part of a mesh of interoperable services. The goal is not just to pass tokens back and forth between chains but to let smart contracts across ecosystems collaborate meaningfully. That could mean a DAO on ICP issuing instructions to a smart contract on Solana, or a wallet interface that tracks assets across both chains using a single on-chain backend.
While the Solana RPC canister may appear technical at first glance, its wider implication is simplicity. Developers won’t need to learn a new language, integrate complex SDKs, or build trust assumptions into their code. They can use familiar Solana RPC calls, run them from ICP canisters, and create user-facing services that are faster and safer by design.
This also opens up new routes for cross-chain DeFi. An app could run its logic on the Internet Computer—storing user data, running authentication, rendering interfaces—while calling Solana smart contracts for high-speed execution. That sort of architecture wasn’t feasible in a decentralised way until now. It now becomes an option without sacrificing decentralisation or needing multi-layer trust assumptions.
As more developers test out the RPC canister and prepare for the NNS-controlled launch, the shift towards direct, native interoperability looks set to accelerate. The chains that thrive in Web3 won’t just be the fastest or cheapest—they’ll be the ones that play well with others without compromising on core principles. This Solana–ICP link-up is an early glimpse of how that might work.
