Solana (SOL), often branded as one of the fastest blockchains, has reached a new benchmark in performance. Over the weekend, the network briefly recorded more than 100,000 transactions per second (TPS) during a stress test. While this figure highlights the blockchain’s technical capacity, the real throughput for everyday use remains far lower.
A Historic Spike in Solana’s Throughput
According to Solana developer and Helius co-founder Mert Mumtaz, the blockchain became the first major chain to surpass 100,000 TPS on mainnet. A single block processed 43,016 successful transactions and 50 failures, bringing the total throughput to 107,540 TPS.
However, the majority of these transactions were “noop” program calls—lightweight instructions that don’t change state or execute meaningful operations. These calls are typically used for network stress tests, meaning they are not equivalent to real-world token transfers or DeFi trades.
The milestone shows potential network capacity, not actual daily performance.
Despite hitting six figures in a stress environment, Solana’s current real-world TPS is far lower:
- 3,700 TPS total (according to Solscan)
- But around two-thirds are validator voting transactions
- 1,000–1,050 TPS true throughput, based on Solscan and Chainspect data
This highlights an important distinction: while Solana is capable of massive spikes, its everyday transaction power is closer to 1,000 TPS. Even so, that remains significantly higher than most blockchains, including Ethereum.
Mumtaz argued that if Solana can handle 100K TPS in program calls, it could theoretically manage 80K+ TPS in practical operations like token transfers, oracle updates, and DeFi transactions.
This makes Solana a strong candidate for scaling mass-market blockchain applications, from high-frequency trading platforms to Web3 gaming ecosystems.
Still, the reliance on validator votes and memecoin activity means that the true “utility” of Solana’s throughput is still evolving.
Interestingly, despite these technical breakthroughs, memecoins continue to dominate Solana’s usage. The Pump.fun platform, dedicated to minting and trading memecoins, currently accounts for 62% of the total value locked (TVL) on the chain.
At the same time, DeFi adoption on Solana has been surging. According to DefiLlama, Solana’s DeFi TVL has climbed to $10.7 billion, nearing its all-time high from January.
Following the stress test, Solana’s native token (SOL) saw a minor correction. Prices dipped to $183, down from last week’s $208 high, as broader crypto markets cooled.
Even so, the technical milestone reinforces Solana’s narrative as one of the most scalable blockchains in the industry. If developers can translate theoretical throughput into practical transaction processing, Solana could cement its position as a go-to chain for high-speed applications.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.