requestAirdrop – Solana

The requestAirdrop JSON-RPC method allows users to request an airdrop of lamports to a specified Solana Pubkey.

The requestAirdrop RPC Solana method facilitates funding test accounts with lamports.

This is essential for developers building and testing applications on Solana Devnet without requiring real funds. The airdrop is sent as a transaction to the provided account.

Supported Networks

This method is available on the following API endpoints:

• Mainnet (limited availability)

• Devnet (primary environment for airdrops)

Parameters

Required Parameters

• string (required): The Pubkey of the account to receive the airdrop. This should be a base-58 encoded string.

• integer (required): The number of lamports to airdrop, provided as a u64 integer.

Optional Parameters

• object (optional): A configuration object containing:

  • commitment (string): Defines the level of finality for the request.

Result

The response returns a transaction signature of the airdrop.

Result Format

• string: The transaction signature as a base-58 encoded string.

Request Example

API Endpoints

https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/

cURL Example

curl

curl --location "https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/" -XPOST \
--header "Content-Type: application/json" \
--data '{
    "jsonrpc": "2.0",
    "id": 1,
    "method": "requestAirdrop",
    "params": [
      "83astBRguLMdt2h5U1Tpdq5tjFoJ6noeGwaY3mDLVcri",
      1000000000
    ]
}'

Response

A successful request returns the transaction signature of the airdrop.

Example Response

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "result": "5VERv8NMvzbJMEkV8xnrLkEaWRtSz9CosKDYjCJjBRnbJLgp8uirBgmQpjKhoR4tjF3ZpRzrFmBV6UjKdiSZkQUW",
  "id": 1
}

In this response:

• result: The transaction signature confirming the airdrop.

Error Handling

Common requestAirdrop error scenarios:

• Invalid Pubkey: If the provided Pubkey is invalid or not base-58 encoded.

• Network issues: Connectivity problems with the Solana JSON-RPC API endpoints.

• Insufficient faucet funds: When the Solana faucet runs out of lamports.

Example Error Response

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "error": {
    "code": -32602,
    "message": "Invalid Pubkey"
  },
  "id": 1
}

Use Cases

The Solana requestAirdrop method is useful for:

• Development environments: Funding test accounts on Devnet.

• Blockchain education: Demonstrating transactions without using real funds.

• Web3 applications: Simulating transaction activity.

Code requestAirdrop Example – Web3 Integration

JavaScript

const axios = require('axios');

const url = "https://go.getblock.io/<ACCESS-TOKEN>/";
const headers = { "Content-Type": "application/json" };

const payload = {
  jsonrpc: "2.0",
  id: 1,
  method: "requestAirdrop",
  params: [
    "83astBRguLMdt2h5U1Tpdq5tjFoJ6noeGwaY3mDLVcri",
    1000000000
  ]
};

const requestAirdrop = async () => {
  try {
    const response = await axios.post(url, payload, { headers });

    if (response.status === 200 && response.data.result) {
      console.log("Airdrop Transaction Signature:", response.data.result);
    } else {
      console.error("Unexpected response:", response.data);
    }
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("requestAirdrop error:", error.response?.data || error.message);
  }
};

requestAirdrop();

Integration with Web3

By integrating Web3 requestAirdrop into Solana’s Core API, developers can fund test accounts, simulate transactions, and build reliable dApps without relying on real funds. This JSON-RPC method is essential for blockchain development on Solana Devnet.