Have you ever heard of Solana? If you're not very familiar with cryptocurrencies and blockchains (as many of our readers), this might be the first time.

For the moment, you don't have to know much beyond the fact that Solana is a blockchain. We'll explain what it means that the team behind the blockchain just introduced Actions and Blinks.

So what’s up?

Actions and Blinks sound catchy, but it's more than that. They are developer frameworks which can bring crypto to any website.

Imagine scrolling through Facebook or X to discover a post from one of your friends. One simple click gets you into the crypto world – without worrying about the negative headlines you may have come across in the past.

In a nutshell, Solana has removed the friction between the internet which you (and most other people) are familiar with and the growing part that's often described as Web3. How they did it? That's what we're explaining today.

Let’s get started! 🤓

Solana Blinks are pretty cool, but they're the second step. In the background, they're powered by Solana Actions. Imagine Actions as Lego bricks which you can use to build all kinds of different Blinks.

Technically, Actions enable transactions on the Solana blockchain to be customized. It could be simple links or a QR code (which is just another way of showing a link) and many other things. However, that part is quite technical and mostly relevant for developers.

For everyday users, the advantage is that the main function of any application (e.g. sending a payment) can be integrated into any frontend (e.g. your own website).

Sounds like a big step forward for crypto? Kind of. In the composable world of blockchains, similar integrations have long been possible.

When Solana Actions are combined with Blinks, however, the story is different.

Actions and Blinks as a shortcut

Blinks (short for "blockchain links") turn Actions into links which can simply be shared, e.g. on social media. It's a shortcut to the Solana blockchain.

With Blinks, you can share a blockchain-based transaction as a URL on any website where you can display such a URL. You can use more or less the entire internet to display such a link.

You want to buy a concert ticket which is issued as an NFT? Click on a Blink. You want to send money to a friend abroad? Click on a Blink. You can imagine the possibilities.

Anybody who has dabbled with cryptocurrencies knows that setting up a wallet and transacting on a blockchain can be quite complicated. The learning curve is pretty steep. With Blinks, you can easily avoid many of the complicated bits.

Are Blinks for everybody?

You can avoid many of the complicated bits, but not all of them (at least for now). There are still some requirements. Most importantly, you need a Solana wallet to use Blinks.

Have you ever added an extension to the browser? A wallet like Phantom or Backpack is just that. It even allows you to easily buy crypto with a credit card (in most countries). 

You also have to opt-in to Blinks in your wallet. It's just a switch, but it's something to remember.

While that means that the process is not entirely frictionless for anybody who isn't a crypto-native (yet), early signs are positive. Solana's daily transactions went up after the launch of Actions and Blinks, and that may just be the beginning.

Blinks have already been described as Solana's "YouTube moment when they allowed videos to be embedded anywhere on the internet."

Summary

Actions and Blinks are a stepping stone for crypto adoption, nothing less.

The most popular wallet for Solana is Phantom which reached seven million monthly active users in April. That's a significant number, but it's nothing to the user base of current social media giants.

Bringing both of these worlds together may therefore look like an important milestone in the coming months and years.

That’s the end for today! 😢