Solana milestone timeline
A reading reference for major events in Solana's documented history. Each entry links to primary sources we use in briefing sessions.
This timeline is maintained by Spark BridgeCore researchers and updated when significant mainnet events or governance milestones occur. It is a study aid, not a news feed — we prioritize events that change how you read subsequent documentation.
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Whitepaper published
Anatoly Yakovenko publishes "Solana: A new architecture for a high performance blockchain" introducing Proof of History as a verifiable delay function for ordering transactions before consensus.
Testnet launch
First public testnet demonstrates sub-second block times on lab hardware. Early feedback shapes turbine block propagation design.
Mainnet beta
Solana mainnet beta goes live. Initial validator set is small; token inflation schedule begins per published economics paper.
Major outage & restart
Network halts for approximately 17 hours after resource exhaustion from a bot-driven transaction flood. Community publishes detailed restart procedure; leads to stake-weighted QoS discussions.
FTX/Alameda collapse
Solana Foundation and Labs publish statements on treasury exposure and ecosystem support programs. Independent of our library, this period heavily influences subsequent Foundation grant structure.
Agave validator client
Anza spins out from Solana Labs; Agave becomes the primary open-source validator client. Release notes become essential reading for anyone tracking network upgrades.
Firedancer progress
Jump Crypto's alternative validator client advances through testnet milestones. Frankendancer hybrid deployment on mainnet introduces new reading material on client diversity.
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