How to Hire a Solana Developer
Solana is a high-performance blockchain platform that has gained significant popularity among developers and enterprises alike. Often dubbed as the “Ethereum killer”, the blockchain’s scalability, lightning-fast transaction speed, and low transaction fees make it an ideal choice for building decentralized applications (dApps) and executing smart contracts. As a result, the demand for Solana developers has surged, leading many companies and recruiters to seek and hire Solana developers.
In terms of usage, so far in 2024 Solana has maintained a 5-day average of 578,000 active users, which is more than 26% higher than the 2023 peak of 458,210 users. Additionally, the blockchain witnessed a record-breaking 884,000 active addresses in January 2024, indicating a significant increase in user engagement within the Solana ecosystem. Due to this increased adoption, various developers have chosen to learn Solana and enter the talent pool to fill Web3 job openings.
If you’re still making up your mind or are sure that you want to hire a Solana Developer, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s walk you through everything you need to know about hiring one.
What are the job requirements of a Solana Developer?
Before you start looking for Solana developer profiles and resumes, it helps to have a list of requirements to cross-match with. Knowing what skills, qualifications and experiences are required also is useful when recruiters with non-technical or non-Web3 backgrounds are creating a Solana developer job description.
Here’s what Solana developers are expected to bring to the table.
Smart contract development: Experience in writing and deploying smart contracts using Solana's programming model and tooling, such as the Solana Command Line Interface (CLI) and Solana Software Development Kit (SDK) is important. Solana primarily uses its native Rust programming language for smart contract development, so developers should have a strong understanding of Rust concepts and best practices. Additional knowledge of C or C++ is also usually required.
Blockchain integration: Familiarity with blockchain technology, including distributed ledger systems, consensus algorithms, and cryptographic principles is essential. So is the ability to integrate Solana blockchain functionality into various applications and systems, including wallets, exchanges, and other blockchain-based platforms.
Security auditing: Understanding of common security vulnerabilities in order to conduct security audits for identifying and addressing vulnerabilities in smart contracts and DApps deployed on the Solana blockchain.
Performance optimization: Solana developers must know how to optimize the performance and scalability of DApps and smart contracts to ensure efficient execution and minimal transaction fees on the Solana network.
Problem-solving skills: The ability to analyze complex problems, debug issues, and implement effective solutions in a decentralized and distributed environment.
Continuous learning: Willingness to stay updated with the latest developments in blockchain technology and Solana ecosystem updates to adapt to evolving requirements and best practices.
Depending on a project, there could be several more expectations from a Solana developer. But overall, those mentioned above are typically the go-to in the industry.
Where to find your next Solana Developer
In order to build and expand a project on the Solana blockchain, you'll need top-notch developers with expertise in this technology. But where can recruiters find these skilled professionals? Thankfully, there are several resources available to help you find and hire Solana developers.
You could opt for traditional job hunting platforms for professionals of all backgrounds. Simply search for relevant keywords, in this case it would be "Solana blockchain developers," and you'll be presented with a list of potential candidates. You can then review their profiles, portfolios, and ratings to make an informed decision.
However, Web3 is still a niche category and it can be said that top talent isn’t very active on traditional websites. Instead, Web3 professionals can be found where there is usually a lot of crypto related interaction and activity taking place. These places include Discord servers, Twitter, and also specialized Web3 talent boards. It does take a lot of digging, but it’s a much better option than shuffling through thousands of profiles and resumes.
It’s important to note that Discord and Twitter are better suited for passive searching, as they are not specifically designed for job searches. However, networking over a few weeks may yield some potential candidates. Web3 talent boards, on the other hand, are intended for recruiters who are actively searching for candidates and want to select from a pool of talent, such as the one available at the top of this page. ☝️
Questions to ask when hiring Solana Developers
The role of a Solana developer is an important and technical one, so the recruitment team should be prepared with a variety of questions to judge a job candidate’s knowledge and experience. Hiring also takes money and resources, both, so being meticulous and careful is highly recommended before offering a job.
Here are some questions you can add to your interview lineup for Solana developer job interviews.
Can you explain the PoH (Proof of History) concept in Solana?
The purpose of this question is to test the job applicant on basic knowledge of the Solana blockchain. The ideal applicant would easily be able to answer this question by telling you what the purpose, features of the consensus mechanism are, such as VFD. Bonus points if they compare it to other consensus mechanisms like PoW, PoS, etc.
Briefly describe how Solana transactions, accounts and programs function.
The purpose of this question is to understand if the job applicant knows their way around the components that form the foundation and fuel the functionality of the Solana blockchain.
What are the benefits of building on Solana?
The purpose of this question is to have them explain what features make them choose Solana. The answer should focus on pointers like high-speed transactions, low transaction fees, and the scalability of the platform. If they also make comparisons with other blockchains in light of the benefits, that would be a plus point.
Explain two main development frameworks for building Solana applications.
The purpose of this question is to delve further into the platform and see how much working knowledge the job applicant has of Solana development frameworks. The correct answer would be Anchor and Seahorse and applicants should explain how these both simplify the process of building applications.
What are Solana Programs and how are they different from traditional ones?
The purpose of this question is to gauge how much knowledge the job applicant has of Solana Programs, whether they’ve worked on them or not, and if they’ve seen how they differ from traditional smart contracts. They should be able to tell you things like: Traditional smart contracts connect the code/argument and state to a single contract placed on-chain, while Solana Programs maintain a stateless mode and contain only program logic OR that Solana Programs can be deployed directly into the core of the network as Native Programs or published by anyone as On Chain Programs.
Please state what steps are involved in implementing a Solana project.
The purpose of this question is to get insight into the job applicant’s planning process, problem-solving approaches and their ability to handle challenges. It should also be able to tell you how proficient they are in Solana development.
What are the most significant challenges that the Solana Blockchain faces currently?
The purpose of this question is to gauge how much current blockchain knowledge the job applicant holds. It’s important they should know this working in the ecosystem as they will be the ones dealing with these challenges - so if they have little knowledge of the challenge, they won’t be equipped with the ability to make decisions.
Do you use any dApps made on Solana presently? If yes, describe them and their use to you.
The purpose of this question is to see if the job applicant engages regularly with the Solana ecosystem. This act would go to show that they believe in the Solana blockchain’s power and that they regularly interact with the blockchain space as a user. It’s vital that your Solana developer is able to look at Solana dApps from a user perspective so that they can provide essential feedback for your project as part of the team.
Describe your recent experiences working on a Solana project.
The purpose of this question is to explore how extensive the job applicant’s experience is and what kind of project/s they’ve been working on recently. They should be able to establish the purpose of the project, how it worked and what they did to contribute to it.
Why do you want to be part of our project/company?
The purpose of this question is to see what the job applicant’s motivation is for joining your project. It can provide insights into their passion, proactivity, and alignment with your project’s goal.
The questions above show what kind of questions you can ask applicants. You can of course do your own research and come up with broad or narrow questions, totally your preference. We hope this is enough to help you hire a Solana Developer. Scroll up to the top of the page to explore and hire Solana Developers available for work.