In our previous articles, we covered how Web3 tokens get their value and broke down the new standards in What is Token 2022 and why Solana built it. You understand authorities, token accounts, and the extensions available.
Now the question is what you actually build.
Token extensions are building blocks for real products. Each extension solves a specific problem. By leveraging Token 2022 via modern client libraries, you can build applications from frontend or backend scripts that would have required custom smart contracts before.
Here are some app ideas, the extensions they use, and the tools to start building them.
1. Creator Subscription Platform
Subscribers hold a token that grants monthly access to exclusive content. The token cannot be resold or moved between wallets.
Extensions: Non-transferable tokens prevent resale; metadata stores the creator name, tier, and subscription period.
How it works: Create one mint per creator per subscription period, one for "Creator X - January 2026," another for February. When a user subscribes, bundle a USDC payment with a non-transferable token mint into a single atomic transaction.
Use one mint per period because Token-2022 metadata is mint-level, every holder of a given mint reads the same expiry. Gating access is then a direct read of the period from the mint's on-chain metadata against the current date.
To reclaim or burn subscription tokens directly, add PermanentDelegate at mint creation. The extension itself can never be removed once the mint is initialized, though the delegate authority can be rotated or set to None via SetAuthority.
Tools: @solana/kit, @solana-program/token-2022, Next.js or React.
2. Loyalty Rewards Program
A business issues loyalty points as tokens. Customers earn points on purchases and redeem them for discounts.
Extensions: Non-transferable tokens keep points tied to the customer; the business retains mint authority to issue new points; metadata displays the brand.
How it works: Each business gets its own token mint. The backend mints points directly into the customer's token account on purchase events. Customers connect their wallet to a redemption portal to spend points.
On-chain identity here is pseudonymous, not private, wallet balances and minting activity are visible to anyone. Non-transferability stops third parties from trading or seizing the points, but doesn't hide them from view.
Tools: @solana/kit, @solana-program/token-2022, Node.js, React, Solana Pay.
3. Regulated Investment Token
A real estate company tokenizes a property. Only verified investors can hold the token, and the company needs a way to freeze accounts and recover tokens if compliance requires it.
Extensions: Default account state can be set to frozen so new holders start out locked until KYC clears. Freeze authority handles ongoing compliance actions, like freezing an account that falls out of good standing. A permanent delegate provides a recovery path for legal scenarios. Metadata stores property details and links to legal documentation.
How it works: New investor token accounts start frozen and are thawed after the investor passes KYC. The freeze authority can re-freeze any account later if compliance requires it, and the permanent delegate handles court-ordered recovery if it ever comes to that.
Tools: @solana/kit and @solana-program/token-2022 for the mint, freeze actions, and delegate operations, plus a KYC provider API for investor verification.
4. In-Game Currency with Transaction Fees
Players earn an in-game currency through gameplay and trade it with each other. The studio automatically collects a small fee on every user-to-user transfer to generate ongoing revenue from the game economy.
Extensions: Transfer fees collect a percentage on every token movement; metadata handles branding like names, icons, and descriptions; mint authority is retained so the studio can inject new currency into the economy via gameplay achievements.
How it works: Fees are configured at mint creation and collected automatically on token transfers with no custom program or market smart contract required. When players send tokens to each other, the configured fee is withheld directly inside the recipient's token account.
Because fees accumulate quietly inside thousands of individual player accounts, the studio's withdraw-withheld authority can periodically collect these withheld amounts and pool them into a central treasury wallet, without touching player balances.
Tools: @solana/kit, @solana-program/token-2022, a game client SDK, and an administrative backend.
Patterns to Notice
@solana-program/token-2022 is often all you need. For loyalty, subscriptions, in-game currencies, and yield-bearing wrappers, you can usually compose instructions against it from @solana/kit and skip Rust. Reach for Anchor when you need to build custom programs or manage complex state logic that standard extensions don't cover.
Plan compatibility before mint creation. Not every extension pairs with every other extension. Some combinations are blocked because their behaviors conflict (for example, anything that gates or modifies transfers tends to clash with non-transferability). Most extensions can't be added after mint creation, so check the compatibility matrix in the Token-2022 docs before committing to a design.
"No Rust required" is not "no centralized authority required." Permanent delegate, freeze authority, mint authority, and withdraw-withheld authority are centralized controls encoded in extension config. If any are live on your token, make sure to state them clearly in your project's docs or UI.
Start thinking about what you want to build
You have the fundamentals. The app ideas above are starting points, take one, modify it, make it your own.
Keep building. See you on Discord.
100 Days of Solana is a free daily coding challenge: https://mlh.link/solana-100
