As a developer coming from Web2 and traditional backend systems, one of the biggest mindset shifts while learning Solana is understanding the account model.
At first, accounts sound simple:
“everything is an account.”
But after exploring it deeper, I realized Solana is not trying to replace databases; it’s solving a completely different problem: how to manage state in a decentralized environment where no single entity owns the system.
Today I compared traditional databases with Solana accounts using the Solana CLI and Devnet.
🧠 Traditional Database vs Solana Accounts
| Concept | Traditional Database | Solana Accounts |
|---|---|---|
| Data location | Rows in tables on a centralized server | Accounts on a distributed ledger across validators |
| Schema | Defined by the database (SQL DDL, document schema) | Defined by the owning program; stored as raw bytes in the account’s data field |
| Access control | Application-level auth (SQL roles, app middleware) | Enforced by the runtime: only the owning program can modify an account, and only with the required signer(s) |
| Cost of storage | Server/cloud hosting fees, pay for disk space | Rent-exempt deposit proportional to data size; refundable when the account is closed |
| Identity/keys | Auto-increment IDs, UUIDs | 32-byte public keys or Program Derived Addresses (PDAs) |
| Reads | SQL queries, document lookups | RPC calls (getAccountInfo, getProgramAccounts) |
| Writes | INSERT/UPDATE via application code | Transactions with instructions, signed by authorized keys |
| Code vs data | Application code and database are separate systems | Both are accounts; programs and data accounts coexist in the same model |
| Deletion | DELETE query removes the row | Close the account and recover lamports |
| Visibility | Private by default; controlled by the server owner | Public by default; anyone can read account data |
🔥 Biggest Takeaways
- In Solana, users own their accounts, not your application.
- Programs are stateless and receive accounts as inputs during execution.
- There are no SQL joins or server-side queries on-chain.
- Storage costs are explicit through rent-exemption.
- Transparency is the default.
- Wallet signatures replace traditional authentication systems.
One of the most interesting realizations was understanding that:
Programs do not search for accounts.
Accounts are explicitly passed into instructions during transactions.
That changes everything about how you design software in Web3.
Web2 knowledge still matters
But the execution model is fundamentally different
⚡ Backend server → Validator network
⚡ Database row → Account
⚡ API endpoint → Program instruction
⚡ Authentication middleware → Wallet signatures + runtime validation
