Create an SPL Token

This example demonstrates how to create an SPL Token on Solana with some metadata such as a token symbol and icon.

All tokens - including Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) are SPL Tokens on Solana.

They follow the SPL Token standard (similar to ERC-20).

Default SPL Tokens  :   9 decimals
NFTs                :   0 decimals

How Decimals Work

Consider token JOE with 9 decimals:

    1 JOE = quantity * 10 ^ (-1 * decimals) = 1 * 10 ^ (-1 * 9) = 0.000000001

Mint & Metadata

SPL Tokens on Solana are referred to as a Mint.

A Mint is defined by a specific type of account on Solana that describes information about a token:

{
    isInitialized,
    supply,             // The current supply of this token mint on Solana
    decimals,           // The number of decimals this mint breaks down to
    mintAuthority,      // The account who can authorize minting of new tokens
    freezeAuthority,    // The account who can authorize freezing of tokens
}

Any metadata about this Mint - such as a nickname, symbol, or image - is stored in a separate account called a Metadata Account:

{
    title,
    symbol,
    uri,                // The URI to the hosted image
}

Project Metaplex is the standard for SPL Token metadata on Solana
You can use Metaplex's Token Metadata Program to create metadata for your token.

Steps to Create an SPL Token

1. Create an account for the Mint.
2. Initialize that account as a Mint Account.
3. Create a metadata account associated with that Mint Account.