What is an SPL token?
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An SPL token is a token created using the Solana Program Library (SPL) Token Program, Solana's built-in standard for issuing fungible and non-fungible assets. It is the Solana equivalent of Ethereum's ERC-20. Because every SPL token shares the same program, all Solana wallets, exchanges and explorers can recognise and handle any SPL token automatically.
When you use a Solana token creator, the token it produces is an SPL token. Understanding what that means helps you make good decisions at launch, especially around the three authorities described below.
How SPL tokens work
On Ethereum, each token is its own deployed smart contract. Solana takes a different approach: a single on-chain program, the Token Program, manages every token. Creating a token means creating a "mint" account that the Token Program controls, rather than deploying new contract code. That is why creating an SPL token is quick and cheap, and why a standard token has no custom token code of its own.
The mint account itself stores only the supply, the decimals and two authorities. A name, symbol and logo come from a separate Metaplex metadata account, which points to a metadata file (usually JSON hosted on the web) that holds the image link. Wallets and explorers read that metadata, each on its own indexing and caching schedule.
SPL token vs ERC-20
- Architecture: SPL tokens share one program; ERC-20 tokens are each a separate contract.
- Cost and speed: A new mint needs a small rent deposit (about 0.0015 SOL for the mint account, more once metadata is added) and typically confirms in seconds.
- Accounts: On Solana, holders have a separate token account per token, usually an "associated token account" derived from their wallet.
- Audit surface: A standard SPL token has no custom token code to review. That says nothing about the website or script that created it, how its payment was handled, or where its metadata is hosted.
Supply and decimals
Decimals are set when the mint is created and can never change. They decide how finely one token divides: with 9 decimals, one token is 1,000,000,000 base units. Nine is a common choice (SOL itself uses 9) and 6 is also widely used, but neither is required.
Supply is not fixed by the program. It rises whenever the mint authority mints more, and falls whenever a holder burns tokens, because burning reduces the mint's total supply by the same amount. Revoking mint authority stops increases; it does not stop burns.
The three authorities that matter
Two authorities live on the mint account itself, and a third belongs to the Metaplex metadata. Whether you keep or revoke them is the biggest trust decision at launch. Revoking one sets it to nobody, permanently.
Mint authority
Can mint new tokens. Revoking it means nobody can ever add to the supply. Holders can still burn their own tokens, so the supply can still go down. Many buyers check this first.
Freeze authority
Can freeze token accounts for this token, which stops the holder moving or burning that token until it is thawed. It does not freeze a whole wallet or any other token in it. Revoking it means no token account for this token can be frozen.
Update authority
Belongs to the Metaplex metadata and can change the on-chain name, symbol and metadata link. Revoking it makes those permanent. The logo usually lives in a file the metadata points to, so whether that file stays available depends on whoever hosts it.
Create a standard SPL token
Mint with Metaplex metadata and optional authority revokes.
Are all memecoins SPL tokens?
On Solana, almost all of them are. A memecoin is simply a standard SPL token with strong branding and a community behind it. There is no separate "memecoin" token type; the technology is the same SPL token you would use for any other purpose.
Sources: Solana documentation on token basics and burning tokens.
Related: What is a Solana token creator · How to create a Solana token