← GlossaryCoins & networks
What Is an SPL Token? Tokens on Solana Explained
An SPL token is a token on Solana created through the token program: a mint account defines the token and its supply, and each holder's balance is stored in a separate token account.
Key takeaways
- A mint account represents the token and stores its total supply and mint authority.
- Each owner's balance is held in a token account tied to one mint.
- Decimals set the token's precision, and amounts are stored as whole base units.
- Anyone can create a token, so the mint address is what identifies the real one.
Mints and token accounts
Solana's documentation separates two kinds of account in its token system. A mint account represents a specific token and stores global information about it, such as the total supply and the mint authority. A token account tracks an individual's ownership of a token and records which mint it is for, who owns it and how many units it holds. Your balance of a token is the amount in your token account for that mint.
Decimals
A token's mint specifies decimals, the number of digits to the right of the decimal point. Amounts are stored on chain as whole numbers of the smallest unit and divided by 10 to the power of decimals for display. Common values are 6 or 9, and different tokens differ, so raw amounts should never be compared across tokens without checking decimals.
Identifying the real token
A token is identified by its mint address, not by its name or symbol. Anyone can create a token called USDC. To avoid fakes, check the mint address against the issuer's official documentation or a trusted listing. Wallets and price pages that show the mint help with this.
What to remember
Holding an SPL token requires a token account, which needs a small SOL deposit when created, and sending needs SOL for fees. Whoever holds the mint authority can create more tokens, and a freeze authority can freeze accounts, so check whether those powers have been removed or are held by a trusted party. These details affect how much you can rely on a token's supply and availability.
Example
The mint for a token with 6 decimals shows a supply of 1,000,000,000,000 base units, which is 1,000,000 tokens. Your token account holds 2,500,000 base units, which displays as 2.5 tokens.
Put it into practice
Check the mint before you swap
Scrypt Price lists the mint address for Solana tokens. Compare it with the issuer's official address before you swap into any token in Scrypt Wallet.
Explore Scrypt Price Get Scrypt for AndroidSources and verification
Last reviewed 2026-10-02 by the Scrypt Wallet team. The factual claims on this page, and where each comes from:
- A mint account represents a specific token and stores global metadata such as total supply and mint authority. [1]
- Token accounts track individual ownership of each token unit and record the mint, owner and amount. [1]
- A mint's decimals field gives the number of base-10 digits to the right of the decimal place. [1]
Sources
- Tokens on Solana · Solana documentation · primary source
- Solana accounts · Solana documentation · primary source
Primary sources are protocol papers, specifications, source code or a project's own documentation; secondary sources are wikis and explainers. We checked each claim against the source text on the review date. Found an error? Tell us and we will correct it.
Frequently asked questions
What does SPL stand for?
Solana Program Library, the collection of on-chain programs that includes the token program.
How do I know a token is the real one?
Compare its mint address with the issuer's official source. Names and symbols can be copied.
Do I need SOL to hold SPL tokens?
A small SOL balance covers the token account deposit and the fees to move tokens.
Written by the Scrypt Wallet team · Updated 2026-10-02. General education, not financial, tax or legal advice.