Overview

Compressed tokens provide full SPL token functionality without per-account rent cost.

Creation	Regular SPL Token	Compressed Token	Cost Reduction
100 Token Accounts	~ 0.2 SOL	~ 0.00004 SOL	5000x

Compressed token accounts store information about an individual’s ownership of a specific token (mint). Different from regular token accounts, they don’t require an Associated Token Account (ATA) per token holder.

For example, this simplifies token distribution, since you don’t need to allocate a token account per recipient.

Compressed Tokens at a Glance

Rent-free tokens

Create token accounts without upfront rent exempt balance.

SPL Compatibility

Compatible with SPL tokens and Solana programs.

Wallet Support

Supported by leading wallets including Phantom and Backpack.

Start building

Developing with compressed tokens works similar SPL tokens and involves minimal setup:

1. Install dependencies

   npm

   npm install --save-dev typescript tsx @types/node && \
   npm install --save \
       @lightprotocol/stateless.js \
       @lightprotocol/compressed-token \
       @solana/web3.js \
       @solana/spl-token
   

2. Set up your developer environment

   Setup Developer Environment

   By default, all guides use Localnet.

   # Install the development CLI
   npm install @lightprotocol/zk-compression-cli
   

   # Start a local test validator
   light test-validator
   
   ## ensure you have the Solana CLI accessible in your system PATH
   

   // createRpc() defaults to local test validator endpoints
   import {
     Rpc,
     createRpc,
   } from "@lightprotocol/stateless.js";
   
   const connection: Rpc = createRpc();
   
   async function main() {
     let slot = await connection.getSlot();
     console.log(slot);
   
     let health = await connection.getIndexerHealth(slot);
     console.log(health);
     // "Ok"
   }
   
   main();
   

   Alternative: Using Devnet

   Replace <your-api-key> with your actual API key. Get your API key here, if you don’t have one yet.

   import { createRpc } from "@lightprotocol/stateless.js";
   
   // Helius exposes Solana and Photon RPC endpoints through a single URL
   const RPC_ENDPOINT = "https://devnet.helius-rpc.com?api-key=<your_api_key>";
   const connection = createRpc(RPC_ENDPOINT, RPC_ENDPOINT, RPC_ENDPOINT);
   
   console.log("Connection created!");
   console.log("RPC Endpoint:", RPC_ENDPOINT);
   

3. Get started with our cookbook or advanced guides for implementations

Guides

Guide	Description
Create and Register a Mint Account for Compression	Create new SPL mint with token pool for compression
Create Compressed Token Accounts	Create compressed and learn difference to regular token accounts
Mint Compressed Tokens	Create new compressed tokens to existing mint
Transfer Compressed Tokens	Move compressed tokens between compressed accounts
Decompress and Compress Tokens	Convert SPL tokens between regular and compressed format
Compress Complete SPL Token Accounts	Compress complete SPL token accounts and reclaim rent afterwards
Merge Compressed Accounts	Consolidate multiple compressed accounts of the same mint into one
Create Token Pools for Mint Accounts	Create token pool for compression for existing SPL mints
Approve and Revoke Delegate Authority	Approve or revoke delegates for compressed token accounts

Advanced Guides

Guide	Description
Add Wallet Support for Compressed Tokens	Add compressed token support in your wallet application
Use Token-2022 with Compression	Create compressed Token-2022 mints with metadata and other extensions
Create an Airdrop without Claim	Create an airdrop that appears directly in recipients’ wallets (with or without code)
Example Airdrop with Claim	Demo for time-locked airdrop with compressed tokens
Example Web Client	Demonstrates how to use @lightprotocol/stateless.js in a browser environment to interact with ZK Compression
Example Node.js Client	Script to execute basic compression/decompression/transfers

Next Steps

Get started with the first cookbook guide.