Practical overview
When it fits
Use it when a Rust-based, local in-process Solana testing workflow is more suitable than solana-program-test or solana-test-validator, especially for transaction and account-state tests.
Who it is for
- Solana program developers using Rust
- Teams building local or CI-based program tests
- Developers investigating zero-knowledge-compatible Solana execution environments
Documented uses
- Run Solana program tests locally in an in-process VM.
- Submit transactions and inspect resulting account state.
- Create a lightweight testing basis for zk-oriented Solana development.
- Run tests without a full validator process.
Requirements & limits
The project is a public GitHub repository and is open source under the Apache-2.0 license.
- The workflow is Rust-based and installed with Cargo.
- The VM supports transaction execution and account inspection in the supplied example.
- The documented alternative to a full validator process is a design distinction, but no quantitative speed benchmark is supplied.
- The zero-knowledge direction is described, while a complete proving or verification pipeline is not demonstrated.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Install LiteSVM and run a minimal Solana transaction test
Set up LiteSVM as a Rust development dependency and test a transfer while inspecting account balances.
Before you start
- A Rust project using Cargo.
- The LiteSVM crate.
- The Solana-related Rust types and interfaces used by the documented example.
Steps
Add LiteSVM as a development dependency with the command below.
cargo add --dev litesvmCreate a
LiteSVMinstance, generate sender and recipient keys, and airdrop 10,000 lamports to the sender.Construct and submit a transfer transaction using the VM's latest blockhash.
Retrieve both accounts and assert that the sender has 4,936 lamports and the recipient has 64 lamports.
Expected outcome
A local in-process Solana VM test executes a transaction and verifies resulting account balances.
Guide limitations
- The documented example does not establish a complete zero-knowledge proving or verification pipeline.
- The evidence does not quantify performance improvements over alternative Solana testing tools.
- The broader production-deployment suitability is not established.
Build test programs and run the repository tests
Prepare the repository's test programs and execute its Rust test suite.
Before you start
- Solana CLI version 1.18.8 or later.
- A checked-out repository containing
crates/litesvm/test_programs.
Steps
Change to
crates/litesvm/test_programs.Build the test programs with the command below.
cargo build-sbfReturn to the repository root and run the command below.
cargo test
Expected outcome
The repository test programs are built and the Rust test suite is invoked.
Guide limitations
- The documented process does not specify expected test results or coverage.
- The evidence does not document deployment, validator operation, or a proving and verification workflow.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 28 September 2026
- Original website title
- Eclipse-Laboratories-Inc/zk-litesvm · Official homepage title · retained in its source language