TokenAnvilPLANNING AND LAUNCH GUIDE
How to launch a token on Solana
A clean launch begins before a mint exists. The technical transaction may take minutes, but purpose, settings, disclosures, verification, and support determine whether people can understand what you created. Use this checklist for a community token, game currency, loyalty project, or software experiment on Solana. For fundraising, securities, wagering, profit sharing, or other regulated activity, obtain qualified legal advice before launch.
TokenAnvil is a no-code Solana SPL token creator. You connect a wallet, set name, symbol, supply, decimals, and metadata, optionally revoke mint or freeze authority, and sign the creation transaction yourself. The tool does not create liquidity, exchange listings, or investment outcomes.
Before you create the mint
- Define one legitimate use. State exactly what a holder can do with the token today. Remove promises that depend on future price, revenue, or listings.
- Choose the program and wallet. TokenAnvil's standard creator uses the widely supported SPL Token Program. Install a supported Solana wallet and fund it only with the SOL needed for creation and network costs.
- Plan supply and decimals. Model the smallest useful unit, the total initial supply, and whether more units must ever be created. Decimals are display precision, not added supply or value.
- Prepare permanent records. Finalize the name, symbol, description, square logo, website, and official social links. Use the metadata guide to avoid broken images and misleading descriptions.
Set up a Solana wallet
A Solana wallet signs the mint creation transaction. TokenAnvil never asks for your seed phrase or private key. Use a wallet that supports Solana (for example Phantom or Solflare), create or restore it only from official sources, and store the recovery phrase offline.
Wallet checklist before you open the app:
- Confirm the wallet is set to the cluster you intend to use (Devnet for practice, Mainnet for a live mint).
- Keep only the SOL you need for tool fees (Mainnet) and Solana network fees. Do not leave large balances in a hot wallet used for experiments.
- Reject any site or message that asks you to type a seed phrase. TokenAnvil and legitimate explorers never need it.
Devnet vs Mainnet
Solana has separate clusters. Devnet is for rehearsal. Mainnet is the live network where your mint address becomes a permanent public record. Practice the full flow on Devnet first so spelling, supply, decimals, metadata, and authority choices are confirmed before you spend Mainnet SOL.
Devnet (practice)
- TokenAnvil tool fee: free
- Uses Devnet SOL (no Mainnet value)
- Ideal for checking UI, metadata, and wallet prompts
- Do not treat a Devnet mint as a production launch
Mainnet (live mint)
- TokenAnvil tool fee: $4.99–$9.99 (see pricing below)
- Wallet also pays Solana network fees in SOL
- Mint address and authorities are public and durable
- Authority revocation, if chosen, is permanent
A Devnet success does not guarantee that every wallet or third-party indexer will display metadata immediately on Mainnet, but it removes avoidable form and transaction mistakes. The official Solana network guide explains that writes are transactions submitted to a cluster and require network fees.
Prepare SPL token metadata
Metadata is what wallets and explorers use to show a human-readable name, symbol, description, and logo for your mint. Poor metadata causes blank icons, truncated names, and support confusion—even when the mint transaction succeeded.
| Field | Practical tip |
|---|---|
| Name | Clear and unique enough for support. Avoid ticker-only names that collide with unrelated projects. |
| Symbol | Short ticker for display. Symbols are not uniqueness guarantees on Solana—the mint address is. |
| Description | State the legitimate use today. Do not invent price promises, listing claims, or unverified mainnet examples. |
| Logo | Square image, readable at small sizes. Host a stable URL; broken image links travel with the metadata URI. |
| Links | Official website and socials only. Publish the exact mint address on those channels after Mainnet creation. |
TokenAnvil helps prepare and attach hosted metadata during creation. For field-by-field detail, read the SPL token metadata guide.
Make authority decisions deliberately
Mint authority controls whether more tokens can be minted after launch. Freeze authority controls whether token accounts can be frozen. Keeping an authority may be operationally necessary; revoking it may support a fixed-supply or non-freezable design. Neither choice proves that a project is safe or valuable.
Before you revoke: Authority revocation is permanent when the authority is set to none. If you may need to mint more supply later (rewards, airdrops, game sinks that refill), keep mint authority and document who controls the key. If freeze is not part of your design, revoking freeze authority can reduce a common holder concern—but only after you understand the trade-off.
In TokenAnvil, optional authority protections are paid add-ons ($2.50 each). Selecting both brings the TokenAnvil fee from the $4.99 base to $9.99. Record the decision and publish it in plain language. Review the mint and freeze authority guide before checking either protection.
What a TokenAnvil launch costs
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base tool fee (Mainnet) | $4.99 |
| Mint authority revoke add-on | $2.50 |
| Freeze authority revoke add-on | $2.50 |
| Maximum TokenAnvil fee (both add-ons) | $9.99 |
| Devnet practice | Free (TokenAnvil tool fee) |
| Solana network fees | Paid separately in SOL by the connected wallet; shown before you approve |
Fees are charged for the minting workflow, metadata preparation, and optional authority actions—not for liquidity, listings, or marketing results.
Mainnet launch checklist
- Verify the wallet network and available SOL.
- Review the TokenAnvil fee and separate network fee before approval.
- Check spelling, supply, decimals, logo, and metadata one final time.
- Confirm mint and freeze authority choices (keep or revoke).
- Approve the transaction in your wallet only after reading the request.
- Save the mint address and transaction signature in two secure places.
- Open the mint in an independent explorer and verify its authorities.
- Publish one official token page with the exact mint address and an impersonation warning.
After the token exists
Do not announce a token until you can answer basic support questions. Tell people which network it uses, what it is for, where its official mint address is published, which authorities remain, and where to report impersonation. Never ask a holder for a seed phrase.
Token creation does not automatically create liquidity, exchange availability, a token page in every wallet, or a market. Those are separate decisions and services. TokenAnvil's job is the minting workflow, metadata preparation, and optional authority actions. Learn more about the product on the About TokenAnvil page.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Skipping Devnet and discovering a typo or wrong decimal only after Mainnet fees are paid.
- Publishing a symbol or logo without a stable metadata URI, then wondering why wallets show a blank icon.
- Revoking mint authority when you still need controlled emissions, or keeping freeze authority without explaining why.
- Sharing the mint address from chat screenshots instead of from an explorer or your own signed transaction history.
- Implying that creating a mint equals a listing, market maker, or investment opportunity.
Related guides
Ready to create on Solana?
Open the app, connect your wallet, rehearse on Devnet if needed, then create on Mainnet when the checklist above is complete.