Overview
Helius Sender is a specialized service for ultra-low latency transaction submission. It optimizes transaction latency by sending to both Solana validators and Jito simultaneously, providing multiple pathways for your transactions to be included in blocks.Dual Routing
Sends to both validators and Jito for optimal speed
Global Endpoints
HTTPS endpoint auto-routes to nearest location for frontends, regional HTTP for backends
No Credits
Available on all plans without consuming API credits
High Throughput
Default 6 TPS, contact us for higher limits
Quick Start Guide
Ready to submit your first ultra-low latency Solana transaction? This guide will get you started with Helius Sender in minutes. The best part: you don’t need any paid plan or special access - Sender is available to all users and doesn’t consume API credits.1
Create Your Free Helius Account
Start by creating your free account at the Helius Dashboard. Sender is available on all plans, including the free tier, and doesn’t consume any API credits.
2
Get Your API Key
Navigate to the API Keys section and copy your key. You’ll use this for getting blockhashes and transaction confirmation, while Sender handles the transaction submission.
3
Send Your First Transaction
Let’s send a simple SOL transfer using Sender. This example includes all required components: tip, priority fee, and skipped preflight.
4
Success! Understanding What Happened
You’ve successfully submitted a transaction via Sender! Here’s what made it work:
- No credits consumed: Sender is free for all users
- Dual routing: Your transaction was sent to both validators and Jito simultaneously
- Required tip: The 0.001 SOL tip enables Jito’s auction participation
- Priority fee: Signals validators your willingness to pay for priority processing
- Skipped preflight: Optimizes for speed over validation
Routing Options
Default Dual Routing
Sends transactions to both Solana validators and Jito infrastructure simultaneously for maximum inclusion probability. Requires minimum 0.001 SOL tip.
SWQOS-Only Alternative
For cost-optimized trading, add
?swqos_only=true
to any endpoint URL. Routes exclusively through SWQOS infrastructure with a lower 0.0005 SOL minimum tip requirement.Requirements
Mandatory Requirements: All transactions must include tips (0.001 SOL minimum, or 0.0005 SOL for SWQOS-only), priority fees, and skip preflight checks.
1. Skip Preflight (Mandatory)
TheskipPreflight
parameter must be set to true
. Sender is optimized for traders who prioritize speed over transaction validation.
Since preflight checks are skipped, ensure your transactions are properly constructed and funded before submission. Invalid transactions will be rejected by the network after submission.
2. Tips and Priority Fees Required
All transactions submitted through Sender must include both tips and priority fees:- Tips: Minimum 0.001 SOL transfer to a designated tip account (or 0.0005 SOL for SWQOS-only)
Designated Tip Accounts (mainnet-beta)
Designated Tip Accounts (mainnet-beta)
- Priority Fees: Compute unit pricing via
ComputeBudgetProgram.setComputeUnitPrice
to prioritize your transaction in the validator queue
Why Both Are Required
- Tips: Enable access to Jito’s infrastructure and auction-based transaction inclusion
- Priority Fees: Signal to validators your willingness to pay for priority processing through Solana’s native prioritization system
- Dual Benefit: Tips give you access to Jito’s auction, while priority fees improve your transaction’s priority with validators—together they maximize inclusion probability
Tip and Priority Fee Guidelines
Jito Tips: Minimum 0.001 SOL is mandatory for auction participation. For current best-practice tip sizing, see the Jito tip guidelines. Priority Fees: Use the Helius Priority Fee API for real-time fee recommendations.Endpoints
Sender endpoints are available in multiple configurations depending on your use case:Recommended for frontend applications to avoid CORS issues:
The HTTPS endpoint resolves CORS preflight failures that occur with browser-based applications when using the regional HTTP endpoints. This endpoint automatically routes to the nearest location for optimal performance. Use this for all frontend/browser implementations.
Connection Warming
For applications with long periods between transaction submissions, use the ping endpoint to maintain warm connections and reduce cold start latency.Ping Endpoint Usage
The ping endpoint accepts simple GET requests and returns a basic response to keep connections alive:Use connection warming when your application has gaps longer than 1 minute between transactions to maintain optimal submission latency.
Usage
The Sender endpoint uses the samesendTransaction
method as standard RPC endpoints but with specific requirements for optimal performance. All transactions must include both tips and priority fees, plus skip preflight checks.
Basic Request Format
The
BASE64_ENCODED_TRANSACTION
above must contain both a SOL transfer instruction with minimum tip to designated tip accounts AND a compute unit price instruction. Without both requirements, your transaction will be rejected.Simple Code Example
Advanced Example with Dynamic Optimization
The advanced example improves on the simple version with dynamic Jito tips (75th percentile), automatic compute unit calculation, dynamic priority fees, and retry logic.Best Practices
Endpoint Selection
- Frontend Applications: Use
https://sender.helius-rpc.com/fast
to avoid CORS preflight failures. This endpoint automatically routes to the nearest location for optimal performance. - Backend Applications: Choose the regional HTTP endpoint closest to your infrastructure for optimal performance
Connection Warming
- Use the
/ping
endpoint during idle periods longer than 1 minute - Implement periodic ping calls (every 30-60 seconds) to maintain warm connections
- Warm connections before high-frequency trading sessions begin
Transaction Setup
- Use
skipPreflight: true
andmaxRetries: 0
- Implement your own retry logic
- Include minimum 0.001 SOL tip to designated accounts
- Fetch blockhash with
'confirmed'
commitment - Set appropriate compute unit limits
Rate Limits and Scaling
- Default Rate Limit: 6 transactions per second
- No Credit Usage: Sender transactions don’t consume API credits from your plan
Support and Scaling
For production deployments requiring higher throughput:- Create a Support Ticket: Include your expected TPS and use case details
- Provide Metrics: Share your current transaction patterns