---

name: helius description: Helius Solana RPC and API expert. Use when user mentions Helius, Solana RPC, LaserStream, DAS API, Digital Asset Standard, Solana webhooks, Priority Fee API, Enhanced Transactions, ZK Compression, Solana infrastructure, getAsset, getTransactionsForAddress, or Solana NFT metadata. allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob model: sonnet

Helius Skill

Helius is the leading Solana infrastructure provider, offering high-performance RPC nodes, real-time data streaming, and developer APIs for building on Solana.

When to Use

• User asks about Solana RPC providers or infrastructure
• User needs help with NFT/token metadata (DAS API)
• User wants real-time blockchain data (LaserStream, WebSockets, webhooks)
• User is debugging transaction failures, rate limits, or RPC errors
• User asks about priority fees or transaction optimization on Solana
• User mentions ZK Compression or compressed NFTs
• User needs to query historical transactions on Solana

Process

1. Identify the Use Case

Determine what the user needs:

• RPC access: Basic Solana queries, account data, transactions
• Asset data: NFT/token metadata via DAS API
• Real-time streaming: LaserStream, WebSockets, or webhooks
• Transaction sending: Helius Sender, priority fees

2. Recommend the Right Service

Match their needs to Helius services:

• Simple queries → Shared RPC
• NFT/token metadata → DAS API
• Real-time updates → LaserStream (low latency) or WebSockets
• Event notifications → Webhooks
• Fast trading → Helius Sender + priority fees

3. Provide Implementation

Give actionable code with:

• Correct RPC endpoint format
• Required parameters
• Error handling patterns
• Rate limit considerations

4. Verify Plan Compatibility

Check if their plan supports the feature:

• Free: Basic RPC only
• Developer: + LaserStream (Devnet)
• Business: + Enhanced WebSockets
• Professional: + LaserStream (Mainnet)

Quick Start

1. Get an API key at https://dashboard.helius.dev
2. Use the RPC URL: https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
3. Make your first request:

curl https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY \
  -X POST -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"getBalance","params":["YOUR_WALLET"]}'

Core Services

RPC Infrastructure

• Shared RPC Nodes: High-performance Solana RPC with 99.99% uptime
• Dedicated Nodes: Custom infrastructure (contact sales for pricing)
• Staked Connections: Priority transaction sending through staked validators
• ShredStream: Direct connection to Solana leaders for ultra-low latency

Real-Time Data Streaming

LaserStream gRPC

Ultra-low latency blockchain data streaming. Drop-in replacement for Yellowstone gRPC.

• Stream blocks, accounts, and transactions in real-time
• 9 global regions (FRA, AMS, TYO, SG, EWR, PITT, SLC, LAX, LON)
• Automatic reconnects and historical replay
• Availability: Devnet on Developer/Business plans; Devnet + Mainnet on Professional plans

Webhooks

Configure instant notifications for blockchain events:

• Account changes
• Transaction confirmations
• Program events
• NFT activity

Enhanced WebSockets

Real-time subscriptions for accounts, blocks, logs, programs, and votes.

• Availability: Business and Professional plans only

Transaction Services

Helius Sender

Optimized transaction sending for traders:

• Sends to Helius and Jito in parallel
• 7 regional endpoints
• Minimum tip: 0.001 SOL

Priority Fee API

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
  "params": [{"accountKeys": ["..."]}]
}

API Reference

Digital Asset Standard (DAS)

Standardized API for tokens and NFTs. Handles both regular and compressed NFTs.

Key Methods:

• getAsset - Get metadata for a single asset
• getAssetBatch - Batch asset retrieval
• getAssetsByOwner - Get all assets owned by an address
• getAssetsByCreator - Get assets by creator
• getAssetsByAuthority - Get assets by authority
• getAssetsByGroup - Get assets in a collection

DAS Rate Limits (separate from RPC): | Plan | DAS Rate Limit | |------|----------------| | Free | 2 req/s | | Developer | 10 req/s | | Business | 50 req/s | | Professional | 100 req/s |

Enhanced Transactions API

Pre-parsed transaction data in human-readable format.

Methods:

• getTransactions - Get parsed transaction data
• getTransactionsForAddress - Historical transactions with filtering

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "getTransactionsForAddress",
  "params": [
    "WALLET_ADDRESS",
    {
      "transactionDetails": "full",
      "sortOrder": "asc",
      "limit": 10
    }
  ]
}

ZK Compression

Reduce on-chain storage costs by up to 98%.

Methods:

• getCompressedAccount
• getCompressedAccountProof
• getCompressedTokenBalancesByOwner

Standard Solana RPC Methods

Full support for all Solana RPC HTTP and WebSocket methods:

• Account queries (getAccountInfo, getBalance, getMultipleAccounts)
• Block operations (getBlock, getBlockHeight, getBlocks)
• Transaction methods (getTransaction, sendTransaction, simulateTransaction)
• Token operations (getTokenAccountBalance, getTokenSupply)

Authentication

All API requests require an API key. Get one at https://dashboard.helius.dev

RPC URL Format:

https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY
https://devnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY

Pricing Tiers

| Plan | Price | Credits | Rate Limit | |------|-------|---------|------------| | Free | $0/mo | 1M | 10 RPS | | Developer | $49/mo | 10M | 50 RPS | | Business | $499/mo | 100M | 200 RPS | | Professional | $999/mo | 200M | 500 RPS | | Enterprise | Custom | Custom | Custom |

Data Add-ons (Professional+)

| Package | Price | |---------|-------| | 5TB | $500/mo | | 25TB | $2,000/mo | | 50TB | $3,500/mo | | 100TB | $4,500/mo |

Feature Availability by Plan

| Feature | Free | Developer | Business | Professional | |---------|------|-----------|----------|--------------| | Shared RPC | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | LaserStream (Devnet) | - | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | | LaserStream (Mainnet) | - | - | - | ✓ | | Enhanced WebSockets | - | - | ✓ | ✓ | | Priority Support | - | - | ✓ | ✓ |

Common Pitfalls

• ❌ Using wrong commitment level: Defaults to finalized which is slow ✅ Instead: Use confirmed for faster responses when finality isn't critical

• ❌ Not handling rate limits: Hitting 429 errors and failing silently ✅ Instead: Check X-RateLimit-Remaining header, implement exponential backoff

• ❌ Polling for real-time data: Making repeated RPC calls for live updates ✅ Instead: Use WebSockets or LaserStream for streaming data

• ❌ Ignoring DAS for NFT queries: Using raw getAccountInfo for NFT metadata ✅ Instead: Use DAS API (getAsset, getAssetsByOwner) - it's faster and handles compressed NFTs

• ❌ Sending transactions without simulation: Wasting SOL on failed transactions ✅ Instead: Always call simulateTransaction first to catch errors

• ❌ Hardcoding priority fees: Using static fee values that become stale ✅ Instead: Use getPriorityFeeEstimate for dynamic fee calculation

Troubleshooting

Rate Limited (429 errors)

• Check X-RateLimit-Remaining header to monitor usage
• X-RateLimit-Reset shows when limits reset
• Consider upgrading plan or implementing request queuing

Transaction Failures

• Use simulateTransaction before sending to catch errors
• Check priority fee is sufficient with getPriorityFeeEstimate
• Verify account has enough SOL for fees

WebSocket Disconnections

• Implement automatic reconnection logic
• Use LaserStream for more reliable streaming (has built-in reconnects)

Stale Data

• Use commitment: "confirmed" or "finalized" for consistency
• For real-time needs, use WebSockets or LaserStream instead of polling

Error Handling

try {
  const response = await fetch(RPC_URL, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify(request)
  });
  
  if (response.status === 429) {
    const resetTime = response.headers.get('X-RateLimit-Reset');
    // Wait and retry with exponential backoff
  }
  
  const data = await response.json();
  if (data.error) {
    // Handle RPC error
    console.error(`RPC Error ${data.error.code}: ${data.error.message}`);
  }
} catch (err) {
  // Handle network error
}

Use Cases

• Trading & MEV: LaserStream + Sender for low-latency execution
• Wallets: Real-time balance updates, transaction history
• DeFi: Priority fees, transaction optimization
• NFT Platforms: DAS API for metadata, compressed NFTs
• Analytics: Historical data, indexing with getTransactionsForAddress
• Fintech: Reliable RPC, compliance-ready infrastructure

SDKs & Tools

• JavaScript SDK: High-performance LaserStream client (up to 1.3GB/s)
• Helius AirShip: Compression management tool
• ORB Explorer: Block explorer

Documentation

Full documentation: https://www.helius.dev/docs

Pull Local Docs (Optional)

For offline access to 200+ Helius docs:

# Install docpull (requires Python 3.8+)
pip install pipx  # if you don't have pipx
pipx install docpull

# Pull Helius documentation
docpull https://www.helius.dev/docs -o .claude/skills/helius/docs

Support

• Discord, Slack, Telegram support
• 10 min median response time
• 24/7 engineering assistance on paid plans