Episode Summary
In this episode of Solana Weekly, host Thomas interviews Davide from Neon Protocol about their recent developments in bringing EVM compatibility to Solana. The conversation explores how Neon’s “network extension” technology enables Ethereum developers to easily deploy their applications on Solana without needing to rewrite code in Rust or learn new development environments.
Key Topics Discussed
Neon’s Repositioning as a “Network Extension”
- Neon Protocol has evolved from being perceived as an isolated L2 solution to positioning itself as a Solana network extension
- This change emphasizes Neon’s close integration with Solana rather than being a separate bridge or layer
New Solana-Native Features
- Recent mainnet release introduces SDK for developers that makes Solana more accessible to Ethereum developers
- Users can now interact with EVM applications using their preferred Solana wallets (Phantom, Backpack, etc.)
- Gas fees can be paid in SOL instead of requiring the NEON token
- Eliminates the need for bridging assets between chains
Technical Architecture
- Neon uses Solana for consensus and settlement
- Neon Proxy executes transactions on the Solana blockchain
- The EVM compatibility layer extends Solana’s execution environment
Implementation of EIP-1559
- Neon has implemented Ethereum’s London Fork fee structure (base fee + priority fee)
- This aligns with Solana’s similar fee structure that became especially important during recent network congestion events
Benefits for Developers
- Ethereum developers can deploy on Solana without learning Rust
- Faster time to market (days instead of months)
- Access to Solana’s massive user base and transaction speed
- Avoid maintaining separate codebases for different chains
Future Development Roadmap
- Composability v2 will enable more complex transactions like atomic liquidations and flash loans
- SDK v2 will further simplify asset management on Solana
- Focus on bringing novel primitives to Solana that don’t currently exist
Comparisons and Context
- Unlike Eclipse (which brings Solana developers to Ethereum), Neon does the opposite by bringing Ethereum developers to Solana
- Neon enables protocols from various EVM chains (including new L1s like Monad and Base) to easily deploy on Solana
- The recent network stress tests from Trump and Melania token launches demonstrated both challenges and improvements in Solana’s infrastructure
Notable Quotes
“With this Solana-native feature, Solana users will not notice any difference between an EVM application on Neon and an actual Solana application.”
“We are just extending the execution environment, from SVM to EVM.”
“When you consider developing in Rust, you need to hire Rust developers. You need to build an infrastructure from scratch… you might miss the opportunity because we know crypto is super fast, Web3 is even faster, DeFi is even faster.”
Looking Ahead
The team is focused on demonstrating product-market fit by:
- Improving the SDK with version 2
- Enhancing composability with Solana’s existing DeFi infrastructure
- Enabling more complex transaction types through composability v2
- Bringing new EVM-based primitives that don’t yet exist in the Solana ecosystem
This episode of Solana Weekly was hosted by Thomas. Subscribe for more insights into the Solana ecosystem.
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