Solana Geyser gRPC (Yellowstone): Complete Guide
TL;DR
- - Yellowstone gRPC streams account updates, transactions and slot notifications in real time
- - Latency is lower than WebSocket and HTTP polling
- - Subscriptions use filters for accounts, transactions, blocks, slots and entries
- - Also known as Dragon's Mouth gRPC
Yellowstone gRPC (also called Dragon’s Mouth) is a Geyser plugin that streams Solana data in real time over gRPC. It delivers account updates, transactions and slot notifications with lower latency than WebSocket or HTTP polling.
What is Geyser gRPC?
Geyser is Solana’s plugin interface for streaming validator data. Yellowstone implements this interface over gRPC, enabling filtered subscriptions with server-side filtering.
When to use gRPC over WebSocket
gRPC is the better choice when you need:
- Lower latency than WebSocket
- Server-side filtering (less data over the wire)
- Multiple subscription types in a single connection
- Reliable reconnection with backfill
Subscription types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Accounts | Stream updates for specific accounts or programs |
| Transactions | Stream transactions matching filters |
| Blocks | Full block data |
| Slots | Slot progression |
| Block meta | Block metadata without full transaction data |
| Entry | Entry-level streaming |
FAQ
What is Dragon’s Mouth gRPC? Dragon’s Mouth is the original name for the Yellowstone gRPC protocol. Both names refer to the same thing.
What is Yellowstone gRPC latency compared to WebSocket? gRPC typically delivers data 50-200ms faster than WebSocket, depending on the provider and network conditions.
Do I need a dedicated node for gRPC? No. Most providers offer gRPC access on shared plans. Dedicated nodes provide guaranteed resources and lower latency.
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