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Paymasters enable gasless transactions by sponsoring transaction fees on behalf of your users. This creates a seamless user experience where users don’t need SOL to interact with your application.

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What is a Paymaster?

A paymaster is a Solana wallet managed by Swig that:
  • Holds SOL for sponsoring transaction fees
  • Signs transactions as the fee payer
  • Tracks usage for billing and limits
  • Enforces limits to prevent abuse
When a user submits a transaction through your application, the paymaster covers the transaction fee, allowing users to transact without holding SOL.

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How It Works

User creates transaction
        ↓
Your app sends to Swig Paymaster
        ↓
Paymaster signs as fee payer
        ↓
Transaction submitted to Solana
        ↓
User's action succeeds (gasless!)

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Subscription Requirements

Paymasters are available on paid tiers only:
TierPaymaster AccessMonthly LimitFee Rate
FREENo--
PROYes$10,0008%
ULTRAYes$20,0007%
ENTERPRISEYesCustom6%
FREE tier accounts cannot create paymasters. Upgrade to PRO or higher to access paymaster features.

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Key Concepts

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Paymaster Limits

Each paymaster has configurable limits:
LimitDescriptionDefault
Usage API ThresholdMax API calls per month1,000
SOL Usage ThresholdMax SOL to spend per month10 SOL
Single TX LimitMax SOL per transaction0.1 SOL

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Monthly Limits

Your subscription tier determines your monthly sponsorship limit:
  • Measured in USD value
  • Resets at the start of each billing period
  • Overage billing applies if exceeded

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Paymaster Balance

Each paymaster needs SOL to sponsor transactions:
  • Fund the paymaster after creation
  • Monitor balance to prevent failed transactions
  • Low balance alerts available for Enterprise

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Use Cases

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User Onboarding

Remove friction for new users:
  • Users don’t need to acquire SOL first
  • Immediate access to your application
  • Higher conversion rates

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In-App Transactions

Seamless in-app experiences:
  • Token transfers
  • NFT minting
  • DeFi interactions
  • Game actions

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Subscription Services

Automate recurring transactions:
  • Payment processing
  • Subscription renewals
  • Scheduled operations

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Paymaster vs Direct SDK

FeaturePaymaster (Portal API)Direct SDK
Fee PayerPaymaster walletUser’s wallet
User needs SOLNoYes
Usage trackingAutomaticManual
BillingIncludedN/A
SetupPortal configurationCode configuration
Best forProduction appsDevelopment/testing

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Getting Started

Create a Paymaster

Set up your first paymaster

Manage Paymasters

Configure settings and monitor usage

Transaction History

View sponsored transactions and analytics

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Security

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Access Control

  • Paymasters are scoped to your organization
  • API keys authenticate requests
  • Per-paymaster limits prevent abuse

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Allow Other Instructions

By default, paymasters only sponsor Swig-related instructions. You can enable allowOtherIxs to sponsor any instruction, but use caution:
Enabling allowOtherIxs allows sponsoring any transaction type. This increases flexibility but also potential for abuse.

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Monitoring

  • Track all sponsored transactions
  • View real-time usage metrics
  • Set up alerts for anomalies

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Best Practices

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Start with Limits

Begin with conservative limits:
  • Low single transaction limit
  • Moderate monthly threshold
  • Increase as you understand usage patterns

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Monitor Usage

Regularly review:
  • Transaction volume
  • SOL spending
  • Error rates

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Maintain Balance

Keep paymaster funded:
  • Monitor balance regularly
  • Set up low balance alerts (Enterprise)
  • Automate top-ups if possible

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Separate Environments

Use different paymasters for:
  • Development (devnet)
  • Staging
  • Production (mainnet)

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Next Steps