Protocol Concepts

Core concepts for understanding Drift’s onchain architecture. Language-agnostic fundamentals that apply to all SDKs.

Understanding Drift’s Onchain Model

These pages explain how Drift’s Solana program works at the account level. Understanding these concepts helps you build better integrations, debug issues, and optimize performance.

Program Structure

Deep dive into positions, orders, and calculations

Understand the mechanics of trading:

• How positions are tracked and updated
• Order lifecycle and execution
• Collateral and margin calculations
• Cross-margin accounting

Account Model

High-level overview of Drift’s account architecture

Learn about the different account types that make up the protocol:

• State account (global config)
• Market accounts (perp & spot)
• User accounts & stats
• PDAs and account relationships

Related Resources

• SDK Internals - How SDKs interact with onchain accounts
• Market Makers - Advanced trading and liquidity provision