Solana 3.0 Arrives on Testnet. SLV Supports agave v3.0.0 and the New Firedancer, Enabling Easy Setup, Upgrades, and Migration

ELSOUL LABO B.V. (Headquarters: Amsterdam, the Netherlands, CEO: Fumitake Kawasaki) and Validators DAO announced that the latest version of the open-source validator operations platform SLV now supports the Solana 3.0 testnet environment. With SLV, operators can immediately set up, upgrade, and migrate to the latest agave v3.0.0 and Firedancer clients.

In late August 2025, agave v3.0.0 went live on the Solana testnet. This release includes several major changes that represent the ongoing evolution of the Solana network.

One of the most significant updates is preparation for Alpenglow, which will drastically reduce finalization times. Commits are already being integrated, and a recent public vote officially approved the adoption of Alpenglow, confirming a future where Solana will finalize blocks 100 times faster.

Finalization, which previously took about 12.8 seconds, is expected to complete in just 100–150 milliseconds. This acceleration is already agreed upon, and the ecosystem as a whole is moving toward this new era with great anticipation.

Additionally, the Shreds format—critical for traders and data analysis—has begun to change. Testing these differences on the testnet in advance is essential, as it helps avoid downtime or costly reprocessing during mainnet migration. Early adoption also provides advantages for pioneers who want to prepare ahead of others.

On the testnet, more than 50% of validators are already running agave v3.0.0, and about 30% are using the new Firedancer (these are the currently recommended versions). However, around 10% remain on the older agave v2 series.

This shows the challenge: the update involves complex builds and disruptive changes, and operational overhead has slowed migration. The “10% lag” underscores the importance of automation and standardized operations.

SLV enables these updates and deployments to be completed with a single command. On both testnet and mainnet, validators can be launched through a simple interactive setup, while builds and complex adjustments required by the 3.0.0 series are automatically handled.

Importantly, SLV supports agave, Firedancer, and Jito. Operators can choose the client that best suits their needs and deploy immediately. For those who want to study the new Shreds format, SLV makes it easy to launch a testnet validator quickly and directly observe the changes.

SLV also automatically applies performance optimization settings at the time of deployment. Even without manual fine-tuning, operators can reproduce a high-quality environment that contributes to lower latency and greater stability across the Solana network.

SLV keeps pace with Solana’s rapid evolution by reducing the complexity and burden of validator operations through open-source standardization.

Many validators have already migrated to agave v3.0.0 and Firedancer. For those starting their research now or feeling uncertain about the update process, SLV provides a reliable path to step confidently into the next stage of Solana.

We will continue to contribute to the growth and quality of the Solana ecosystem.