# What is an SPL token? Solana's token standard

> SPL tokens and Token-2022 explained: mints, token accounts and rent, and which Cherry rule reads each Solana token standard to gate a group chat.


What is an SPL token? It is any token issued through one of Solana's token programs, which started life in the Solana Program Library (SPL). Each token has exactly one mint address, and every wallet's balance of it sits in a token account tied to that mint. Cherry, the wallet-to-wallet messenger and community app for crypto, reads those accounts on-chain to decide who gets into a token-gated group chat, so the standard a token uses decides which rule a room owner picks.

## Each token standard and the Cherry rule that reads it

A Cherry room combines up to 5 rules, with all of them or any one required. Solana's standards line up with them like this:

| What you hold | Standard | Cherry rule | What the rule reads |
|---|---|---|---|
| A fungible token | SPL (classic Token Program) | Token balance | Every token account the wallet holds for that mint, added up, against your minimum |
| A fungible token | Token-2022 (Token Extensions) | Token balance | The same, from the second program, with the same setup |
| An NFT | Metaplex | NFT ownership | Holds an item from the collection |
| An NFT | Metaplex Core | Metaplex Core collection | Holds a Core NFT from the collection or its update authority |

Names such as `.sol` and `.skr` are not a token standard. A room checks them with its own domain rule.

The token balance rule appears in the room editor as "Minimum SPL token balance to join". It takes the mint, which is what people mean by an SPL token address and is also the token's contract address. Cherry re-checks holdings in the background, and a member who drops below the minimum is paywalled until a later check passes. The [token-gated group chat guide](https://cherry.fun/learn/guides/create-a-token-gated-group-chat/) walks through the setup.

On EVM chains the counterparts are ERC-20 on Ethereum, Base and Robinhood Chain, and BEP-20 on BNB Smart Chain. Cherry supports [token-gated chats](https://cherry.fun/learn/features/token-gated-chat/) for ERC-20 and BEP-20 holders on those chains too.

## How an SPL token works

The mint account is the token's global record: supply, decimals, and the authorities that can mint more or freeze accounts. The classic Token Program lives at `TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA`.

A token account holds units of one mint for one owner. The associated token account is the default one, at an address derived from the owner and the mint, but a wallet can hold the same mint in several accounts. That is why Cherry adds them up.

Every token account carries a refundable rent deposit in SOL. Sell or send away the whole balance and the empty account keeps its deposit. The [SOL Reclaim mini app](https://cherry.fun/learn/blog/mini-apps-running-inside-cherry/) inside Cherry closes empty accounts and returns that deposit, less its own fee.

A standard Metaplex NFT is built from the same parts: a mint with a supply of one, a token account and a metadata account. Metaplex Core keeps the whole NFT in one account instead.

## SPL token vs Token-2022

Token-2022, also called Token Extensions, is a separate program at `TokenzQdBNbLqP5VEhdkAS6EPFLC1PHnBqCXEpPxuEb`, which the Solana Program Library describes as a strict superset of the original. Mints and token accounts work the same way, and a mint creator can opt into extensions such as transfer fees, non-transferable tokens and on-chain metadata.

The Seeker Genesis Token is a Token Extensions example. Solana Mobile built it on Token Extensions, every phone's token is its own mint, and one on-chain group ties them together. A token balance rule names a single mint, so Seeker rooms on Cherry check the `.skr` name.

## Example on Cherry

[Airdrop campaigns](https://cherry.fun/learn/features/airdrops-and-quests/) pay SOL or an SPL token to eligible wallets, one claim per wallet. USDC on Solana is itself an SPL token, with the mint `EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v`, and [paid group subscriptions](https://cherry.fun/learn/guides/usdc-subscriptions-for-group-chats/) bill in it: as of 10 September 2026, an owner sets 1 to 10,000 USDC per day, week or month.

To try it, create a group at [chat.cherry.fun](https://chat.cherry.fun) and paste your token's mint into the token requirement.

## Related terms

- [Contract address](https://cherry.fun/learn/glossary/contract-address/): the mint, as traders paste it.
- [Seeker Genesis Token](https://cherry.fun/learn/glossary/seeker-genesis-token/): a Token Extensions mint per phone.
- [Soulbound token](https://cherry.fun/learn/glossary/soulbound-token/): a token that cannot be sent on.

## FAQ

### Can a Cherry group be gated by a Token-2022 token?

Yes. The token balance rule reads both of Solana's token programs, so you paste a Token-2022 mint into the rule exactly as you would a classic SPL mint, set the minimum amount, and the room checks it the same way.

## Sources

- [Solana docs: Tokens on Solana](https://solana.com/docs/tokens)
- [Solana docs: Token Extensions](https://solana.com/docs/tokens/extensions)
- [Solana Program Library: Token-2022 Program](https://www.solana-program.com/docs/token-2022)
- [Solana Program Library: Token Program](https://www.solana-program.com/docs/token)
- [Metaplex Core documentation](https://www.metaplex.com/docs/smart-contracts/core)