On-chain • AMM • Solana

What is Swap on Raydium?

Swap Raydium refers to exchanging one SPL token for another directly on Raydium — an automated market maker (AMM) and liquidity provider built on Solana. Unlike centralized exchanges, Raydium routes trades through on-chain liquidity pools and Serum order books to deliver tight prices and deep liquidity. Swapping is instant (block times on Solana are sub-second) and costs a fraction of fees you'll see on other chains.

Why use Raydium to swap?

Raydium provides several advantages: extremely low transaction costs, fast confirmations, and hybrid liquidity (AMM pools plus Serum order book access). This hybrid model often results in better execution for large trades. Raydium’s UI also supports advanced settings for slippage tolerance, transaction deadlines, and direct wallet connectivity (for example, Phantom or Solflare).

Step-by-step: How to perform a swap

1
Connect your wallet: Click the "Connect" button in the top-right and choose a Solana wallet (Phantom, Solflare, or compatible wallet). Ensure you are connected to the correct network (mainnet-beta for production swaps).
2
Choose tokens: Select the token you want to swap from and the token you want to receive. Raydium supports many SPL tokens; if a token doesn’t appear, you may import it by pasting the token’s mint address.
3
Set amount & slippage: Enter the amount to swap. For volatile tokens, increase slippage tolerance to avoid failed transactions (e.g., 1–2% default; 0.5% for stable-stable swaps).
4
Review estimated price & fees: Check the price impact, expected output, and estimated fee. Raydium displays these before you confirm.
5
Confirm swap: Approve the transaction in your wallet. Wait for a confirmed block — swaps on Solana are typically confirmed within seconds.
Pro tip: Use smaller test swaps if you’re interacting with a new token. Always double-check the token mint address to avoid impostor tokens.

Understanding fees, slippage and price impact

Fees on Solana are tiny compared to EVM chains. Raydium charges protocol/LP fees that are shown pre-trade. Price impact measures how much your trade moves the pool’s price; large trades against shallow pools create higher price impact. Slippage tolerance instructs the router how much worse than the quoted price you’ll accept before the transaction reverts.

Routing & liquidity

Raydium’s router finds paths across multiple pools and combined liquidity (AMM + orderbook) to optimize execution. For example a trade from Token A to Token C might route A→B→C if that path yields a better rate. When liquidity is fragmented, the router aggregates routes to reduce slippage.

Security & best practices

Only interact with the official Raydium app or audited integrations. Keep your wallet seed phrase private and avoid connecting hardware or custodial wallets to unknown dApps. Verify token mint addresses from reliable sources (project websites, token explorers). Consider using a hardware wallet for larger sums and keep small amounts of SOL in your wallet to pay transaction fees.

Common issues & troubleshooting

If a swap fails: check slippage tolerance, ensure you have enough SOL for fees, and verify network congestion. If the UI shows outdated balances, refresh and reconnect your wallet. For unexpected behavior or suspected scams, pause and cross-check token details on Solana explorers like Solscan.

Advanced topics

For power users: Raydium supports limit orders via Serum order books, liquidity provision (earn fees and farming rewards), and integration with yield farms. Providing liquidity exposes you to impermanent loss — weigh rewards against risk before committing funds.

Final thoughts

Swapping on Raydium combines the speed of Solana with hybrid liquidity routing to deliver competitive rates and near-instant settlement. Whether you’re swapping a small amount or routing a larger trade, Raydium’s AMM + orderbook architecture gives you the tools to trade efficiently. Practice safe wallet hygiene, verify token contracts, and start with small amounts until you’re comfortable.