How to Test a pump.fun Launch on Solana Devnet First

The first time you press a launch button should not be the time it costs real SOL. Solana devnet lets you run the whole thing, wallets to dashboard, with test SOL that has no value. You will make your mistakes there instead.

There is one catch, and it trips people up every time: devnet is a rehearsal of the steps, not a preview of the numbers. More on that below.

#What a devnet run is good for

A practice launch shows you where things are and what can go wrong, which is most of what makes a real launch stressful.

In DevBundler, devnet and mainnet use the same app. New accounts start on mainnet. While devnet is on, a yellow Test network banner and a DEVNET badge sit at the top of every page, so it is hard to forget which one you are on.

#Turning devnet on and getting test SOL

1. 1

   Open Settings

   Scroll to the bottom and open Test network (devnet). Press Use devnet.

2. 2

   Check the banner

   A yellow Test network banner appears at the top of every page, with a DEVNET badge next to it.

3. 3

   Create a wallet

   In the wallet manager, generate one wallet if you have none yet.

4. 4

   Press Get test SOL

   In the banner, pick the wallet and press Get test SOL. Devnet sends it 1 free test SOL, which shows in the wallet a few seconds later. Press it again if you need more.

5. 5

   If devnet says no

   Devnet limits how much each server can hand out. Copy the wallet address, open faucet.solana.com, paste the address, choose an amount and request it there.

6. 6

   Going back

   Press Back to mainnet in the banner, or use the same button in Settings.

Test SOL only exists on devnet. It cannot be sent to mainnet, sold, or turned into real SOL, and real SOL sent to a devnet address is not lost but also does not show up on devnet.

#What devnet cannot show you

The curve difference is the big one. In testing, a 1 SOL dev buy on devnet took 82% of supply and completed the bonding curve on its own. On mainnet, the same 1 SOL gets roughly 3.4%. If you plan a split on devnet and copy it to mainnet, your numbers will be wildly off.

The lack of Jito matters too. On mainnet, a bundle is all or nothing: every transaction lands in the same block, or none do. On devnet, each transaction is sent separately. So a devnet run can partly succeed, for example the coin is created but a later buy fails. That is a devnet behavior, not something to expect from a mainnet bundle.

#Running a practice launch, start to finish

1. 1

   Switch to devnet

   Settings, Test network (devnet), Use devnet. Check that the yellow banner is showing.

2. 2

   Get test SOL

   Press Get test SOL in the banner, or use faucet.solana.com, into one wallet.

3. 3

   Create wallets

   Generate a dev wallet and two or three buyers in the wallet manager. Label them and put them in a group.

4. 4

   Distribute

   Send each wallet a small buy amount plus the usual margin, using the distribute tool.

5. 5

   Fill in the coin

   Use a throwaway name and image. Practice the upload and the description field.

6. 6

   Set small buys

   Keep the dev buy tiny so the devnet curve does not complete in one go. Read the table.

7. 7

   Launch

   Confirm once and watch it land on the project page.

8. 8

   Trade and sweep

   Buy and sell from the trading bar, then consolidate every wallet back into one.

That last step is worth doing even with fake SOL. Consolidating, closing token accounts and getting the rent back are the parts people forget after a real launch.

#What to watch for during the test

Go slower than you need to. Practice is the point.

• The launch table. Change one wallet's buy and watch how the estimates for the wallets after it move. That is the order effect you will see on mainnet too, just with different numbers.
• The red rows. Underfund one wallet on purpose. See that it turns red and blocks the launch. Now you know what it looks like.
• The pre-send check. Right before sending, DevBundler checks that pump.fun is reachable, the coin address is unused, balances are enough and the curve will not be sold out. If something fails, nothing is sent and the project page shows the reason with "Launch again".
• The dashboard. Find the market cap, the curve progress, combined holdings and per-wallet profit and loss. Find your own buys marked as B on the chart.
• The trading bar. Tick a couple of wallets, press a sell preset, and watch each wallet get quoted in order.

#Devnet surprises that are not bugs

A few things look broken on devnet but are just how devnet works:

• The curve completes almost immediately. That is the different curve configuration, not a problem with your launch.
• Buys land in different blocks. There is no Jito on devnet, so each transaction goes on its own.
• Nobody else trades your coin. Devnet has little real activity, so your chart will mostly show your own B and S marks.
• Percentages look absurd. A small buy can show a huge share. Ignore it.

If something fails that is not on this list, read the reason on the project page. It is the same message you would see on mainnet, which is exactly why practicing here is useful.

#Moving to mainnet

When the devnet run felt boring, you are ready. Press Back to mainnet in the banner. Before you launch, throw away every percentage you saw on devnet and replan with mainnet numbers: 1 SOL is about 3.4% of a fresh curve, and a 1 SOL dev buy plus three 0.5 SOL buyers holds about 8.18% together.

Then fund real wallets, set a Jito tip, and go through the pump.fun launch checklist. The walkthrough for the real thing is in how to launch a pump.fun coin with a bundle.