In the Web3 world, airdrops, DAO governance, community incentives, and NFT whitelists all revolve around a key question: How to determine which wallets are eligible at a certain point in time?
This is also the purpose of snapshots.
In simple terms, a snapshot is a record of the token holdings or other on-chain status of a batch of wallets at a specified time or block height, and this data serves as the basis for subsequent distribution of rewards, eligibility judgment, or voting power calculation.
For Solana project parties, community operators, and multi-wallet users, snapshots are not a complex development concept. With tools like CiaoTool, even those without programming backgrounds can easily obtain token holding data to provide a data foundation for subsequent airdrops and asset management.
What is a blockchain snapshot?
A snapshot can be understood as taking a "photo" of the blockchain state.
For example, if a project plans to conduct an airdrop on September 20, the project team can record the token holding addresses and corresponding balances at that specified time.
Assuming the snapshot results are as follows:
Wallet A: 1,000 Tokens
Wallet B: 500 Tokens
Wallet C: 100 Tokens
The project team can then develop airdrop rules based on this fixed data rather than recalculating wallet balances on the day of the airdrop.
What are the characteristics of a snapshot?
1. Fixed Time Point
Snapshots correspond to specific times or block heights to avoid data changing with continuous on-chain transactions.
2. Does Not Modify On-Chain Assets
The snapshot itself only reads and records the on-chain state; it does not transfer user assets nor change token balances.
3. Usable for Subsequent Calculations
Once snapshot data is obtained, further filtering and calculations can be conducted according to holding quantities, address eligibility, and other conditions.
Why do airdrops particularly need snapshots?
Without snapshots, if project teams directly assess eligibility based on holdings on the day of the airdrop, a problem may arise:
Users may buy large amounts of tokens only after the airdrop rules are announced and then sell them after receiving rewards.
This approach could disadvantage users who have genuinely participated in the community over a long term.
Therefore, project teams can determine a snapshot time in advance and use the holding conditions at that time as the standard for judging eligibility.
Basic Process of Snapshot Airdrops
Determine Rules: For example, holding at least 100 Tokens to be eligible.
Determine Snapshot Time: Choose a specific time or block height.
Obtain Holding Data: Record eligible wallet addresses and balances.
Filter Airdrop Eligibility: Filter addresses based on the rules.
Calculate Rewards: Calculate based on fixed quantities or holding ratios.
Execute Airdrop: Use the list of eligible wallets for subsequent distribution.
In this way, "when held" and "how much held" both have clear data backing.
What other application scenarios are there for snapshots?
Snapshots are not only used for airdrops; they can also be applied to various token operation scenarios in the Solana ecosystem.
DAO Governance and Voting
Projects can record token holdings before voting begins and determine different voting weights for wallets based on the snapshot results.
This can prevent users from suddenly purchasing large amounts of tokens during the voting process, directly altering the voting results.
Community Rewards
Projects can periodically obtain holding snapshots and filter long-term users based on holding duration, holding quantities, and other conditions, then formulate corresponding reward rules.
NFT Whitelist
If a project stipulates, "Users holding a certain Token can qualify for NFT minting," the snapshot can be used to obtain eligible wallet addresses as subsequent whitelist data.
Token Migration
When a project migrates from an old Token to a new Token, it can first record the holdings of the old Token and then determine the exchange or mapping plan based on the snapshot results.
How to use CiaoTool to obtain Solana Token snapshots?
For users without development experience, directly querying and organizing a large number of Token Account data through RPC is not convenient.
CiaoTool provides a visual snapshot function that helps users more easily obtain token holding data.
Basic Operating Approach
Step 1: Access the Snapshot Function
Open CiaoTool, navigate to the corresponding Solana Token tool, and find the **Snapshot** function.
Step 2: Select the Token to Query
Enter or select the target Token, and the system will obtain the relevant holding information based on on-chain data.
Step 3: Generate Snapshot
Confirm the Token and relevant parameters, then execute the snapshot to obtain the wallet holding data for the specified Token.
Step 4: View and Organize Data
Based on the snapshot results, you can view different wallet addresses and their corresponding token quantities, further filtering according to the project's own airdrop, reward, or whitelist rules.
What should be noted when using snapshots?
Snapshots solve the problem of "recording the state at a specific time," but they do not automatically determine airdrop rules.
In actual operation, the following needs to be clarified in advance:
Snapshot time or block height;
Minimum holding quantity;
Whether to exclude project parties, exchanges, or specific addresses;
Whether a single address can receive rewards multiple times;
Whether rewards are fixed amounts or calculated based on holding ratios.
Thus, a reasonable airdrop process should be: Formulate rules → Obtain snapshot → Filter addresses → Calculate rewards → Execute distribution.
A snapshot may seem like just a record of on-chain data, but in reality, it is an important data foundation for many Web3 incentive mechanisms.
For Solana projects, whether for token airdrops, DAO voting, community rewards, NFT whitelists, or token migrations, whenever it is necessary to determine "who holds what at a certain point in time," snapshots might be required.
If you wish to avoid the complex process of querying and organizing on-chain data, you can use the snapshot feature of CiaoTool to obtain token holding data and then apply your own rules to complete subsequent airdrops or community operations.
Obtain snapshots, starting with recording a moment on the blockchain.
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