Token Transfers: EVM to SVM

This tutorial demonstrates how to transfer tokens from an Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chain to a Solana wallet using Chainlink CCIP. You will learn how to build a CCIP message on an EVM chain, send it to the CCIP router, and verify the transfer on the destination chain.

Introduction

This tutorial covers transferring tokens from Ethereum Sepolia to a Solana wallet without any additional data payload or program execution.

What You will Build

In this tutorial, you will:

Configure a CCIP message for token-only transfers
Send CCIP-BnM test tokens from Ethereum Sepolia to a Solana wallet
Pay for CCIP transaction fees using LINK tokens
Monitor and verify your cross-chain transfer

Prerequisites

Before starting EVM to SVM tutorials, ensure you have:

Development Environment

Node.js v20 or higher. You can use the nvm package to install and switch between Node.js versions. Once installed, you can verify the installation by running node -v in your terminal:
```
node -v
```
Example output:
```
$ node -v
v23.11.0
```
Git for cloning the repository.
Yarn for installing dependencies.
Anchor and Solana CLI Tools: Install Anchor and Solana CLI Tools following the installation guide. This requires Rust to be installed.

Wallets

An Ethereum wallet with a private key. If you use MetaMask, you can follow this guide to export your private key.
A Solana wallet address if you are testing token transfers. If you don't have one, you can generate a new Solana keypair file using the Solana CLI:
```
solana-keygen new --outfile ~/.config/solana/id.json
```
Get your wallet address by running:
```
solana address
```
Example output:
```
$ solana address
EPUjBP3Xf76K1VKsDSc6GupBWE8uykNksCLJgXZn87CB
```

RPC URLs

Get an Ethereum RPC URL. You can sign up for a personal endpoint from Alchemy, Infura, or another node provider service.

Setup Instructions

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/smartcontractkit/solana-starter-kit.git && cd solana-starter-kit

Checkout the ccip branch:
```
git checkout ccip
```
Install dependencies:
```
yarn install
```

Create a .env file in the project root based on the provided example:

EVM_PRIVATE_KEY=your_private_key_here
EVM_RPC_URL=your_rpc_url_here

Replace the EVM_PRIVATE_KEY and EVM_RPC_URL values with your own Ethereum private key and RPC URL that you obtained in the previous steps.

Tokens for Testing

You'll need the following tokens on Ethereum Sepolia testnet to complete the tutorials:

Required Tokens

Token	Purpose	How to Obtain
ETH	Transaction gas fees	Chainlink Faucet or alternative sources such as the Google Cloud Faucet
LINK	CCIP fees	Chainlink Faucet
CCIP-BnM	Token transfer examples	Use the command below

Getting CCIP-BnM Tokens

Run the following command in your terminal to get 1 (18 decimals) CCIP-BnM token:

yarn evm:token:drip

You should see output similar to this:

$ yarn evm:token:drip
...
[drip-tokens] [INFO] [1/1] Executing operation...
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Dripping tokens to 0x9d087fC03ae39b088326b67fA3C788236645b717
[drip-tokens] [INFO] ✓ Operation 1/1 successful (Block: 8235790, Gas: 33845)
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Batch operation completed: 1/1 successful
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Final CCIP-BnM balance: 25.129
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Total CCIP-BnM gained: 1.0
[drip-tokens] [INFO]
==== Results ====
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Operations completed: 1/1
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Initial Balance: 24.129 CCIP-BnM
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Final Balance: 25.129 CCIP-BnM
[drip-tokens] [INFO] Gained: 1.0 CCIP-BnM
[drip-tokens] [INFO]
🎉 Drip operations completed!

Understanding Token Transfers to SVM

This tutorial focuses on token-only transfers from EVM chains to Solana wallets. For detailed information about CCIP message structure and parameters, refer to the guide on building CCIP messages from EVM to SVM.

Key points specific to token-only transfers:

No Program Execution: Tokens are transferred directly to a wallet without program execution
Mandatory Settings:
- computeUnits MUST be set to 0
- receiver field should be set to the default PublicKey (11111111111111111111111111111111)
- The actual recipient is specified in the tokenReceiver field
- data field should be empty (0x)
- allowOutOfOrderExecution must be true

For more details on the CCIP message structure, extraArgs, and how the SVM account model works, refer to the guide on building CCIP messages from EVM to SVM.

Implementing Token Transfers

In this section, you'll implement a token transfer from Ethereum Sepolia to Solana Devnet using the example script located at ccip-scripts/evm/router/1_token-transfer.ts in the starter kit.

Token Transfer Configuration

The most important part of implementing a token transfer is configuring the CCIP message correctly. Here's the key configuration from the script:

const MESSAGE_CONFIG = {
  tokenAmounts: [
    {
      address: config.tokenAddress, // BnM token on Ethereum Sepolia
      amount: "1000000000000000", // 0.001 tokens with 18 decimals
    },
  ],
  feeToken: FeeTokenType.LINK, // LINK is used for CCIP fees
  data: "0x", // Empty for token transfers
  extraArgs: {
    computeUnits: 0, // No execution on destination - MUST be 0
    allowOutOfOrderExecution: true, // MUST be true for SVM destinations
    accountIsWritableBitmap: BigInt(0), // No accounts needed
    tokenReceiver: "EPUjBP3Xf76K1VKsDSc6GupBWE8uykNksCLJgXZn87CB", // Recipient's Solana wallet - Change this to your own wallet address
    accounts: [], // No accounts needed for token-only transfers
  },
  receiver: PublicKey.default.toString(), // Use default PublicKey for token transfers
}

Edit the script directly: Modify the tokenReceiver value in the code by changing "EPUjBP3Xf76K1VKsDSc6GupBWE8uykNksCLJgXZn87CB" to your own Solana wallet address. You can get your Solana address by running solana address in your terminal.

solana address

Example output:

$ solana address
EPUjBP3Xf76K1VKsDSc6GupBWE8uykNksCLJgXZn87CB

How the Script Works

The token transfer script handles the complete cross-chain transfer process without requiring you to write any code. The script:

Configures the CCIP message with the parameters shown above
Calculates the CCIP fees required for the transfer
Approves the router to spend your CCIP-BnM tokens (the tokens being transferred)
Approves the router to spend your LINK tokens (for paying CCIP fees)
Calls the CCIP router contract to execute the cross-chain transfer
Returns the transaction details and message ID for tracking

For those interested in implementation details, the script is well-commented and follows a straightforward flow. You can review the source code at ccip-scripts/evm/router/1_token-transfer.ts in the starter kit repository.

Running the Token Transfer

Prerequisites Check

Ensure you've completed the setup steps outlined earlier
Make sure your .env file contains the required values

Execute the Script

Run the following command after modifying the script directly:

yarn evm:transfer

Understanding the Output

When the script executes successfully, you'll see output similar to this:

==== Environment Information ====
chainId ethereum-sepolia
[token-transfer] [INFO] Router Address: 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59
chainId ethereum-sepolia
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Creating client for chain: Ethereum Sepolia (ethereum-sepolia)
[token-transfer] [INFO] Wallet Address: 0x9d087fC03ae39b088326b67fA3C788236645b717
[token-transfer] [INFO] Native Balance: 600.023652720198652224 ETH
[token-transfer] [INFO] Token: CCIP-BnM (0x316496C5dA67D052235B9952bc42db498d6c520b)
[token-transfer] [INFO] Token Balance: 25.129 CCIP-BnM
[token-transfer] [INFO] Transfer Amount: 0.1 CCIP-BnM
[token-transfer] [INFO] Creating CCIP message request
[token-transfer] [INFO] Using fee token: 0x779877A7B0D9E8603169DdbD7836e478b4624789
[token-transfer] [INFO]
==== Transfer Summary ====
[token-transfer] [INFO] Source Chain: Ethereum Sepolia
[token-transfer] [INFO] Destination Chain: Solana Devnet (16423721717087811551)
[token-transfer] [INFO] Sender: 0x9d087fC03ae39b088326b67fA3C788236645b717
[token-transfer] [INFO] Receiver: 11111111111111111111111111111111
[token-transfer] [INFO] Token Receiver: EPUjBP3Xf76K1VKsDSc6GupBWE8uykNksCLJgXZn87CB
[token-transfer] [INFO] Fee Token: 0x779877A7B0D9E8603169DdbD7836e478b4624789
[token-transfer] [INFO]
Token Transfers:
[token-transfer] [INFO]   1. 0.1 CCIP-BnM (0x316496C5dA67D052235B9952bc42db498d6c520b)
[token-transfer] [INFO]
Extra Args: Solana-specific, 458 bytes
[token-transfer] [INFO]
Sending CCIP message...
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Estimated fee: 27526004358896610
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Approving 0.033031205230675932 LINK for CCIP Router
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] This token is being used as the fee token with a 20% buffer included
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Approving 33031205230675932 tokens for 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] LINK approved for CCIP Router
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] ✅ Verified on-chain allowance for LINK: 0.033031205230675932 (required: 0.033031205230675932)
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Approving 0.1 CCIP-BnM for CCIP Router
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Approving 100000000000000000 tokens for 0x0BF3dE8c5D3e8A2B34D2BEeB17ABfCeBaf363A59
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] CCIP-BnM approved for CCIP Router
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] ✅ Verified on-chain allowance for CCIP-BnM: 0.1 (required: 0.1)
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Sending CCIP message...
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Sending CCIP message...
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Transaction sent: 0x0c90bf80c1f7ff161adbe0846df5026bf78944a3aa46019d97a05bda2b94f014
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Transaction sent: 0x0c90bf80c1f7ff161adbe0846df5026bf78944a3aa46019d97a05bda2b94f014
[ccip-messenger] [INFO] Message ID: 0x29ec89a867da8ebde045f30bddd663396a4abc0e8374ac2d8083612805fa7fb4
[token-transfer] [INFO]
==== Transfer Results ====
[token-transfer] [INFO] Transaction Hash: 0x0c90bf80c1f7ff161adbe0846df5026bf78944a3aa46019d97a05bda2b94f014
[token-transfer] [INFO] Transaction URL: https://sepolia.etherscan.io/tx/0x0c90bf80c1f7ff161adbe0846df5026bf78944a3aa46019d97a05bda2b94f014
[token-transfer] [INFO] Message ID: 0x29ec89a867da8ebde045f30bddd663396a4abc0e8374ac2d8083612805fa7fb4
[token-transfer] [INFO] CCIP Explorer: https://ccip.chain.link/msg/0x29ec89a867da8ebde045f30bddd663396a4abc0e8374ac2d8083612805fa7fb4
[token-transfer] [INFO] Destination Chain Selector: 16423721717087811551
[token-transfer] [INFO] Sequence Number: 12
[token-transfer] [INFO]
Message tracking for Solana destinations:
[token-transfer] [INFO] Please check the CCIP Explorer link to monitor your message status.
[token-transfer] [INFO]
✅ Transaction completed on the source chain

The output provides important information to track your transfer:

Transaction hash and URL for viewing on Etherscan
Message ID for tracking in the CCIP Explorer. In this example, the message ID is 0x29ec89a867da8ebde045f30bddd663396a4abc0e8374ac2d8083612805fa7fb4.

Behind the Scenes: Message Encoding for Token Transfers

While this tutorial focuses on configuration and execution, it's important to understand that the script uses several utility functions to properly encode CCIP messages. If you're implementing your own token transfer solution outside this starter kit, you will need to handle these encoding steps yourself.

Key utilities used by the script include:

createCCIPMessageRequest(): Creates a properly formatted CCIP message with all required fields
validateTokenAmounts(): Checks token balances and transaction validity
getTokenDetails(): Fetches token metadata for the proper display of amounts
setupClientContext(): Sets up connections to the blockchain with the right configuration

These utilities handle critical tasks such as:

Converting token amounts between decimal and raw formats
Properly encoding SVM wallet addresses for token receipt
Setting up the required ExtraArgs structure for SVM destinations
Managing token approvals and fee calculations

If you're building your own implementation, we recommend examining the source code in:

ccip-scripts/evm/utils/message-utils.ts
ccip-scripts/evm/utils/setup-client.ts
ccip-lib/evm/core/client/CCIPMessenger.ts

Understanding these utilities will help you implement your own cross-chain token transfers correctly.

Verification and Monitoring

After sending your token transfer, you'll need to:

Track progress with Message ID: Use the CCIP Explorer link provided in the output to track your message status across chains. You must wait for the transfer to be successful before proceeding to verification.
Solana Explorer: Once the transfer is successful, verify token receipt on the Solana Explorer:
- Visit Solana Explorer
- Search for your Solana wallet address
- Look for the transferred token in the "Tokens" section

Token Transfers: EVM to SVM

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