> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.shyft.to/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.shyft.to/solana-yellowstone-grpc/docs/getting-started.md).

# Getting Started

**Yellowstone** is a high-performance Solana validator client designed with extensibility and speed in mind. It offers powerful **gRPC support** via its **Geyser plugin**, enabling developers to subscribe to a wide range of real-time Solana events — including account changes, transaction confirmations, and slot updates — with minimal latency.

To start working with Yellowstone gRPC, you’ll need two key components:

* **gRPC Endpoint** – The <mark style="color:yellow;">endpoint</mark> where the gRPC service is exposed.
* **x-token** – An <mark style="color:yellow;">access token</mark> required to authenticate your connection.

Before establishing a connection, ensure you’ve installed the **Yellowstone gRPC package**, which provides the necessary tools and client bindings for communicating with the gRPC service.

<figure><img src="/files/ckGRZ2vP6m0OZGtj6M4g" alt=""><figcaption><p>Region specific gRPC endpoint and access token from the Shyft Dashboard</p></figcaption></figure>

Once set up, you can begin streaming real-time Solana data with precision and performance.