Pipe Network Launches Free, Open-Source Validator Client With Built-In Acceleration for Solana

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Pipe Network, a global edge infrastructure company built on Solana, announced today that it has launched SolanaCDN, a free, open-source Solana validator client with an integrated CDN acceleration layer.

Following its design, SolanaCDN delivers 3.8x faster shred propagation through Pipe’s global network of 35,000+ nodes, provided as a public good for the Solana network

Introducing SolanaCDN, a Public Good Infrastructure for Solana

According to the announcement, SolanaCDN is built as a fork of Anza’s Agave, hence it gives every Solana validator access to faster shred propagation through Pipe’s massive global network. The client and CDN layer are both completely free. 

The launch of SolanaCDN follows concerns about validator performance on Solana, which is heavily influenced by network geography.

The platform creates a balance as validators closer to block producers see shreds earlier, vote sooner, and earn more rewards while validators in less connected regions face slower propagation, missed votes, and reduced leader slot revenue regardless of their hardware.

To remediate this issue, SolanaCDN offers validators a second, faster path for shred delivery alongside native gossip. Shreds and vote packets route through Pipe’s global mesh, which continuously measures every network path and routes traffic along the fastest available route in real time.

Notably, SolanaCDN delivers 3.8x faster propagation than standard Turbine, with a P50 cross-region latency of approximately 78ms compared to the roughly 300ms baseline on standard gossip.

While it serves as a good infrastructure for the Solana ecosystem, it is important to note that faster propagation is a network effect. Every validator running SolanaCDN improves shred delivery globally, which means faster block finalization, fewer forks, and fewer missed slots across the entire Solana network.

Speaking on the development, David Rhodus, CEO of Pipe Network, said;

“Validator performance shouldn’t be determined by geography…SolanaCDN gives every validator access to the same fast infrastructure. The more validators that run it, the faster Solana gets for everyone.”