One of Solana's distinctive features is its consensus protocol called Proof of History (PoH), which works alongside Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus. PoH allows verification of transactions in a temporal sequence, which improves network speed and efficiency. This technology allows Solana to handle a large number of transactions with low fees and fast confirmation times.

Solana's native cryptocurrency is called SOL and is used to pay transaction fees and to participate in the network's consensus mechanism. Since its launch, Solana has gained popularity as a robust and scalable platform for decentralized applications (dApps) and decentralized finance (DeFi), attracting developers and projects due to its high performance and efficiency.