# Solana A relatively new and rapidly growing cryptocurrency is Solana, with a market cap of roughly 60 billion USD. So what is Solana? To put it simply, Solana is simply a *cheaper* and *faster* alternative to Ethereum. As Ethereum has scaled in size, it has faced increasing *gas fees\** and longer transaction times. With transactions sometimes costing as much as 100$ and taking up to an hour, there is a viable market for a cheaper alternative, ie. Solana, which has a fraction of the transaction time and cost*.* {% hint style="info" %} *In crypto, gas is the cost of completing a transaction. For example, if I wanted to send you 1000 dollars of Ethereum, it may cost $10 in gas.* {% endhint %} For more on Solana, click [here](https://www.investopedia.com/solana-5210472). --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://solanaupdate.gitbook.io/the-crypto-bible/investing/building-a-portfolio/solana.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.