An instruction is the basic unit of execution on Solana. Each instruction specifies: the program to call, the accounts to read or write, and any instruction data (arguments) to pass. A Solana transaction can contain multiple instructions that execute atomically.

Instructions are created by client applications (like StakePoint's frontend) and signed by the user's wallet before being submitted to the network. Validators execute the instructions on-chain by calling the specified programs.

Atomic transactions — where multiple instructions succeed or all fail together — are a powerful feature of Solana's instruction model. For example, a token lock can create the lock account, transfer the tokens, and record the lock metadata in a single atomic transaction.