Does program keypair has any other usage besides program deployment?

Question

When we are doing program deployment on Solana using Anchor, it will read the key pair generated at target/deploy/<program>-keypair.json and use it to sign the instruction for initial deployment.

If I understand correctly, according to create_account instruction:

https://docs.rs/solana-program/latest/solana_program/system_instruction/fn.create_account.html

this program keypair is used to sign the program account to prove that you really are the owner of this program ID.

However, after initial deployment, it seems that all the operations afterwards like SetAuthority Upgrade Close don't need the program keypair anymore, but only the keypair of UpgradeAuthority.

So can I see the program keypair as a one-time usage keypair and can be toss away after initial deployment? Or does it has any other purpose besides from initial program deployment?

Thanks!

Answer 1

That's exactly correct, it's only used during the first deployment of the program. You might like to keep it around in case you decide to deploy it to other networks, but otherwise you can throw it away.

Answer 2

The primary purpose of the program keypair in Solana is indeed for the initial deployment of a program. The keypair is used to sign the instructions during the creation of the program account, establishing ownership of the program ID.

After the initial deployment, the program keypair is not typically required for routine program operations like setting authority, upgrading, or closing an account. These operations often involve interactions with accounts that are governed by different authorities, such as the UpgradeAuthority.

While the program keypair might not have a direct role in ongoing program operations, it's essential to securely store and manage it because it represents ownership of the program. Additionally, situations may arise where you need the program keypair for upgrades, migrations, or other administrative tasks related to the program in the future. It's a good practice to treat the program keypair as a valuable asset and store it securely even after the initial deployment.