In-Depth DEX
Understand where Carbium DEX fits: browser swaps, gasless onboarding, API handoff, and the right next page for each Solana trading workflow.
Carbium DEX is the user-facing swap interface for Carbium's Solana trading stack. Use it when you want to connect a wallet, review a live route, and sign a swap in the browser before moving into deeper API or infrastructure work.
If you are integrating trading inside your own product, start with Carbium Swap API instead. This page owns the DEX product map: what the browser app is for, what it abstracts away, and which deeper page should answer the next question.
Part of the Carbium Solana infrastructure platform.
The Short Version
Use the browser DEX when the user is the signer and the immediate job is a swap. Use the API docs when your app, wallet, or bot needs to request quotes, build transactions, or submit through a backend.
| Job | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Try Carbium as a user | Quick Start DEX | Fastest path from app open to first wallet-signed swap |
| Understand the normal swap screen | Swap on Carbium DEX | Focuses on route review, wallet prompt checks, and browser flow |
| Remove the first-SOL fee hurdle | Gasless Swaps | Explains when a no-SOL onboarding path fits |
| Inspect newly visible pairs | New Pairs | Keeps discovery tied to mint, route, output, and wallet checks |
| Build trading into another app | Carbium Swap API | Covers API keys, Q1 quotes, executable transactions, and implementation handoffs |
What The DEX Handles
The DEX sits above Carbium's routing and infrastructure layers. For a normal browser swap, it keeps the user in a familiar wallet flow:
- open app.carbium.io
- connect a Solana wallet
- choose the input and output tokens
- review the displayed quote and route
- sign in the wallet
- wait for the transaction to settle on Solana
That separation matters. Carbium can prepare the swap path, but the wallet remains the final user-controlled signing checkpoint.
📘 The rendered quote is the source of truth for the trade the user is about to sign. Do not assume a pair, route, or gasless option is available until the live flow shows it.
DEX, API, And Routing Are Different Jobs
Carbium has several trading surfaces because not every user is solving the same problem.
| Surface | What it owns | What it should not own |
|---|---|---|
| Carbium DEX | Browser swaps, wallet connection, route review, user signing | Backend API-key handling or embedded app architecture |
| Gasless Swaps | The no-SOL user onboarding decision for supported routes | A promise that every swap route can ignore normal fee constraints |
| Swap API | Quotes, transaction construction, auth, bot/wallet integration | The end-user browser walkthrough |
| CQ1 routing | Route evaluation across Solana liquidity sources | Wallet UX or product onboarding copy |
| Carbium RPC | Transaction submission, confirmation, and Solana infrastructure | Swap route selection itself |
The public Swap API material lists Raydium, Orca, Meteora, Pump.fun, and Moonshot among supported liquidity venues for the API stack. In the DEX app, rely on the route shown in the interface for the exact trade.
When The Browser DEX Is Enough
Stay in the DEX flow when:
- you are making a personal or treasury swap from a connected wallet
- you want to evaluate the Carbium trading experience before writing code
- the user can review and sign each transaction directly
- you need to understand the product path before deciding whether an API integration is worth it
Move into the API and development pages when:
- quotes need to be requested by a backend service
- a wallet, bot, or app needs to embed Carbium trading
- API keys, logs, retries, and support payloads matter
- the product needs a repeatable quote -> sign -> submit workflow
Product Checks Before Signing
Before approving a browser swap, check the details that can change with live liquidity:
| Check | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Token mint | Similar symbols can point to different Solana assets |
| Expected output | Liquidity and route choice can move between quote and signing |
| Wallet prompt | The wallet confirmation is the final user-controlled checkpoint |
| SOL fee state | If the wallet has no SOL, read Gasless Swaps before assuming the normal path will work |
| Destination account | Make sure the connected wallet is the account you intended to use |
These checks are intentionally practical. They are the things a user or support team can verify without understanding every routing detail behind the trade.
Where To Go Next
| If your next question is... | Read this |
|---|---|
| "How do I make my first swap?" | Quick Start DEX |
| "What should I check on the swap screen?" | Swap on Carbium DEX |
| "Can users swap without already holding SOL?" | Gasless Swaps |
| "How should I inspect a newly visible pair?" | New Pairs |
| "How do I integrate Carbium trading into a wallet or app?" | Carbium Swap API |
| "How does Carbium route across liquidity?" | CQ1 Routing Engine |
🔶 Ready to test the browser flow? Open app.carbium.io. For the full platform, start at carbium.io.