User Transaction

PreviousConsensus & Execution NextState Sync & Gas Limits

Last updated 4 months ago

User Transaction

When you click “Send” or “Confirm” in your wallet, you’re kicking off a multi-step process that involves various nodes in the network—each with a specific role. Below is an overview of how a typical transaction flows, from the user’s device all the way to final settlement on the blockchain.

Putting It All Together: A Detailed Transaction Workflow

User (Wallet or dApp)
- You create a transaction (e.g., sending tokens, calling a contract function) and sign it with your private key.
- This signature ensures authenticity and prevents tampering.
RPC Node
- Receives the signed transaction from the user. The RPC node serves as the entry point to the network.
- Relays the transaction to other nodes in the network, such as the sequencer or validator nodes.
- Provides API endpoints for wallets and dApps, allowing users to interact with the blockchain without running a node themselves.
- Could be a full node or a lighter replica node.
Leader
- The leader orders the incoming transactions, determining their sequence.
- It executes them in an EVM (or equivalent execution environment), updating the state as it goes.
- A proposed block is then assembled, containing the ordered transactions and a state commitment (e.g., the state root—a cryptographic fingerprint that represents the entire updated state).
- The leader broadcasts the proposed block to other validator nodes.
Network Nodes (full or replica node)
- These nodes verify the transactions in the block (e.g., check signatures, ensure no double-spends).
- They then vote on whether to accept the block. If the network agrees the block is valid, it becomes part of the chain.
- Upon receiving an approved block, each node replays (or verifies) the transactions to confirm the state changes.
- They update their local copy of the blockchain’s state (e.g., balances, contract data).
- As full nodes and replica nodes update their state. This allows them to serve up-to-date information to users and dApps, including updated balances, contract outputs, and the latest blockchain state.
Final Settlement (If Applicable)
- In a Layer-2 context, periodic state commitments or proofs are submitted to an L1 (like Ethereum) to ensure trust-minimized security.
- This step provides an extra layer of safety: if the L2 fails or acts maliciously, the L1’s data can be used to resolve disputes or recover funds.

Result: By the end of this process, all nodes in the network have an identical, updated view of the blockchain’s state, and your transaction is finalized.

PreviousConsensus & Execution NextState Sync & Gas Limits

Last updated 4 months ago

Putting It All Together: A Detailed Transaction Workflow

User (Wallet or dApp)
- You create a transaction (e.g., sending tokens, calling a contract function) and sign it with your private key.
- This signature ensures authenticity and prevents tampering.
RPC Node
- Receives the signed transaction from the user. The RPC node serves as the entry point to the network.
- Relays the transaction to other nodes in the network, such as the sequencer or validator nodes.
- Provides API endpoints for wallets and dApps, allowing users to interact with the blockchain without running a node themselves.
- Could be a full node or a lighter replica node.
Leader
- The leader orders the incoming transactions, determining their sequence.
- It executes them in an EVM (or equivalent execution environment), updating the state as it goes.
- A proposed block is then assembled, containing the ordered transactions and a state commitment (e.g., the state root—a cryptographic fingerprint that represents the entire updated state).
- The leader broadcasts the proposed block to other validator nodes.
Network Nodes (full or replica node)
- These nodes verify the transactions in the block (e.g., check signatures, ensure no double-spends).
- They then vote on whether to accept the block. If the network agrees the block is valid, it becomes part of the chain.
- Upon receiving an approved block, each node replays (or verifies) the transactions to confirm the state changes.
- They update their local copy of the blockchain’s state (e.g., balances, contract data).
RPC Nodes Synchronize ()
- As full nodes and replica nodes update their state. This allows them to serve up-to-date information to users and dApps, including updated balances, contract outputs, and the latest blockchain state.
Final Settlement (If Applicable)
- In a Layer-2 context, periodic state commitments or proofs are submitted to an L1 (like Ethereum) to ensure trust-minimized security.
- This step provides an extra layer of safety: if the L2 fails or acts maliciously, the L1’s data can be used to resolve disputes or recover funds.

Result: By the end of this process, all nodes in the network have an identical, updated view of the blockchain’s state, and your transaction is finalized.