In this track: Your first steps
What is a transaction?
An authorized instruction asking Ethereum to update its state.
A signed request to change the classroom register is an instruction. The class must still check and accept it before the register changes.
Maya prepares an instruction: send 0.01 pretend ETH to Leo.
A local simulation. Nothing is signed or sent to a network.
An instruction with fields
An Ethereum transaction specifies information including an account nonce, fee settings and action data. It may send ETH, call an existing contract, or deploy a contract. Modern transaction formats can carry additional fields.
Authorization comes first
For a typical externally owned account, a digital signature authorizes the transaction. The signature lets nodes verify the sender under the applicable rules. A wallet prepares this for a user; the network never needs the user’s private key.
A request is not a guarantee
Broadcasting a transaction does not ensure it will be included or succeed. Its nonce or fees might prevent inclusion. A contract’s checks might cause execution to revert. You need the eventual receipt and chain context to know what happened.
Follow every stage
Read Follow a transaction for preparation, signing, sharing, inclusion and finality. The interactive flow uses pretend amounts and does not connect to a real wallet.
Does broadcasting guarantee that a transaction succeeds?
A broadcast transaction can remain pending, fail validation, or revert when executed.
Original explanations by EtherTools. Examples are educational and source-linked; this site is independent of the Ethereum Foundation. Our approach.