How Tezos processes a transaction: signing, checks and finality
Tezos transactions are signed operations that nodes check and bakers put in blocks. A transaction is final once a quorum of bakers has attested to it.
Vahe HakobyanEditor-in-chief
Updated Oct 6, 20263 min readFact-checked
On this page
- Nodes check the signature, balance, counter, fees, and gas.
- Bakers order valid operations into blocks and attest them.
- A pending operation can block your next one.
Tezos is an open-source blockchain for payments and smart contracts; its coin is the tez. The network runs on liquid proof of stake. Holders can validate blocks or delegate their stake to a baker.
What do you need before you start?
Your wallet holds the private key that signs each operation, so keep the recovery phrase offline. Check the address before you send.
How does Tezos process a transaction?
A Tezos transaction travels as an operation. An operation is a signed instruction that moves tez or calls a smart contract. Nodes relay it, bakers order the valid ones into blocks, and fees and gas are paid in tez, with new storage sometimes requiring a burn.
- 1Sign the operationYour wallet signs the request with your private key, proving it came from your account.
- 2Broadcast it to nodesThe wallet sends it to Tezos nodes, which relay it onward.
- 3Let nodes check itNodes check the signature, balance, account counter, fees, gas, and storage limits before relaying it.
- 4Let bakers include itBakers order valid operations into blocks under proof of stake and attest to them.
How do you know it settled?
A transaction settles only after its block is included and the finality rule is met. Tezos added the Tenderbake rule in 2022, and under it a block becomes final once a quorum of bakers has attested to it, usually recorded in a later block.
- Pending: no baker has included it yet.
- Included: a baker put it in a block that can still change.
- Final: a quorum of bakers has attested to it.
Frequently asked questions
It is the unique code the network gives a signed operation. Your wallet shows it after you send.
No baker has included it yet, often because the fee is low. It is not canceled and may still be included later.
The operation is included but its effect is rolled back, and the fees are still charged.
No. Once the block is final the operation cannot be undone, and tez sent to a wrong address is usually lost.
