A transaction page on a block explorer looks like a wall of technical fields. This article explains each field, one by one, so you can answer simple questions: did it go through, who paid, how much did it cost, and what did it do?
The examples follow Ethereum-style chains (Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Optimism, Polygon) first. Later sections show how Bitcoin and Solana differ.
How to open a transaction page
You can find a transaction in three ways.
- Paste its hash into the search box in the header. The hash is the long ID, starting with 0x on EVM chains.
- Click a transaction in a block. Open a chain from its live page, for example Base, and click a block tile.
- Use the direct address
/chain/<id>/tx/<hash>, where<id>is the chain number shown in the site address of that chain.
Pages for blocks and addresses work the same way. The header search also takes a block number or an address.
The fields, one by one
Transaction hash
The unique ID of the transaction. Anyone with the hash can find the same record. Two different transactions never have the same hash.
Status
Usually Success, Failed or Pending. Success means the transaction ran and its changes were applied. Failed means it was included in a block but its action was rejected, for example because of too little gas or a contract rule. Pending means it is waiting and not in a block yet.
A failed transaction still pays a fee. The network did work to try it, so you pay for the gas used up to the point of failure. Nothing else changes: the tokens or coins you meant to send stay with you.
Block and timestamp
The block is the number of the block that holds the transaction. The timestamp is the time of that block. Many pages also show the number of confirmations, which is how many blocks came after it. See finality and confirmations.
From and to
From is the address that signed and paid. To is the address that received the call. If the "to" address is a normal wallet, it is a simple transfer. If it is a smart contract, the transaction is a contract call, and the "to" is the contract, not the final person who gets the tokens.
Value
The amount of the native coin (ETH on Ethereum) sent along with the transaction. For a token transfer such as USDC, the value is often 0 ETH, because the tokens move inside the token contract. The real amount is in the token transfer section.
Transaction fee
The total paid, in the native coin and often also in dollars. It equals gas used times the gas price. On layer 2 chains, the fee can also include a data fee for posting to Ethereum. Gas and fees explained covers each part.
Gas limit, gas used and gas price
- Gas limit: the most work the sender allowed.
- Gas used: the work actually used. You pay for this, not for the limit.
- Gas price: the price per unit, in gwei. Newer pages split it into the base fee, the priority fee and the max fee.
A simple ETH transfer uses exactly 21,000 gas. A token transfer or a swap uses more.
Nonce
A counter of the sender's transactions. The first transaction from an address has nonce 0, the next has nonce 1, and so on. Transactions must be included in order, so one stuck transaction can block the ones after it. Re-using a nonce with a higher fee is how a wallet replaces or cancels a pending transaction.
Input data
The raw data sent to a contract. It is empty for a simple transfer. For a contract call, it begins with a short code that names the function, followed by its arguments. Explorers often decode it into a readable form, such as "transfer" with a receiver and an amount.
Logs and events
When a contract runs, it can record events, called logs. Token contracts emit a "Transfer" event each time tokens move. Apps and explorers read these logs to show activity. The logs are a good proof of what the contract did.
Token transfers
A friendlier summary built from the logs: which tokens moved, from which address, to which address and how many. When you check a payment, this is the part to read.
A worked example: you received 25 USDC on Base
Imagine a friend says they sent you 25 USDC on Base, and gives you the transaction hash. You search it on Base with the header search. What does the page show?
- Status: Success. The transfer ran.
- Block and timestamp: a block number and a time a short while ago, with some confirmations.
- From: your friend's address. To: the USDC token contract, not your address. This is normal for a token transfer.
- Value: 0 ETH, because no ETH moved.
- Token transfers: one line showing 25 USDC from your friend's address to your address. This is the line that matters.
- Transaction fee: a very small amount, paid by your friend in ETH, and including the L1 data fee because Base is a layer 2.
- Input data: a "transfer" call to the contract with your address and an amount in the token's smallest unit (25 USDC is written as 25,000,000, since USDC has 6 decimals).
If the token transfer line shows your address and 25 USDC, you got the money. If you see a different USDC contract address, be careful, as fake tokens can use the same name. See stablecoins.
Pending and confirmed
A pending transaction has been broadcast but not included in a block. It may wait if the fee is too low. Once included, it is confirmed, and with more blocks on top it becomes safer to rely on. The full story is in finality and confirmations.
How Bitcoin differs
Bitcoin has no accounts or balances in the Ethereum sense. A transaction spends inputs and creates outputs. An input points to an earlier output that you are spending. An output says how much goes to which address.
You must spend an input fully. If you hold a coin worth 0.5 BTC and pay 0.1 BTC, the transaction has an output of 0.1 BTC to the receiver and a change output of nearly 0.4 BTC back to you. The small difference between inputs and outputs is the fee. There is no gas, no nonce and no input data of the same kind. See Bitcoin mempool and fees and Bitcoin.
How Solana differs
A Solana transaction is identified by its signature, which acts as its ID. It holds a list of instructions, each calling a program (the Solana word for a smart contract). One transaction can contain several instructions, for example "create a token account" and then "transfer". The page shows the fee, the compute units used and the result of each instruction. See Solana priority fees and Solana.
Frequently asked questions
What is a transaction hash?
It is the unique ID of a transaction. You use it to look the transaction up on a block explorer.
Why did my failed transaction still cost a fee?
The network did work to try it, so the gas used is charged even though the action was rejected. Your coins and tokens stay where they were.
Why does the "to" address show a contract and not the receiver?
For a token transfer, you call the token contract, which then updates balances. The receiver appears in the token transfers section and in the input data.
What does a pending transaction mean?
It was broadcast but is not in a block yet. It usually needs a higher fee, or it just needs a short wait.
What is a nonce?
It is a counter of how many transactions an address has sent. It keeps transactions in order and stops the same one from being used twice.