- The wallet creates and signs
- The mempool is a waiting area
- Confirmations build confidence
The wallet creates and signs
A wallet assembles transaction details, including the destination and amount, then signs the transaction with the required cryptographic authorization.
The signed transaction is shared with connected Bitcoin nodes. Those nodes check its structure and whether it follows network rules.
The mempool is a waiting area
Valid unconfirmed transactions may enter node mempools. Different nodes can have slightly different mempool contents because they receive transactions at different times and apply local policies.
Miners select transactions from this available set when constructing candidate blocks.
Confirmations build confidence
When a miner includes a transaction in a valid block, it receives its first confirmation. Each later block added after it increases the number of confirmations.
The appropriate number of confirmations depends on the transaction context, value and the policy of the receiving service.
Common questions about this topic
What happens immediately after a Bitcoin transaction is broadcast?
Connected nodes verify the transaction against network rules and may relay it to other nodes and place it in their mempools.
When does a Bitcoin transaction receive its first confirmation?
The first confirmation occurs when a miner includes the transaction in a valid block accepted by the network.
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