@ -11,14 +11,14 @@ In this chapter we will examine all the various forms of transactions, what do t
[[tx_lifecycle]]
=== Transaction Lifecycle
A transaction's lifecycle starts with the transaction's creation, also known as origination. The transaction is then signed, with one or more signatures indicating the authorization to spend the funds referenced by the transaction. The transaction is then broadcast on the bitcoin network, where each network node (participant) validates and propagates the transaction until it reaches (almost) every node in the network. Finally, the transaction is verified by a mining node and included in a block of transactions that is recorded on the blockchain. Once recorded on the blockchain and confirmed by sufficient subsequent blocks (confirmations), the transaction is a permanent part of the bitcoin ledger and is accepted as valid by all participants. The funds allocated to a new owner by the transaction can then be spend in a new transaction, extending the chain of ownership and beginning the lifecycle of a transaction again.
A transaction's lifecycle starts with the transaction's creation, also known as origination. The transaction is then signed, with one or more signatures indicating the authorization to spend the funds referenced by the transaction. The transaction is then broadcast on the bitcoin network, where each network node (participant) validates and propagates the transaction until it reaches (almost) every node in the network. Finally, the transaction is verified by a mining node and included in a block of transactions that is recorded on the blockchain. Once recorded on the blockchain and confirmed by sufficient subsequent blocks (confirmations), the transaction is a permanent part of the bitcoin ledger and is accepted as valid by all participants. The funds allocated to a new owner by the transaction can then be spent in a new transaction, extending the chain of ownership and beginning the lifecycle of a transaction again.
[[tx_origination]]
==== Creating Transactions
In some ways it helps to think of a transaction in the same way as a paper cheque. Like a cheque, a transaction is an instrument that expresses the intent to transfer money and is not visible to the financial system until it is submitted for execution. Like a cheque, the originator of the transaction does not have to be the one signing the transaction. Transactions can be created online or offline by anyone, even if the person creating the transaction is not an authorized signer on the account. For example, an accounts payable clerk might process payable cheques for signature by the CEO. Similarly, an accounts payable clerk can create bitcoin transactions and then have the CEO apply digital signatures to make them valid. While a cheque references a specific account as the source of the funds, a bitcoin transaction references a specific previous transaction as its source, rather than an account.
Once a transaction has been created, it is signed by the owner (or owners) of the source funds. If it was properly formed and signed, the signed transaction is now valid and contains all the information needed to execute the transfer of funds. Finally, the valid transaction has to reach the bitcoin network so that it can be propagated until it reaches a miner for inclusion in the pubic ledger, the blockchain.
Once a transaction has been created, it is signed by the owner (or owners) of the source of funds. If it was properly formed and signed, the signed transaction is now valid and contains all the information needed to execute the transfer of funds. Finally, the valid transaction has to reach the bitcoin network so that it can be propagated until it reaches a miner for inclusion in the pubic ledger, the blockchain.
[[tx_bcast]]
==== Broadcasting Transactions to the Bitcoin Network
@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ Note: The sequence number is used to override a transaction prior to the expirat
[[tx_fees]]
==== Transaction Fees
Most transactions include transactions fees that compensate the bitcoin miners for securing the network. Mining and the fees and rewards collected by miners are discussed in more detail in <<mining>>. This section examines how transaction fees are included in a typical transaction. Most wallets calculate and include transaction fees automatically. However, if you are constructing transactions programmatically, or using a command line interface, you must manually account for and include these fees.
Most transactions include transaction fees that compensate the bitcoin miners for securing the network. Mining and the fees and rewards collected by miners are discussed in more detail in <<mining>>. This section examines how transaction fees are included in a typical transaction. Most wallets calculate and include transaction fees automatically. However, if you are constructing transactions programmatically, or using a command line interface, you must manually account for and include these fees.
Transaction fees serve as an incentive to include (mine) a transaction into the next block and also as a disincentive against "spam" transactions or any kind of abuse of the system by imposing a small cost on every transaction. Transaction fees are collected by the miner who mines the block that records the transaction on the blockchain.
@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ A locking script is an encumbrance placed on an output, that specifies the condi
An unlocking script is a script that "solves", or satisfies, the conditions placed on an output by a locking script and allows the output to be spent. Unlocking scripts are part of every transaction input and most of the time they contain a digital signature produced by the user's wallet from their private key. Historically, the unlocking script was called _scriptSig_, because it usually contained a digital signature. In this book we refer to it as an "unlocking script" to acknowledge the much broader range of locking script requirements, as not all unlocking scripts must contain signatures. As mentioned above, in most bitcoin applications the source code will refer to the unlocking script as "scriptSig".
Every bitcoin client will validate transaction by executing the locking and unlocking scripts together. For each input in the transaction, the validation software will first retrieve the UTXO referenced by the input. That UTXO contains a locking script defining the conditions required to spend it. The validation software will then take the unlocking script contained in the input that is attempting to spend this UTXO and concatenate them. The locking script is added to the end of the unlocking script and then the entire combined script is executed using the script execution engine. If the result of executing the combined script is "TRUE", the unlocking script has succeeded in resolving the conditions imposed by the locking script and therefore the input is a valid authorization to spend the UTXO. If any result other than "TRUE" remains after execution of the combined script, the input is invalid as it has failed to satisfy the spending conditions placed on the UTXO. Note that the UTXO is permanently recorded in the blockchain, and therefore is invariable and is unaffected by failed attempts to spend it by reference in a new transaction. Only a valid transaction that correctly satisfies the conditions of the UTXO results in the UTXO being marked as "spent" and removed from the set of available UTXO.
Every bitcoin client will validate transactions by executing the locking and unlocking scripts together. For each input in the transaction, the validation software will first retrieve the UTXO referenced by the input. That UTXO contains a locking script defining the conditions required to spend it. The validation software will then take the unlocking script contained in the input that is attempting to spend this UTXO and concatenate them. The locking script is added to the end of the unlocking script and then the entire combined script is executed using the script execution engine. If the result of executing the combined script is "TRUE", the unlocking script has succeeded in resolving the conditions imposed by the locking script and therefore the input is a valid authorization to spend the UTXO. If any result other than "TRUE" remains after execution of the combined script, the input is invalid as it has failed to satisfy the spending conditions placed on the UTXO. Note that the UTXO is permanently recorded in the blockchain, and therefore is invariable and is unaffected by failed attempts to spend it by reference in a new transaction. Only a valid transaction that correctly satisfies the conditions of the UTXO results in the UTXO being marked as "spent" and removed from the set of available UTXO.
Below is an example of the unlocking and locking scripts for the most common type of bitcoin transaction (a payment to a public key hash), showing the combined script resulting from the concatenation of the unlocking and locking scripts prior to script validation:
@ -605,7 +605,7 @@ P2SH locking scripts contain the hash of a redeemScript which gives no clues as
| OP_LESSTHAN | 0x9f | Return TRUE if second item is less than top item
| OP_GREATERTHAN | 0xa0 | Return TRUE if second item is greater than top item
| OP_LESSTHANOREQUAL | 0xa1 | Return TRUE if second item is less than or equal to top item
| OP_GREATERTHANOREQUAL | 0xa2 | Return TRUE if second item is great than or equal to top item
| OP_GREATERTHANOREQUAL | 0xa2 | Return TRUE if second item is greater than or equal to top item
| OP_MIN | 0xa3 | Return the smaller of the two top items
| OP_MAX | 0xa4 | Return the larger of the two top items
| OP_WITHIN | 0xa5 | Return TRUE if the third item is between the second item (or equal) and first item
Erik Wahlström
10 years ago