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How It Works
Transaction Lifecycle
Step-by-step flow of a Bitcoin transaction from creation to confirmation.
Bitcoin Transaction Lifecycle
1
CREATE
User creates
transaction in
wallet app
2
SIGN
Private key
signs to prove
ownership
3
BROADCAST
TX sent to
Bitcoin network
nodes
4
MEMPOOL
Waits in
pending pool
⏳ Unconfirmed
5. MINING
Miners select TX from mempool
and compete to add to block
6. CONFIRMED
Added to block
1 confirmation ✓
7. SETTLED
More blocks added
6+ confirmations ✓✓
~1 hour for 6 confirmations
~10 min per block
Higher fees = faster confirmation
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