Execution & Finality

What a transaction contains, when it is valid, and when it becomes irreversible.

A transaction

T = { from, to, value, data, nonce, signature }

Who sends it, where it goes, how much value moves, what it calls, its sequence number, and the proof the sender authorised it.

Validity

Valid( T, S(t) ) = 1
⇒ S(t+1) = F( S(t), T )

A transaction only executes if it is valid against the current state: correct signature, correct nonce, sufficient balance, and enough gas.

Signature

Proves who initiated the transaction. Without it, anyone could spend your balance.

Nonce

A per-account counter that prevents the same transaction being replayed twice.

Execution

Determines the state after the transaction: balances, positions, market state.

Data Availability

Guarantees the data is published so the result can be re-verified by anyone.

Finality

Defines the moment after which the transaction can no longer be reverted.

Confirmation vs finality

Submitted
Sequenced
Executed
Data Published
Final

Seeing a result in an interface is not the same as finality. A transaction is only economically safe once its data is published and the settlement layer treats it as irreversible.