When you submit a transaction on Ethereum, the process involves several critical steps that differ significantly from traditional payment systems like Stripe. In a centralized environment, one entity handles the entire transaction. On Ethereum, multiple nodes may process your transactions, and they are not queued in a strict order. Each transaction must include a nonce, which tracks the sequence of your transactions. If a transaction gets stuck due to low fees or a nonce issue, all subsequent transactions will be delayed. Once the transaction is prepared and signed in your wallet, it moves to the mempool, where it waits to be included in a block. However, each node has its own version of the mempool, leading to variations in the visibility of pending transactions. Transactions compete based on the fee offered, meaning a higher-fee transaction can jump ahead of lower-fee ones, even if it arrives later. Block builders, rather than validators, often construct blocks today. They select transactions from the mempool, optimize them for maximum profit through methods like Miner Extractable Value (MEV), and bid for the chance to propose their block to the network. When a validator picks a block, it undergoes Ethereum's consensus process. A transaction is considered confirmed after about 12 seconds, but finalization, which provides stronger security, takes roughly 12.8 minutes. Common issues that arise during this process include transactions getting stuck due to low fees, failing during execution because of slippage or insufficient approvals, or being dropped from the mempool if they remain uncompetitive for too long. Understanding this lifecycle is essential for troubleshooting and ensuring successful transactions.