Transaction receipts are used as a mechanism to store the state after a transaction has been executed.
In other words, these structures are used to record the outcome of the transaction execution.
From Initiation to Immutable Confirmation (Part 2)
The hash (Keccak 256-bit) of the root of this trie is placed in the block header as the receipts root.
It is composed of four elements that are described here: The post-transaction state: This item is a trie structure that holds the state after the transaction has been executed.
Gas used: This item represents the total amount of gas used in the block that contains the transaction receipt.
The value is taken immediately after the transaction execution is completed.
Set of logs: This field shows the set of log entries created as a result of transaction execution.
Log entries contain the logger’s address, a series of log topics, and the log data.
Why This Matters for Blockchain Technology
The bloom filter: A bloom filter is created from the information contained in the set of logs discussed earlier.
A log entry is reduced to a hash of 256 bytes, which is then embedded in the header of the block as the logs bloom.
Log entry is composed of the logger’s address, log topics, and log data.
Log topics are encoded as a series of 32-byte data structures.
Key Points to Remember
- Transaction receipts Transaction receipts are used as a mechanism to store the state after a transaction has been executed.
- In other words, these structures are used to record the outcome of the transaction execution.
- The hash (Keccak 256-bit) of the root of this trie is placed in the block header as the receipts root.
- It is composed of four elements that are described here: The post-transaction state: This item is a trie structure that holds the state after the transaction has been executed.
Going Deeper: Advanced Concepts
With the release of Byzantium, an additional field returning the success (1) or failure (0) of the transaction is also available.
More information about this change is
This process of transaction receipt generation can be visualized in the following diagram: Transaction receipts and logs bloom As the result of transaction execution process, the state morphs from an initial state to a target state.
This state needs to be stored and made available globally in the blockchain.
Conclusion
Transaction receipts represents one of the many innovative layers that make blockchain technology so powerful and transformative. As distributed systems continue to evolve, a solid understanding of these core concepts becomes increasingly valuable — not just for developers, but for anyone building, investing in, or working alongside blockchain-powered systems.
Whether you are just starting your blockchain journey or deepening existing expertise, mastering these fundamentals gives you the tools to think clearly about decentralized systems and make smarter decisions in this rapidly evolving space.