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Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThe XRP Ledger (XRPL) is a public, peer-to-peer blockchain that records XRP, other supported assets, and transactions. XRP is the ledger’s native digital asset—not another name for the network. Users sign transactions to authorize changes; servers relay them, validators agree on which transactions to process, and servers apply the agreed set to create a new ledger version.
What is the XRP Ledger?
The XRP Ledger is a shared database maintained by a network of servers. It records more than payments: its state includes accounts, balances, settings, offers, and other ledger objects. A sequence of validated ledger versions provides the record of how that state changes over time.
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XRPL documentation describes XRP as the ledger’s native digital asset. The network also supports other assets, including trust-line tokens and Multi-Purpose Tokens (MPTs). Those assets are distinct from XRP, and their features and terms depend on the token type and, where relevant, its issuer.
How does a transaction become part of the ledger?
1. An account owner signs an instruction
A transaction is an instruction to change ledger state. An account owner authorizes it with a cryptographic signature, and a client sends it to an XRPL server. Transactions can make payments, create accounts, change settings, or trade assets. They are the authorized way to make changes to the ledger.
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2. Servers relay candidates and reach agreement
After submission, a transaction is a candidate: it may be processed, but it is not yet a final ledger result. Servers relay candidate transactions and exchange proposals about which set to process. Because servers may receive transactions at different times or in different orders, their initial views can differ.
Each server evaluates proposals from validators it trusts. That chosen set is called the server’s Unique Node List (UNL). Through iterative consensus, validators revise proposals until a supermajority of each server’s trusted validators agrees on a transaction set. This is not proof of work or proof of stake, nor does it mean every validator votes on every transaction. XRPL’s consensus structure documentation explains the proposal and validation process; its consensus principles characterize the algorithm as an alternative to proof of work.
3. Servers apply the set and validators confirm the result
Servers start from the previous validated ledger and apply the agreed transactions in a canonical order. They calculate the resulting state, then validators publish signed validations containing a hash of their calculated result. A ledger is validated when a supermajority of the chosen validators agrees on the same validation hash.
A validated ledger is immutable. Later transactions create a new ledger version rather than rewriting the validated history. The process relies on configured trusted-validator sets and agreement assumptions; it is not trust-free.
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4. Check validated status before treating a transaction as final
A server or API can report an interim result before a transaction is included in a validated ledger. That provisional response is not the authoritative outcome: a transaction is final when it is included in a validated ledger. If you are checking a transaction in a wallet or explorer, look for its validated status and result code. A submission accepted by a server is not, by itself, proof that the transaction settled.
What does each ledger version contain?
Each ledger version combines three things: a snapshot of current state, the transactions applied to the preceding ledger, and a header with identifiers and metadata. Together, these show both what the ledger contains now and how it changed.
| Part | What it contains |
|---|---|
| State data | Accounts, balances, settings, and other current ledger objects |
| Transactions | The set of transactions applied to the previous ledger |
| Header | The ledger index, hashes, parent ledger hash, and close time |
The ledger structure documentation explains how these parts fit together.
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XRP is native to the ledger
XRP is the native asset of the XRP Ledger. One XRP equals one million drops, the smaller unit used for amounts such as transaction fees. The protocol’s Fee field specifies an amount of XRP to be destroyed as the cost of a transaction. Fees can vary with transaction type and live network conditions, so there is no single current fee that applies to every transaction. See the protocol data types and transaction common fields documentation for the units and field details.
Other assets have their own properties
Trust-line tokens and MPTs are represented on the ledger, but an on-ledger token is not automatically a claim on an asset held elsewhere. What a token represents, whether it can be redeemed, and which controls apply depend on its type and issuer. Trust-line issuer settings can include transfer fees and freeze controls; ledger objects can also affect reserve requirements. The documentation on trust-line tokens describes these issuer-level features.
Payments require an account and current network conditions matter
To make a peer-to-peer XRP payment, a user needs a wallet and an account that is funded and meets the current minimum reserve requirement. XRPL documentation describes direct XRP payments and cross-currency payments as separate options. Fees and reserve requirements can change, so check the current network information and payment guidance before transacting; this explainer does not state live amounts. See the official peer-to-peer payment guidance.
How quickly does the ledger settle transactions?
XRPL’s consensus-principles documentation describes near-real-time settlement as three to six seconds. Treat that as a documentation claim, not a guarantee for every transaction: a transaction can fail or remain provisional, and finality depends on inclusion in a validated ledger.
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