How to Read a Sui Transaction Block Digest
A Sui transaction block digest is a 64-character hexadecimal string that uniquely identifies a submitted transaction on the Sui network. It is the primary way to look up, verify, or share the status and details of any transaction you have sent or received.
What a digest contains
The digest is a hash of the transaction's core data, including the sender's address, the target object or module being called, the function arguments, and a timestamp or sequence number. Because it is a hash, the digest itself does not encode any readable information about the transaction. It is simply a unique fingerprint. You use it as a search key to retrieve the full transaction record from a Sui explorer, CLI, or RPC endpoint.
How to Obtain a Digest
When you submit a transaction through the Sui CLI, SDK, or a wallet, the response includes a digest field. For example, after executing a sui client call or sui client transfer, the terminal output will show a line like:
----- Transaction Digest -----
H8k7q3...
Most wallets display the digest in the transaction confirmation screen, often as a clickable link or a copyable hash. If you are using an SDK (TypeScript, Rust, Python), the executeTransactionBlock method returns an object with a digest property.
Reading a Digest Step by Step
1. Copy the Full Hash
Select the entire 64-character string. Partial digests are not accepted by explorers or RPCs. Ensure you have the exact value, including any hyphens or colons that some tools may display.
2. Paste into a Sui Explorer
Open a Sui block explorer such as Sui Explorer (the official one at explorer.sui.io) or any community-maintained alternative. Paste the digest into the search bar. The explorer will return a page showing:
- Status: Success, Failure, or Pending.
- Sender: The address that initiated the transaction.
- Gas Used: The amount of SUI spent on gas, including the gas price and budget.
- Timestamp: The approximate time the transaction was finalized.
- Transaction Type: A label such as "Transfer," "Call," or "Publish."
- Events: Any events emitted by the Move code during execution.
- Object Changes: A list of objects created, mutated, or deleted by the transaction.
3. Check the Status First
The most important field is the transaction status. A "Success" status means the transaction executed without error. A "Failure" status includes an error code and a message from the Move runtime. If the transaction is still "Pending," it has not yet been included in a checkpoint; wait a few seconds and refresh.
4. review object changes
The object changes section shows which on-chain objects were affected. Each object is listed by its ID and a description of the change (Created, Mutated, Deleted, or Wrapped). This is particularly useful for verifying that a transfer or a smart contract call modified the expected objects.
5. Examine Events
If the transaction called a Move function that emits events, those events appear in a separate section. Each event shows its type (the Move module and event name) and the JSON-decoded data. This is how you confirm that a specific action occurred, such as a deposit or a trade.
Common mistakes when reading a digest
- Confusing digest with object ID: A digest refers to the entire transaction, not to an individual object. An object ID is a separate 64-character hash that identifies a specific piece of data on-chain.
- Using a stale digest: If you generated a digest but never submitted the transaction, the digest will not appear in any explorer. Digests only exist for transactions that have been submitted to a full node.
- Case sensitivity: Digests are typically displayed in lowercase. Copy them exactly as shown; some explorers are case-sensitive.
What a digest does not tell you
A digest alone cannot reveal the private key that signed the transaction, the full bytecode of the called function, or the current state of an object after the transaction (you must look up the object separately). It also does not include any off-chain context, such as the user's intent or the application that initiated the transaction.
Using Digests Programmatically
If you are building a tool or a dApp, you can fetch transaction details via the Sui RPC method sui_getTransactionBlock. Pass the digest as a parameter and specify the options (e.g., showInput, showEffects, showEvents). The response returns the full transaction block in JSON format, including all the fields visible in an explorer.
For batch lookups, the RPC also supports sui_multiGetTransactionBlocks, which accepts an array of digests and returns an array of transaction blocks in the same order.
Sharing a Digest
When sharing a transaction with another user, always provide the full 64-character digest. Most explorers generate a shareable URL that includes the digest. For example, a typical explorer URL format is:
https://explorer.sui.io/txblock/<digest>
You can copy and send this link. The recipient will see the same transaction details you see, provided they have access to the same network (mainnet, testnet, or devnet).
Summary
A Sui transaction block digest is simply a lookup key. To read it, paste it into an explorer, check the status, then review the object changes and events. There is no hidden information inside the hash itself. The digest is your starting point for verifying what happened on chain, not the end of the investigation.
Not financial advice. suiboxer.xyz publishes market data and general information about digital assets. Crypto assets are volatile and you can lose everything you put in. Nothing here is a recommendation to buy, sell or hold, and we make no price predictions.
Prices are sourced from third parties and may be delayed or wrong. Verify anything you intend to act on against a primary source.