XRP Transaction Types Explained
The XRP Ledger supports over 25 different transaction types — from simple payments to complex escrows, DEX offers, NFT operations, and AMM interactions. Understanding these types is key to mastering the XRPL.
| Key facts | |
|---|---|
| Total Tx Types | 25+ (and growing) |
| Min Fee | 0.00001 XRP (10 drops) |
| Settlement | 3-5 seconds |
| Fee Destination | Burned permanently |
| Hash Format | 64-char hex (SHA-512Half) |
| Ledger Close | Every 3-5 seconds |
| New Types Added | Via amendment voting |
| Reversible? | No — all final |
Payment Transactions
The Payment transaction is the most fundamental type on the XRPL. It transfers XRP or any issued token from one account to another. Payments settle in 3-5 seconds and can include destination tags for exchange deposits.
Direct XRP Payment
Send XRP from one address to another — the simplest transaction type
Cross-Currency Payment
Send USD and deliver EUR — the XRPL DEX handles the conversion atomically
Partial Payments
Allow the delivered amount to be less than the specified amount (flagged with tfPartialPayment)
Account Creation
The first payment to a new address (at least 1 XRP) creates the account on the ledger
Be cautious of the tfPartialPayment flag. A transaction may show a large "Amount" but only deliver a fraction. Always check the "delivered_amount" field in the transaction metadata, not the "Amount" field. Exchanges have lost funds by not checking this.
DEX Transactions: OfferCreate & OfferCancel
The XRPL has a built-in decentralized exchange that uses an order book model. Trading on the DEX uses two transaction types:
| Transaction | Purpose | Details |
|---|---|---|
| OfferCreate | Place a trade order | Creates a buy or sell offer on the DEX order book. Can fill immediately or sit as a limit order. |
| OfferCancel | Cancel an open order | Removes a previously placed offer from the order book. Frees the owner reserve. |
The XRPL DEX supports auto-bridging — if a direct market between two tokens doesn't have great liquidity, the DEX will automatically route through XRP if it offers a better price. This mechanism creates constant utility for XRP as the bridge currency.
TrustSet: Enabling Token Holding
Before you can hold any issued token on the XRPL (stablecoins like RLUSD, NFTs, or community tokens), you must create a trust line to the issuer using a TrustSet transaction. This is a deliberate security design — you explicitly opt in to holding tokens from specific issuers.
Set a Limit
Define the maximum amount of a token you're willing to hold from an issuer
Reserve Cost
Each trust line adds 0.2 XRP to your account's owner reserve
Freeze Controls
Issuers can freeze individual trust lines for compliance — a feature used by regulated stablecoins
Rippling
Trust lines can enable 'rippling' — allowing balances to shift through your account for path-finding
Escrow Transactions
The XRPL supports native escrow contracts — XRP locked by the protocol until specific conditions are met. Ripple's 55 billion XRP escrow is the most famous use case, but anyone can create escrows.
| Transaction | Purpose | Details |
|---|---|---|
| EscrowCreate | Lock XRP | Creates a time-locked or condition-locked escrow. XRP is removed from your balance. |
| EscrowFinish | Release XRP | Completes the escrow, delivering XRP to the destination. Requires conditions to be met. |
| EscrowCancel | Cancel escrow | Returns XRP to the creator. Only works after the CancelAfter time (if set). |
Escrows can use time-based conditions (release after a specific date), crypto-conditions (release when a cryptographic condition is fulfilled), or both. This makes them useful for trustless agreements, scheduled payments, and cross-chain atomic swaps.
Account Management Transactions
| Transaction | Purpose |
|---|---|
| AccountSet | Modify account settings — enable RequireDest, disable master key, set domain, etc. |
| SetRegularKey | Assign or remove a regular key pair for daily transaction signing |
| SignerListSet | Configure multi-signing with up to 32 signers and a quorum threshold |
| AccountDelete | Delete an account, recovering most of the base reserve (costs a 0.2 XRP fee) |
Learn more about how these transactions relate to account security in our Addresses & Keys guide.
NFT Transactions (XLS-20)
Since October 2022, the XRPL has supported native NFTs through the XLS-20 standard. Unlike Ethereum NFTs that require smart contracts, XRPL NFTs are a built-in protocol feature.
| Transaction | Purpose |
|---|---|
| NFTokenMint | Create a new NFT on the XRPL with metadata, transfer fees, and flags |
| NFTokenBurn | Permanently destroy an NFT |
| NFTokenCreateOffer | Create a buy or sell offer for an NFT |
| NFTokenAcceptOffer | Accept an existing NFT offer to complete a sale |
| NFTokenCancelOffer | Cancel a previously created NFT offer |
AMM Transactions
The XRPL's native Automated Market Maker (AMM) was activated in 2024, adding DeFi-style liquidity pools alongside the existing order book DEX. This is unique — no other major blockchain has both an order book and AMM at the protocol level.
| Transaction | Purpose |
|---|---|
| AMMCreate | Create a new AMM pool for a token pair (e.g., XRP/RLUSD) |
| AMMDeposit | Add liquidity to an existing AMM pool and receive LP tokens |
| AMMWithdraw | Remove liquidity from a pool by returning LP tokens |
| AMMVote | Vote on the trading fee for a pool (weighted by LP token holdings) |
| AMMBid | Bid for the auction slot to get discounted trading fees for 24 hours |
How to Read XRPL Transaction Hashes
Every transaction on the XRPL gets a unique transaction hash — a 64-character hexadecimal string generated using SHA-512Half. Here's an example:
You can look up any transaction hash on these block explorers:
xrpscan.com — the most popular XRPL explorer
bithomp.com — detailed account and transaction views
livenet.xrpl.org — official explorer by the XRPL Foundation
Every XRPL transaction includes: the transaction type, sender account, fee, sequence number, and type-specific fields. After validation, the metadata shows exactly what changed on the ledger — balances modified, offers consumed, trust lines created, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many transaction types does the XRPL support?
The XRPL supports over 25 transaction types including Payment, OfferCreate, OfferCancel, TrustSet, EscrowCreate, EscrowFinish, EscrowCancel, AccountSet, SetRegularKey, SignerListSet, NFTokenMint, NFTokenBurn, AMMCreate, AMMDeposit, AMMWithdraw, and more. New types are added through the amendment process.
How much does an XRP transaction cost?
The minimum transaction fee is 0.00001 XRP (10 drops), typically less than $0.01 USD. Some transaction types like multi-signed transactions or account deletions have higher minimum fees. All fees are permanently burned — they're not paid to validators.
What is a transaction hash on the XRPL?
A transaction hash is a unique 64-character hexadecimal string (SHA-512Half) that identifies every transaction. You can look up any transaction by its hash on explorers like XRPScan, Bithomp, or the XRPL.org Explorer.
What is a TrustSet transaction?
TrustSet creates or modifies a trust line between your account and a token issuer. It's required before you can hold any issued token (like RLUSD or other stablecoins) on the XRPL. Each trust line increases your account reserve by 0.2 XRP.
Can I cancel an XRP transaction after sending?
No. Once a transaction is validated and included in a closed ledger (3-5 seconds), it is permanent and irreversible. However, you can cancel pending DEX offers with OfferCancel, and escrows can be cancelled before completion with EscrowCancel.
Sources
Continue Learning
Explore the XRP Ledger
Now that you understand transaction types, explore the XRPL yourself. Send a payment, create a trust line, or browse transactions on XRPScan.
Last updated: July 27, 2026. Written by the AllAboutXRP Editorial Team. Sources: XRPL.org documentation, XRPScan on-chain data.
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