clauses-multi-task-transaction.md

description
A native approach to scale transaction throughput on the VeChainThor blockchain.

Clauses (Multi-Task Transaction)

Introduction

Most blockchain transactions models are limited to one payload and one recipient per transaction. The VeChainThor blockchain transaction model contains a native scaling solution called clauses which allows for the transfer of multiple payloads to different recipients.

Clauses

Clauses are not transactions, but they do perform a similar function which is to deliver a payload on the VeChainThor blockchain. Clauses can be considered as an on-chain scaling mechanism which allows a user to send multiple payloads to different recipients in a single transaction. The Clause structure is defined in Golang as follows:

type Clause struct {
	body clauseBody
}

type clauseBody struct {
	To    *thor.Address `rlp:"nil"`
	Value *big.Int
	Data  []byte
}

The three fields of a clause are:

• To – recipient’s address;
• Value – amount to be transferred to the recipient;
• Data – input data.

We then define Clauses as a Clause array in the transaction model to make it possible for a transaction to contain multiple tasks.

Clause Attributes

Clauses have two interesting characteristics:

• Since clauses are included in a single transaction, their executions can be considered as atomic, meaning that, either they all succeed, or all fail.
• Clauses are processed one by one in the exact order defined in Clauses.

Conclusion

Clauses are a unique feature to the VeChainThor blockchain and allows for a transaction to deliver multiple payloads to different recipients. Clauses are a form of on-chain scaling which allows for transaction throughput on the VeChainThor blockchain. When measuring the overall activity of the VeChainThor blockchain we must include clauses in the measurement.

{% hint style="info" %} This article provides additional information and a demonstration of clauses on the VeChainThor blockchain. {% endhint %}