How to Read Transactions on VeChainThor

Every dApp eventually needs to know what happened on-chain. Whether it’s tracking payments, confirming contract calls, or listening to emitted events.

In this course snippet, we’ll walk through how to access transaction details on VeChainThor using the tools and code provided in the official VeChain Builders Academy.

What is a Transaction on VeChainThor?

On VeChain, a transaction is a request to change the state of the blockchain. That could mean transferring VET, calling a contract, or deploying one.

But unlike some blockchains, a VeChain transaction can carry multiple operations through what’s called a multi-clause structure. That means a single transaction might interact with several contracts or recipients in a single submission.

When inspecting a transaction, there are two components that matter:

  • The transaction object, which shows what was sent

  • The transaction receipt, which shows what happened as a result

Each includes critical fields like:

  • origin – who initiated the transaction

  • clauses – instructions for transferring VET or calling functions

  • meta – block metadata, such as timestamp and block number

  • reverted – whether execution failed

  • outputs – logs and events emitted by contracts

Understanding both the intent (transaction) and the result (receipt) gives you a complete picture of what occurred.

Reading a Transaction: Full Example

Here’s the exact code snippet from the Builders Academy course, designed to be run locally or integrated into your application:

import { ThorClient } from '@vechain/sdk-network';
const nodeUrl = 'https://testnet.vechain.org';
console.log('Connecting to', nodeUrl);
const thor = ThorClient.at(nodeUrl);
const txId =
process.argv[2] ??
'0xfbcb25914ce85ec47b7b3b2885593abab29ee4891efcf4350d6a70cb7a934168';
// Load transaction details
const tx = await thor.transactions.getTransaction(txId);
console.log(tx);
// Load effected changes & outputs with the transaction
const txReceipt = await thor.transactions.getTransactionReceipt(txId);
console.log(txReceipt);

This is especially useful for front-end apps that:

  • Display transaction status

  • Monitor contract emissions in real time

  • Parse logs for user feedback

  • Confirm value transfers or token movements

Why This Matters for dApp Developers

Reading transactions is fundamental to making your dApp interactive and trustworthy. If a user triggers an action, like buying an NFT or making a donation, your dApp needs to confirm the result by inspecting the chain.

This skill is also foundational for more advanced workflows like:

  • Creating transaction history pages

  • Validating custom events or token flows

  • Troubleshooting failures and debugging contracts

This article presented just one small part of the VeChain Builders Academy, a free, hands-on course series designed to help developers learn by building.