Understanding Metamask Pending Transactions
As a developer building custom Remote Procedure Call (RPC) endpoints for decentralized applications (dApps), you’re probably familiar with the concept of pending transactions on your blockchain network. When it comes to pending transactions, a common question that comes up is: what’s taking up space while my app waits for confirmation?
In this article, we’ll take a look at Metamask’s behavior and provide insight into its pending transactions.
What is Metamask?
Metamask is a popular browser extension that allows users to interact with their Ethereum wallet and access various dApps. It acts as an intermediary between the user’s local blockchain storage and the external applications they want to use.
Waiting for Transaction in RPC
When you perform a transaction using a custom RPC endpoint, Metamask creates a “pending” transaction in its database. This is standard practice as some decentralized applications require you to wait a certain amount of time (e.g. 1 hour) before the front-end is updated with the transaction details.
Why is Metamask still waiting?
In your case, if you call sendRawTransaction and receive a pending transaction in RPC, it is probably due to the following reasons:
- Internal processing: Metamask needs to perform internal validation, verification, or other tasks before allowing a transaction to be transmitted.
- External API requests
: Depending on how your custom endpoint interacts with the decentralized application, it may be necessary to send an external request (e.g. POST request) to retrieve additional information about a pending transaction.
What does this mean for my app?
While a pending transaction in Metamask is waiting for confirmation, your application should wait patiently. However, there is a subtle difference:
- Your app will not be blocked: Unlike some other wallets that can delay or freeze transactions, we do not experience app blocking issues.
- Transaction may take longer to process
: Since the pending transaction is processed internally by Metamask, it may take a little longer for the application to receive a confirmation (e.g. 10-20 minutes).
Best practices
To ensure seamless interaction between your custom RPC endpoint and Metamask:
- Implement a timeout mechanism: Set a reasonable timeout value for the pending transaction to be able to detect when a pending transaction has been resolved.
- Use asynchronous communication: When sending an external request (e.g. to retrieve additional information), use asynchronous programming techniques to minimize application blocking.
- Keep your RPC endpoint up to date: Update your custom RPC endpoint regularly to ensure it remains compatible with the latest version of Metamask.
By understanding pending Metamask transactions and implementing best practices, you can create a more efficient and user-friendly experience for the users of your decentralized application.