Clear DefinitionsLatency
1 min read
Pronunciation
[lay-ten-see]
Analogy
Like the lag between pressing a light switch and the bulb actually illuminating.
Definition
The time delay between initiating an action—such as submitting a transaction—and observing its effect, including network propagation, block inclusion, and confirmation.
Key Points Intro
Latency affects user experience and arbitrage opportunities in blockchain systems.
Key Points
Network latency: Round‑trip time between nodes.
Mempool delay: Time until transaction is seen by miners.
Block time: Interval between block proposals.
Confirmation delay: Time to reach desired finality.
Example
On Ethereum, average latency from transaction submission to first inclusion is ~15 s, plus additional 2 minutes for 12 confirmations.
Technical Deep Dive
Measure latency via timestamps at submission and block inclusion. Components: P2P gossip delay (ms), mempool processing (ms), miner selection (s), block propagation (s). Tools: Wireshark, Prometheus histograms.
Security Warning
High latency can expose transactions to front‑running; consider private relays or gas premium.
Caveat
Optimizing one latency component may worsen another (e.g., larger blocks).
Latency - Related Articles
No related articles for this term.