> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.ton.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

<AgentInstructions>

## Submitting Feedback

If you encounter incorrect, outdated, or confusing documentation on this page, submit feedback:

POST https://docs.ton.org/feedback

```json
{
  "path": "/foundations/traces",
  "feedback": "Description of the issue"
}
```

Only submit feedback when you have something specific and actionable to report.

</AgentInstructions>

# Traces

export const Image = ({src, darkSrc, alt = '', darkAlt, href, target, height = 342, width = 608, noZoom = false, center = false}) => {
  const isSVG = src.match(/\.svg(?:[#?].*?)?$/i) !== null;
  const shouldInvert = isSVG && !darkSrc;
  const shouldCreateLink = href !== undefined;
  const minPx = 9;
  const maxPx = 608;
  const expectedPx = `a number or a string with a number that is greater than ${minPx - 1} and less than or equal to ${maxPx}`;
  const createInvalidPropCallout = (title, received, expected) => {
    return <Danger>
        <span className="font-bold">
          Invalid <code>{title.toString()}</code> passed!
        </span>
        <br />
        <span className="font-bold">Received: </span>
        {received.toString()}
        <br />
        <span className="font-bold">Expected: </span>
        {expected.toString()}
        {}
      </Danger>;
  };
  const checkValidDimensionValue = value => {
    switch (typeof value) {
      case "string":
      case "number":
        const num = Number(value);
        return Number.isSafeInteger(num) && num >= minPx && num <= maxPx;
      default:
        return false;
    }
  };
  let callouts = [];
  if (height && !checkValidDimensionValue(height)) {
    callouts.push(createInvalidPropCallout("height", height, expectedPx));
  }
  if (width && !checkValidDimensionValue(width)) {
    callouts.push(createInvalidPropCallout("width", width, expectedPx));
  }
  if (callouts.length !== 0) {
    return callouts;
  }
  const heightPx = Number(height);
  const widthPx = Number(width);
  const shouldCenter = center === "true" || center === true ? true : false;
  const shouldNotZoom = noZoom === "true" || noZoom === true ? true : false;
  const images = <>
      <img className="block dark:hidden" src={src} alt={alt} {...height && ({
    height: heightPx
  })} {...width && ({
    width: widthPx
  })} {...(shouldCreateLink || shouldInvert || shouldNotZoom) && ({
    noZoom: "true"
  })} />
      <img className={`hidden dark:block ${shouldInvert ? "invert" : ""}`} src={darkSrc ?? src} alt={darkAlt ?? alt} {...height && ({
    height: heightPx
  })} {...width && ({
    width: widthPx
  })} {...(shouldCreateLink || shouldInvert || shouldNotZoom) && ({
    noZoom: "true"
  })} />
    </>;
  if (shouldCreateLink) {
    if (shouldCenter) {
      return <div style={{
        display: "flex",
        justifyContent: "center"
      }}>
          <a href={href} target={target ?? "_self"}>
            {images}
          </a>
        </div>;
    }
    return <a href={href} target={target ?? "_self"}>
        {images}
      </a>;
  }
  if (shouldCenter) {
    return <div style={{
      display: "flex",
      justifyContent: "center"
    }}>{images}</div>;
  }
  return images;
};

A trace is a partially ordered set of messages. This set includes all dependent messages. In other words, if message B was sent while message A was being processed, then both of these messages belong to exactly one trace. Strictly speaking, this set is partially ordered according to the causal relation “A is sent as a result of processing B.”

When drawing a trace, messages are usually drawn on the edges, and the addresses of the accounts to which the messages are sent are drawn at the vertices. Transactions that occurred on the account at that moment in time are also usually signed at the vertex.

### Start of the trace

Most often, a trace begins with an [external message](/foundations/messages/external-in). It is the first one, since there is no message that could generate an external-in. However, trace may be started not only by external messages but also by [tick-tock transactions](/foundations/messages/overview#transactions), commonly used within TON Blockchain [system contracts](/foundations/system). Traces can also start with split and merge transactions, but since they are not currently implemented, this will not occur in a real network.

<div className="flex justify-center my-4">
  <Image src="/resources/images/rpc/trace_def_light.png" darkSrc="/resources/images/rpc/trace_def_dark.png" alt="Trace diagram" />
</div>

As a result, messages in the trace are partially ordered by their [logical time (lt)](/foundations/whitepapers/tblkch#1-4-1-logical-time), reflecting their logical dependencies. The diagram shows transactions on independent accounts, each triggered by an incoming message, with `lt` values indicated for every message. It is important to note that in the network in general, lt is formed as follows:

* lt transactions = lt incoming message + 1
* lt outgoing message = lt transaction + outgoing message index
  This scheme is not applicable to the first vertex if the trace is started by special transactions mentioned above, as in that case there is no `incoming message` for the first vertex.

<Image src="/resources/images/rpc/traces_lt_light.png" darkSrc="/resources/images/rpc/traces_lt_dark.png" alt="Traces with logical time" />

## Traces representation in Tonviewer

In [Tonviewer](https://tonviewer.com/), traces are visualized as [directed acyclic graphs (DAGs)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Directed_acyclic_graph), where *transactions are nodes* and *messages are edges*, showing the full sequence of account state changes.

## Examples

The NFT transfer illustrates a single operation that consists of multiple messages. To learn how to read traces, follow [this article](/ecosystem/explorers/tonviewer#steps-to-read-a-trace).

This trace is started with an external message and can be inspected in [Tonviewer](https://tonviewer.com/transaction/47d0989633fc03ff3fdca05880ab5760d0321c196501a6a4cbb5578dea2624cb)

<Image src="/resources/images/rpc/nft_transfer_trace_light.png" darkSrc="/resources/images/rpc/nft_transfer_trace_dark.png" alt="NFT transfer trace" />

Here is the [example](https://tonviewer.com/transaction/9effb91e18be732033fe6aa8c39941f26f5e9566848bc487aa7c6bfecdd9d89d) of the trace that started with tick-tock transaction

<Image src="/resources/images/rpc/tick_tock_initiated_trace_light.png" darkSrc="/resources/images/rpc/tick_tock_initiated_trace_dark.png" alt="Trace initiated by tick-tock transaction" />

## Access using API

To fetch traces data, use the [`GET /traces`](/ecosystem/api/toncenter/v3/actions-and-traces/get-traces) endpoint. This method allows finding a trace if any of its parameters are known.