> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.payments.bob.company/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Transactions > Understand the API resource that represents a payment attempt. A transaction records an attempt to move an amount with a payment method. It contains the amount, the method, the customer, and the current state. ## Payment and transaction Use **payment** to talk about the complete experience offered to the buyer. Use **transaction** to talk about the resource returned by the API. A checkout session can guide the buyer through that experience. The transaction records the result of the chosen method. ## Lifecycle | State | What it means | | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | | `waiting_payment` | The buyer still needs to complete an action | | `processing` | Bob received the payment and is awaiting confirmation | | `paid` | The payment was confirmed | | `expired` | The payment window ended | | `cancelled` | The transaction was cancelled | | `refunded` | The amount was refunded | The available states may vary by method. Implement only the states published in the reference for the flow you use. ## How to track Use the status query to update the interface. On the backend, process webhook events as the source of truth. ## Next steps Query a transaction by its identifier. Retrieve the project's transactions. Receive state changes automatically. Retry creation operations safely.