What it means
The execution flow
A user prepares a UserOperation describing an intended account action. A bundler includes operations in a transaction that calls the EntryPoint. The account validates authorization according to its implementation; an optional paymaster can participate in fee payment.
Integration boundaries
The standard defines interfaces and rules rather than one universal wallet product. Integrations must match the deployed EntryPoint version, operation format, account implementation and bundler support. Submission to a bundler is an intermediate state; the application still checks execution results before treating a payment as completed.
Related concepts
In practice
A concrete example
A checkout submits a UserOperation, tracks its resulting execution and checks the intended token transfer before updating the order.
Technical notes & boundaries
ERC-4337 does not make network computation free or remove failed-operation costs. It is one account-abstraction mechanism, not the whole concept.
Go to the source.
Original references used for this definition. Product details and standards can change.