On xmrchain what do the l, e and - pID symbols mean?

Question

On xmrchain, under the in/out/pID row, what does the l e or - symbols after the number of inputs and outputs signify?

Answer 1

l means the legacy CryptoNote pID type is being used. It is an unencrypted 32 byte payment id that is separate from payment address. Exchanges have traditionally been the most common user of this pID type as a means to know from whom the payment came from.

e is the newer "integrated address" pID first implemented by Monero. It encrypts the pID and combines it with a Monero address. For usability reasons exchanges have gradually moving to this standard over the older l type pID.

- simply means no pID exists for this transaction

Going forward it is assumed that sub addresses introduced in Monero 0.12.0 will replace most uses for both l and e pIDs. This will improve network privacy by making transactions that traditionally use one pID type over another (or none at all) look more alike on the blockchain.