Gas in Ethereum is the unit for measuring the computational effort required to execute a transaction. More complex transactions consume more gas, and therefore incur higher fees.
Making transactions on the Ethereum network incurs fees that are paid to the network in ETH, the networkβs native token. This means that you must have a balance of ETH in your wallet in order to execute any type of transaction on the Ethereum network.
The cost you pay for a transaction on the Ethereum network is two-fold (as of EIP-1559, Ethereum's transaction fee overhaul which came into effect in August 2021). First, there is the base fee, which is burned (destroyed). Second is the priority fee, or tip, which is paid to network validators. Both of these fees are influenced by market forces, meaning the cost goes up when the network is congested. The total cost for a transaction also depends on its complexity.
Transaction complexity is measured by computational effort, which is delineated in units of "gas." For example, sending ETH from one wallet to another (one of the simplest transactions you can make), may consume up to 21,000 units of gas. One unit of gas is equal to 0.000000001 ETH (10-9 ETH). Note that this denomination of ETH is also known as a giga-wei, or gwei.
Total fees are calculated as follows:
$Gas units * (base fee + tip)$
Letβs look at an example where Alice sends Bob 1 ETH. Imagine the base fee is 100 gwei and Alice includes a tip of 10 gwei. Using the above formula, we can calculate this as $21,000 * (100 + 10) = 2,310,000 gwei$ or 0.00231 ETH.
When Alice sends the money, 1.00231 ETH will be deducted from Alice's account. Bob will be credited 1.0000 ETH. The validator will receive the tip of 0.00021 ETH and the base fee of 0.0021 ETH is burned
The best digital wallets allow you to customize your fees when creating transactions on the Ethereum network. For example, hereβs how to customize the transaction fee in the Bitcoin.com Wallet for Ethereum and Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) chains including Avalanche and Polygon:
'Eco' means you'll pay a lower fee, but your transaction will take longer
'Fast' strikes the optimal balance between cost and speed
'Fastest' optimizes for speed over cost
The Bitcoin.com Wallet constantly monitors the market rate for gas, as well as the current base fee cost, to arrive at the optimal price for each preset mode. However, you also have the option to manually customize your network fee settings for each transaction. You can check gas rates using a tool like https://ethgasstation.info/ and set customized fees based on the market rate for gas. Here's how to set customized fees in your wallet:
Understand the origin and early history of the Ethereum protocol.
Learn about the 2014 crowdsale, the initial distribution of ether (ETH), and why it's important.
Get the basics on the "software" that runs on decentralized networks.
Learn the basics of the Ethereum token standard, what ERC-20 tokens are used for, and how they work.
Understand the basics of Decentralized Applications (DApps) on decentralized networks; their features and their current limitations.
Learn what makes decentralized finance (DeFi) apps work and how they compare to traditional financial products.
Learn about the issuance rate of ETH and how it's governed.
Understand how EIP 1559 overhauls the fee market in Ethereum and what it means for ETH's circulating supply.
Why governance is needed, Ethereum governance in practice, the concept of credible neutrality, and more.
Learn about Ethereum's attempt to solve the blockchain trilemma with a move to Proof of Stake, sharding, and more.
Learn how to buy ETH and hold it securely in a digital wallet you control.
Creating an Ethereum wallet is as easy as installing software on your mobile device or laptop/desktop.
Understand Ethereum's key characteristics.
Understand the function and utility of ETH.
Understand the origin and early history of the Ethereum protocol.
Learn about the 2014 crowdsale, the initial distribution of ether (ETH), and why it's important.
Get the basics on the "software" that runs on decentralized networks.
Learn the basics of the Ethereum token standard, what ERC-20 tokens are used for, and how they work.
Understand the basics of Decentralized Applications (DApps) on decentralized networks; their features and their current limitations.
Learn what makes decentralized finance (DeFi) apps work and how they compare to traditional financial products.
Learn about the issuance rate of ETH and how it's governed.
Understand how EIP 1559 overhauls the fee market in Ethereum and what it means for ETH's circulating supply.
Why governance is needed, Ethereum governance in practice, the concept of credible neutrality, and more.
Learn about Ethereum's attempt to solve the blockchain trilemma with a move to Proof of Stake, sharding, and more.
Learn how to buy ETH and hold it securely in a digital wallet you control.
Creating an Ethereum wallet is as easy as installing software on your mobile device or laptop/desktop.
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