What are ETH Gas fees? Why it is so Damn high in [year]?

If you’ve performed a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain in the previous several months, you’ve undoubtedly been surprised by the additional charge known as a gas fees cost. You’ve come to the right site if you’re wondering what a gas charge is and why it’s so pricey. Today, we’ll go through the fundamentals of gas fees, including how they’re computed and what the future holds for Ethereum-based transactions.s

Important Takeaways

What Are exactly Gas Fees?

Gas fees are necessary to effectively complete a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain network. Gas is a unit of measurement for the computing work required to carry out specified activities on the blockchain. It’s called gas because, like vehicles, the Ethereum network requires gas to keep running. In addition, gas is used to power Ethereum transactions.

Gas calculates the costs required to execute each transaction based on the computational complexity, bandwidth, and available space. These fees are what motivate Ethereum miners to put in the necessary effort to keep the network running. Miners utilize gas to determine the lowest price at which they are willing to execute transactions.

Supply and demand determine the precise price of gas. It all depends on how many individuals attempt to complete transactions and how much they are prepared to pay to expedite the process.

Why Are Gas Fees So Expensive?

The Ethereum blockchain has become more prominent than ever in recent months. It’s used to send Ether, support DeFi smart contracts, and mint NFTs. In addition, all ERC-20 tokens, such as Chainlink and USD Coin, are supported by the Ethereum blockchain. Unfortunately, however, they clog up the network.

Gas is used in every operation on Ethereum. The gas concept is built on an auction mechanism in which users may outbid each other to complete a transaction more quickly. Miners are rewarded for prioritizing transactions with the highest gas prices since they are the most profitable. Thus, according to supply and demand, the more popular Ethereum’s technology becomes, the more users it attracts, the more costly gas gets.

How are gas fees calculated?

The current price of ETH, the intricacy of the transaction, and the number of users transacting at the time of your transaction are all variables that determine gas fees.

GWEI is a unit of measurement for gas. One GWEI is 0.000000001 ETH or one-billionth of an Ether. So you may claim something that costs 1 GWEI if it costs 0.000000001 ETH. As a result, GWEI might be thought of as the pennies to Ether’s dollars.

A transaction requires a minimum of 21,000 gallons of petrol to complete. So it would be best if you doubled that figure by the average gas cost shown in GWEI to compute your gas charge. Most wallets that handle ETH and Ethereum-based tokens will let you choose the transaction speed and calculate the number of GWEI you’ll need to complete your request.

Gas fees are calculated by multiplying the transaction cost (21,000 gas) by the GWEI gas price.

To further understand how gas taxes are computed, consider a trip to the gas station where one gallon of fuel is equal to one gas. The dollar amount we pay per gallon indicated on the pump may be related to the average gas price. We multiply the price of 5 gallons of petrol by the price stated on the pump. Our petrol cost is added to the amount at the end.

Every transaction necessitates 21,000 gallons of petrol, with the gas price per gallon at 191.87 GWEI on April 1, 2021. When you multiply it by the cost of Ether, you get $7.93 worth of Ether.

The average Gas rate towards any given day may be found here.

Do Other Cryptocurrencies Besides ETH Possess Gas Fees?

Gas fees are required for all actions on the Ethereum blockchain, including ERC-20 coins that utilize the Ethereum network. Chainlink, Binance Coin, and USD Coin are all popular ERC-20 tokens. Although ETH transfers need 21,000 gas, ERC20 transactions require 65,000 gas, putting these coins prohibitively expensive to use.

What is the point of having gas?

Gas is a crucial component that ensures network security and eliminates undesirable actors. Because every transaction on the network has an actual cost, not just a line of code, but an actual economic cost of execution measured in Gwei, bad actors’ capacity to spam or exploit the network is significantly curtailed. To eat up the gas cost, this would need a considerable quantity of cash. Furthermore, the gas charge is determined by market forces rather than some Ethereum gods (see the London update later).

When Will Gas Fees Go Down?

Ethereum engineers are working on making improvements to the network that will improve its performance. While none of these upgrades directly address the cost of gas, a more efficient system is considered to make gas fees more affordable by reducing the network’s load at any one moment. The Berlin Hardfork, which took place in April, was one such upgrade. A similar event, the London Hardfork, is planned for this 2022 summer.

By 2022, the Ethereum network will have transitioned to a new Proof-of-Stake paradigm. This methodology should cut the cost of calculation power required per transaction by reducing the excessive use of expensive electricity and reliance on specialist gear. Proof-of-Stake allows anybody or a group of individuals possessing 32 ETH to stake them and become a validator in charge of processing transactions, proposing new blocks for the chain, and storing data.

Gas prices will gradually reduce when the cost of Ether falls, as we have witnessed over the previous week, due to less traffic on the network. Making your transaction while the network is sluggish is an excellent way to save money on petrol. Check out GasNow.org to identify the best time to finish your transaction.