Ethereum Gas Fees

Definition ∞ Ethereum gas fees are the costs associated with conducting transactions or executing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. These fees are paid in Ether and compensate network validators for the computational resources expended to process and verify operations. The amount of gas required depends on the complexity of the transaction, and the price per unit of gas fluctuates based on network demand. High gas fees can impact the accessibility and usability of decentralized applications.
Context ∞ Ethereum gas fees are a constant discussion point, particularly concerning network congestion and the expense of using the blockchain for various applications. Debates often address solutions for reducing these costs, such as Layer 2 scaling solutions and future protocol upgrades. A critical future development involves the ongoing efforts to improve Ethereum’s scalability and efficiency to provide more predictable and affordable transaction costs for users.