Ethereum: How do I know the gas and gas limit when sending a transaction?

Understanding Gas and Gas Limits in Ethereum

When interacting with the Ethereum network, it is essential to understand how gas is allocated and limited during transactions. In this article, we will dive into the basics of gas and gas limits, and provide guidance on how to determine them when sending a transaction.

What are Gas and Gas Limits?

In Ethereum, “gas” refers to the number of operations required to execute a transaction on the blockchain. “Gas limit,” on the other hand, is the maximum amount of gas that can be allocated to an operation during a transaction.

When you send a transaction, the Ethereum network attempts to balance execution time with gas efficiency. The most expensive gas method will be executed first, until it reaches its limit or cannot be paid in full. This ensures that transactions are executed efficiently without excessive fees.

Calculating Gas and Gas Limits

To calculate gas and gas limits for your transaction:

• Transaction Parameters: Identify your transaction parameters using contractAddress, from address, to address, value, and any additional data.

• Gas Estimation: Use an Ethereum gas calculator or library like Web3.js to estimate the gas required for each operation in your contract function.

For example:

const web3 = new Web3(url);
const txParams = {
from: account.address,
to: contractAddress,
value: 10n, // whey
};
// Estimate gas for each operation
const gasEstimates = [];
for (const op in txParams) {
const gasEstimate = estimateGas(txParams[op], web3);
gasEstimates.push(gasEstimate);
}
// Determine the total gas limit
const totalGasLimit = Math.max(...gasEstimates);

Determining Gas Limits

To determine your gas and gas limits:

• Check the contract gas limit: Check the contract gas limit documentation or interact with the developer to understand what is expected.

• Estimate Gas: Use an Ethereum gas calculator or a library like Web3.js to estimate the gas required for each operation in your contract function.

For example:

const web3 = new Web3(url);
// Estimate gas for a specific transaction operation
const txOp = txParams["gasUsed"];
const estimateGas = estimateGas(txOp, web3);
// Determine the total gas limit based on the estimated gas and the contract gas limit
const totalGasLimit = Math.max(estimatedGas, 100000); // assuming 100000 is the contract gas limit

Best Practices

• Estimate Gas: Always estimate gas for each operation to avoid gas outages or unexpected penalties.

• Check Contract Gas Limit: Review contracts and their gas limits before deploying them on your network.

• Keep Allocated Gas Flexible: Allocate gas in such a way that you can adjust the gas limit as needed during transactions.

By understanding how to determine gas and gas limits, you will be better equipped to optimize your transactions for maximum performance and efficiency on the Ethereum network.

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