Gas fee

A gas fee is the amount a user pays to have a transaction processed, calculated as the gas used multiplied by a price per unit of gas that varies with network demand. When many people transact at once, prices rise and fees increase; when the network is quiet, fees fall. Fees compensate validators or miners for the work and space a transaction consumes.

A common misconception is that fees are fixed or set by a company; they are market-driven and paid to the network, not an intermediary. See what gas fees pay for.