In the world of blockchain, gas fees are an unavoidable concept. Simply put, it is the fee that needs to be paid to execute a transaction or smart contract, just like a car requires gasoline to run; gas fees are the 'fuel' for blockchain transactions.

Gas fees are determined by gas prices and gas usage, with the calculation formula being: gas fees = gas usage × gas price. Gas usage depends on the complexity of the transaction; for simple transfer operations, gas usage is usually around 21,000, while for complex smart contract interactions, gas usage can reach hundreds of thousands or more. Gas prices are determined by market supply and demand; when the network is congested, everyone wants to complete transactions quickly and is willing to pay higher gas prices, leading to an increase in gas fees; when the network is idle, gas prices are relatively low, and gas fees decrease accordingly.

The existence of gas fees has multiple meanings. On one hand, it incentivizes miners or validators to process transactions and maintain network security; on the other hand, it helps prevent the network from being abused by malicious users. If transactions were free, malicious users could flood the network with spam transactions, causing congestion and paralysis.

For ordinary users, gas fees directly affect transaction costs. When conducting blockchain transactions, it is important to closely monitor gas fee dynamics and choose the right time to transact in order to reduce costs.