What Is a Priority Fee?
An optional extra payment added to blockchain transactions to get faster confirmation during network congestion.
01. About Priority Fees
Your Complete Guide to Blockchain Priority Fees
A priority fee is an optional, additional payment attached to a blockchain transaction to incentivize validators to process it faster — particularly during periods of high network congestion on Ethereum, Solana, and other networks.
- Ethereum EIP-1559: base fee + optional max priority fee (miner tip).
- Solana: priority fee = compute unit price × compute unit limit / 1,000,000.
- Used in DeFi arbitrage, NFT mints, liquidations, and time-sensitive trades.
- Higher priority fee = higher probability of next-block confirmation.
How Priority Fees Work — Explained
02. Key Concepts
Priority Fee Fundamentals
- Ethereum Tip:Base Fee + Max Priority Fee
- Solana Formula:CU Price × CU Limit / 1,000,000
- Base Fee:Algorithmically set & burned
- Priority Fee:Optional tip to validator
- EIP-1559:Active since August 2021
- Solana:Fees in micro-lamports
03. Explore Topics
Priority Fee Guides
04. Key Insights
What You Need to Know
Ethereum EIP-1559
Fee StructureSince EIP-1559, the Ethereum base fee is burned, while the optional priority fee tip goes directly to validators. The result is more predictable fees and reduced ETH supply during high network activity.
Solana Network
Compute Unit PricingOn Solana, priority fees are calculated from the compute unit price and limit. Using Helius or Triton APIs to fetch recent prioritization fees helps you set a competitive micro-lamport price without overpaying.
DeFi Trading
Competitive Fee StrategyIn DeFi, priority fees are the primary tool for ensuring time-sensitive transactions — arbitrage, liquidations, and NFT mints — are confirmed before competitors. Setting the right fee level is essential for profitability.
MEV Awareness
Blockchain SecurityMaximal Extractable Value (MEV) allows validators to reorder pending transactions for profit. Understanding priority fees helps you protect against front-running by using private mempools and smart fee strategies.
05. Latest Guides
Priority Fee Articles
Ethereum Priority Fee (EIP-1559 Tip) Guide
Since EIP-1559, Ethereum transactions include a base fee and an optional miner tip to speed up block inclusion.
Solana Priority Fee: Compute Unit Price Guide
On Solana, priority fees are calculated from compute unit price multiplied by compute unit limit, paid in lamports.