On EVM networks, gas fees represent the computational cost of executing transactions and smart contract operations. Lowering these fees can help developers and users alike. Common strategies include reducing unnecessary computations, optimizing data storage, leveraging efficient data structures, batching transactions, and offloading computation off-chain when possible. Ultimately, the goal is to use fewer computational resources per transaction, thus lowering the gas cost and improving overall efficiency.

​
Prerequisites

  1. EVM Compatibility: Your project is deployed on peaq network, which has EVM compatibility, allowing you to apply common Ethereum-based optimization techniques.
  2. Basic Knowledge of Gas Mechanics: You understand that gas fees increase with transaction complexity, storage operations, and on-chain computations.
  3. Developer-Level Access: You have the ability to modify and deploy smart contracts, review their code, and adjust transaction creation parameters.
  4. Stable Contract Logic: Your smart contract logic is largely finalized, enabling you to focus on gas optimization, without expecting major functional changes.

​
Instructions for Optimizing Gas Fees

​
1. Minimize On-Chain Data Storage

  • Data Compression: Instead of storing raw large data sets, try to store compressed or hashed references.
  • Hashing and Linking: Use hashes (e.g., Keccak256) to reference large off-chain data, reducing on-chain storage operations.
  • State Variable Efficiency: Consolidate related data into fewer state variables or use bit-packing techniques to store multiple flags or small integers in a single variable.

​
2. Batch Transactions

  • Multi-Call Transactions: Combine multiple related operations into a single transaction when possible, reducing overhead and the total gas spent on repeated transaction components.
  • Use Off-Chain Aggregation: Aggregate user actions off-chain and submit them in bulk on-chain as a single batched update.

​
3. Optimize Smart Contract Logic

  • Simplify Computations: Remove redundant loops, pre-calculate results off-chain, and use efficient algorithms.
  • Use Mappings and Arrays Wisely: Accessing storage variables is expensive. Consider using more gas-efficient data structures (e.g., mapping instead of arrays for lookups) and keep arrays as short as possible.
  • Leverage Immutable Variables and Constants: Mark values that do not change as constant or immutable to reduce gas costs associated with lookups.

​
4. Regularly Audit and Test

  • Iterative Testing: Deploy test contracts on testnets to measure gas usage, iterating on code changes to verify improvements.
  • Automated Tools: Use gas profiling and analytics tools (e.g., hardhat-gas-reporter) to identify and track optimization progress.

​
5. Leverage Layered Architectures

  • Off-Chain Computations and Oracles: Perform complex calculations off-chain and feed only the necessary results into the contract.
  • Rollups or Sidechains: While peaq EVM may offer certain scaling capabilities, consider hybrid approaches that further reduce mainnet gas consumption.

​
Summary

By applying these strategies—reducing on-chain complexity, storing less data and opting for hashed data, batching operations, and thoroughly testing changes—you can significantly lower gas fees on the peaq EVM network without compromising your decentralized application’s functionality.