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Estimating Gas Costs with Uniswap v3: A Cautionary Tale for Ethereum Swaps
As an experienced Ethereum developer, you are probably no stranger to complex asset swaps between networks. One of the most important considerations when executing a swap is estimating gas costs. In this article, we will explore why calculating gas costs using Uniswap v3 can be difficult and provide guidance on how to accomplish the task.
Challenges of Estimating Gas Costs
When you move assets from one blockchain to another using Uniswap v3, you are essentially performing a complex gas-based transaction. Running the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is notoriously expensive, and the fuel consumption increases as the complexity of the transaction increases. Swapping assets between chains makes calculating gas costs even more daunting.
One of the main reasons for calculating gas consumption with Uniswap v3 is that the documentation provided by the developers does not clearly describe the step-by-step algorithm for estimating gas consumption. Instead, it relies on high-level assumptions and simplified calculations. As a result, developers have to rely on their own experience and intuition to estimate gas consumption, which can lead to errors.
Example: Changing the main network to Uniswap v3
Let’s take an example of exchanging Base Ethereum tokens with Uniswap v3. The documentation provides a simple overview of the process, but when it comes to estimating gas consumption, things get complicated:
pragma robustness ^0.8.0;
import “
contract SwapBaseToUniswap {
Swap swap = new Swap();
function executeSwap() public override {
// Swap parameters
uint256 inputChainId = 8452; // Chain ID of the input chain (e.g. Mainnet)
uint256 outputChainId = 8453;
uint256 sumIn = 1;
// Uniswap v3 swap function call
swap.swap(inputChainId, outputChainId, summaIn);
}
}
In this example, the gas cost is estimated using a simple formula that calculates the total number of gas units needed to swap. However, this method assumes a linear relationship between the input and output chain IDs, which may not be true in practice.
Conclusion: Why Gas Cost Calculation is Important
Gas cost estimation can be a critical factor in complex gas-based transactions, such as asset swaps between different blockchain networks using Uniswap v3. While it is tempting to rely on high-level assumptions and simplified calculations, this approach can lead to errors and unexpected gas costs.
To accurately estimate gas costs for Ethereum swaps, you need to dig deeper into the mechanics of gas cost estimation. This may involve consulting the Ethereum community documentation or using third-party libraries that provide more detailed insights into gas optimization.
Recommendations for Accurate Gas Cost Estimation
- See Uniswap v3 Documentation: Review the official documentation and implementation details to better understand the gas cost calculation process.
- Use a gas estimator library or tool
: Use libraries like OpenZeppelin “gas estimator” or third-party tools that provide more accurate and comprehensive gas estimates.
- Perform a detailed simulation test: Perform a detailed simulation to estimate gas consumption for different scenarios, including different input and output circuit IDs.
By taking a step back and taking a more rigorous approach to estimating gas costs, you are better prepared to make difficult trade-offs and avoid unexpected gas costs.
