Technical Definition
Network Congestion
Network congestion occurs when more transactions are waiting to be processed than the blockchain can handle immediately.
By Crypto University Editorial
ConfirmationMempoolGas Fee
✦ Key Insight
Congestion increases transaction costs and confirmation times.
✕ Common Misconceptions
Paying unnecessary high fees.
Assuming the blockchain is broken.
Detailed Explanation
How It Works
Validators prioritize transactions offering higher fees.
In Practice
“NFT launches often cause Ethereum congestion.”
Dig Deeper
Confirmation
A confirmation indicates that a blockchain transaction has been included in a block and recognised by the network. Additional blocks built afterward can provide further confidence that the transaction will remain part of the accepted blockchain history.
Mempool
A mempool is a node's temporary pool of valid, unconfirmed transactions waiting to be included in a block.