From 869d1eef8f7b9948e3ef2964c5a929ae8286b38e Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: wisdom <nwakakucc@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 29 Dec 2025 18:00:54 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] Add gas estimation guide

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 docs/guides/gas-estimation.md | 155 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 155 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 docs/guides/gas-estimation.md

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+# How to Estimate Gas Before Transactions
+
+Quick guide for estimating gas costs before submitting transactions on Cedra.
+
+## Understanding Gas
+
+Gas cost = **Gas Units Used × Gas Unit Price**
+
+- Gas units: computational work (~100-500 for transfers, ~500-5,000 for contract calls)
+- Gas price: set by network (can be customized)
+
+## Basic Gas Estimation
+
+Use `transaction.simulate.simple()` to estimate gas before submission:
+
+```typescript
+import { Account, Cedra, CedraConfig, Network } from "@cedra-labs/ts-sdk";
+
+async function estimateGasCost(
+  client: Cedra,
+  account: Account,
+  transaction: any
+) {
+  const [simulationResult] = await client.transaction.simulate.simple({
+    signerPublicKey: account.publicKey,
+    transaction,
+  });
+
+  const gasUsed = parseInt(simulationResult.gas_used);
+  const gasUnitPrice = parseInt(simulationResult.gas_unit_price);
+  const totalCost = gasUsed * gasUnitPrice;
+
+  // Always check if transaction will succeed
+  if (!simulationResult.success) {
+    throw new Error(`Transaction will fail: ${simulationResult.vm_status}`);
+  }
+
+  return {
+    gasUsed,
+    gasUnitPrice,
+    totalCost,
+    willSucceed: simulationResult.success,
+  };
+}
+```
+
+### Complete Example
+
+```typescript
+// Build transaction
+const transaction = await client.transaction.build.simple({
+  sender: account.accountAddress,
+  data: {
+    function: "0x1::cedra_account::transfer",
+    functionArguments: [recipient, amount],
+  },
+});
+
+// Estimate gas
+const estimate = await estimateGasCost(client, account, transaction);
+
+// Check balance before submitting
+const balance = await client.getAccountCoinAmount({
+  accountAddress: account.accountAddress,
+  coinType: "0x1::cedra_coin::CedraCoin",
+});
+
+if (balance < estimate.totalCost) {
+  throw new Error("Insufficient balance for gas");
+}
+```
+
+## Common Pitfalls
+
+### 1. Not Checking Success Flag
+
+```typescript
+// ❌ BAD: Not checking success
+const [result] = await client.transaction.simulate.simple({...});
+const gasCost = parseInt(result.gas_used) * parseInt(result.gas_unit_price);
+
+// ✅ GOOD: Always check success
+const [result] = await client.transaction.simulate.simple({...});
+if (!result.success) {
+  throw new Error(`Transaction will fail: ${result.vm_status}`);
+}
+```
+
+### 2. Not Accounting for Transaction Amount
+
+```typescript
+// ❌ BAD: Only checking gas
+if (balance < estimate.totalCost) {
+  throw new Error("Insufficient balance");
+}
+
+// ✅ GOOD: Check total (gas + transaction amount)
+const totalRequired = estimate.totalCost + transferAmount;
+if (balance < totalRequired) {
+  throw new Error(`Insufficient balance. Need ${totalRequired}, have ${balance}`);
+}
+```
+
+### 3. Using Stale Estimates
+
+Gas prices change. Re-estimate if significant time has passed:
+
+```typescript
+let estimate = await estimateGasCost(client, account, transaction);
+const estimateTime = Date.now();
+
+// Before submission, refresh if > 1 minute old
+if (Date.now() - estimateTime > 60000) {
+  estimate = await estimateGasCost(client, account, transaction);
+}
+```
+
+### 4. Not Handling Simulation Errors
+
+```typescript
+// ❌ BAD: Assuming simulation failure = transaction failure
+try {
+  const estimate = await estimateGasCost(client, account, transaction);
+} catch (error) {
+  throw new Error("Transaction will fail"); // Might be network error!
+}
+
+// ✅ GOOD: Distinguish errors
+try {
+  const [result] = await client.transaction.simulate.simple({...});
+  if (!result.success) {
+    return { willSucceed: false, reason: result.vm_status };
+  }
+} catch (error: any) {
+  if (error.message.includes("network") || error.message.includes("timeout")) {
+    throw new Error("Unable to estimate due to network issues");
+  }
+  throw error;
+}
+```
+
+## Best Practices
+
+1. **Always estimate** before submitting
+2. **Check success status** to avoid failing transactions
+3. **Verify balances** including both gas and transaction amounts
+4. **Add 10-15% buffer** for network fluctuations
+5. **Re-estimate** if estimate is > 1 minute old
+
+---
+
+## Additional Resources
+
+- [Cedra Documentation](https://docs.cedra.network)
+- [Cedra TypeScript SDK](https://github.com/cedra-labs/ts-sdk)