What Is the Difference between a Network-Enforced Minimum Fee and a Node’s Relay Policy?
A network-enforced minimum fee is a rule written into the core protocol that makes any transaction below that rate invalid and unconfirmable by any miner. A node's relay policy, however, is a non-consensus rule set by individual node operators for which transactions they will accept into their mempool and broadcast to other peers.
While a transaction may be technically valid (meeting the network-enforced minimum), a node's relay policy may reject it if the fee is too low to prevent resource drain. The relay policy is a defense against spam, while the network minimum is a fundamental validity check.
Glossar
Minimum Transaction Fee
Impediment ⎊ A minimum transaction fee represents a fixed cost associated with executing a trade or transfer within a cryptocurrency ecosystem, options market, or financial derivative exchange, directly impacting capital efficiency.
Node Operators
Governance ⎊ Within cryptocurrency networks and decentralized financial (DeFi) ecosystems, governance mechanisms increasingly rely on node operators to validate transactions, maintain network integrity, and participate in protocol upgrades.
Policy
Framework ⎊ A policy, within cryptocurrency derivatives, options trading, and broader financial derivatives, establishes the foundational rules and guidelines governing market participation, risk management, and operational procedures.
Relay
Mechanism ⎊ Within cryptocurrency derivatives and options trading, a Relay functions as a programmatic bridge facilitating the transfer of assets or data between disparate blockchain networks or systems.