Solana Priority Fee Estimation: Account Keys Method

Advanced Method: Get priority fee estimates using account keys for specialized use cases like pre-transaction analysis, batch operations, and account pattern research.

Overview

The account keys method provides a simpler alternative to transaction serialization when you need quick fee estimates or want to estimate fees before constructing the complete transaction.

Advanced Use Cases

Pre-transaction analysis
Batch account operations
Market research and patterns
Specialized architectures

Trade-offs

Less accurate than serialized transactions
No instruction-specific analysis
Best for account-level patterns

Recommendation: For most applications, use the serialized transaction method instead. This account keys method is for specialized use cases where you need account-level analysis or pre-transaction planning.

When to Use Account Keys

Ideal Use Cases
Specialized Scenarios

Pre-transaction Planning

Get fee estimates before constructing complete transactions

Simplified Integration

When your architecture makes transaction serialization difficult

Quick Market Analysis

Analyze fee patterns for specific accounts without building transactions

Multi-account Analysis

Understand fee patterns across multiple accounts independently

Quick Start

Identify Accounts

Determine which accounts will be involved in your transaction

Call the API

Make a request with the account keys and desired priority level

Apply the Fee

Use the estimate to set priority fee in your transaction

Basic Example

import { ComputeBudgetProgram } from "@solana/web3.js";

// 1. Identify accounts involved in your transaction
const accountKeys = [
  "TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA", // Token program
  "YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS",                          // Your wallet
  "RECIPIENT_ADDRESS"                             // Recipient
];

// 2. Get priority fee estimate
const priorityFee = await getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, "Medium");

// 3. Add to your transaction
const priorityFeeIx = ComputeBudgetProgram.setComputeUnitPrice({
  microLamports: priorityFee
});
transaction.add(priorityFeeIx);

Implementation Guide

Core Function

Here’s a reusable function for getting priority fee estimates:

async function getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, priorityLevel = "Medium") {
  const response = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: { 
          priorityLevel: priorityLevel,
          recommended: true 
        }
      }]
    })
  });
  
  const result = await response.json();
  
  if (result.error) {
    throw new Error(`Fee estimation failed: ${JSON.stringify(result.error)}`);
  }
  
  return result.result.priorityFeeEstimate;
}

Complete Example with Multiple Priority Levels

Expand to see full implementation

const { 
  Connection, 
  PublicKey, 
  Transaction, 
  ComputeBudgetProgram 
} = require("@solana/web3.js");

// Initialize connection
const connection = new Connection("https://mainnet.helius-rpc.com/?api-key=YOUR_API_KEY");

async function analyzeAccountPriorityFees() {
  // Define accounts involved in your transaction
  const accountKeys = [
    "TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA", // Token program
    "YOUR_WALLET_ADDRESS",                          // Your wallet
    "TOKEN_ACCOUNT_ADDRESS",                        // Token account
    "RECIPIENT_ADDRESS"                             // Recipient
  ];
  
  try {
    // Get estimates for different priority levels
    const [lowFee, mediumFee, highFee, veryHighFee] = await Promise.all([
      getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, "Low"),
      getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, "Medium"), 
      getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, "High"),
      getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys, "VeryHigh")
    ]);
    
    console.log("Priority Fee Estimates:");
    console.log(`Low:      ${lowFee} micro-lamports`);
    console.log(`Medium:   ${mediumFee} micro-lamports`);
    console.log(`High:     ${highFee} micro-lamports`);
    console.log(`VeryHigh: ${veryHighFee} micro-lamports`);
    
    // Get all levels at once for comparison
    const allLevels = await getAllPriorityLevels(connection, accountKeys);
    console.log("\nAll priority levels:", allLevels);
    
    return {
      low: lowFee,
      medium: mediumFee,
      high: highFee,
      veryHigh: veryHighFee,
      allLevels
    };
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Error getting priority fees:", error);
    throw error;
  }
}

// Helper function to get all priority levels
async function getAllPriorityLevels(connection, accountKeys) {
  const response = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: { 
          includeAllPriorityFeeLevels: true
        }
      }]
    })
  });
  
  const result = await response.json();
  
  if (result.error) {
    throw new Error(`Fee estimation failed: ${JSON.stringify(result.error)}`);
  }
  
  return result.result.priorityFeeLevels;
}

// Run the analysis
analyzeAccountPriorityFees();

Account Types & Strategies

Program Accounts
User Wallets
Token Accounts

High-volume program accounts typically show higher priority fees due to competition.

// Popular program accounts
const programAccounts = [
  "TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA", // Token program
  "ATokenGPvbdGVxr1b2hvZbsiqW5xWH25efTNsLJA8knL", // Associated token program
  "M2mx93ekt1fmXSVkTrUL9xVFHkmME8HTUi5Cyc5aF7K"  // Metaplex program
];

const programFees = await getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, programAccounts, "Medium");
console.log(`Program account fees: ${programFees} micro-lamports`);

Expected behavior: Higher fees due to high transaction volume and competition.

Active user wallets may have different fee patterns based on their activity.

// Active user wallets
const userWallets = [
  "USER_WALLET_1", // Active trader
  "USER_WALLET_2"  // Regular user
];

const walletFees = await getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, userWallets, "Medium");
console.log(`User wallet fees: ${walletFees} micro-lamports`);

Pro tip: Include both sender and recipient wallets for more accurate estimates.

Specific token accounts can show varying patterns based on token popularity.

// Popular token accounts
const tokenAccounts = [
  "EPjFWdd5AufqSSqeM2qN1xzybapC8G4wEGGkZwyTDt1v", // USDC mint
  "So11111111111111111111111111111111111111112",  // SOL mint
  "YOUR_TOKEN_ACCOUNT"                            // Your specific token account
];

const tokenFees = await getPriorityFeeEstimate(connection, tokenAccounts, "Medium");

Advanced Configuration Options

Empty Slot Evaluation

The evaluateEmptySlotAsZero option is particularly useful for account-based estimates:

async function compareEmptySlotHandling(accountKeys) {
  const withEmptyAsZero = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: { 
          priorityLevel: "Medium",
          evaluateEmptySlotAsZero: true // Default: true
        }
      }]
    })
  });

  const withoutEmptyAsZero = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST", 
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate", 
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: {
          priorityLevel: "Medium",
          evaluateEmptySlotAsZero: false
        }
      }]
    })
  });
  
  const result1 = await withEmptyAsZero.json();
  const result2 = await withoutEmptyAsZero.json();
  
  console.log(`With empty as zero: ${result1.result.priorityFeeEstimate}`);
  console.log(`Without empty as zero: ${result2.result.priorityFeeEstimate}`);
}

When true (default), slots with no transactions are treated as zero fees rather than excluded. This provides more balanced estimates for accounts with sparse activity.

Include Details

Request detailed information about each account’s fee patterns:

async function getDetailedFeeEstimate(connection, accountKeys) {
  const response = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: { 
          includeDetails: true,
          priorityLevel: "Medium"
        }
      }]
    })
  });
  
  const result = await response.json();
  console.log("Detailed fee analysis:", result.result);
  return result.result;
}

This returns additional information about how fees were calculated for each account.

Custom Lookback Period

Adjust the number of slots analyzed for fee estimation:

async function getCustomLookbackEstimate(accountKeys, lookbackSlots = 50) {
  const response = await fetch(connection.rpcEndpoint, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      jsonrpc: "2.0",
      id: "1",
      method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
      params: [{
        accountKeys: accountKeys,
        options: { 
          priorityLevel: "Medium",
          lookbackSlots: lookbackSlots  // 1-150, default is 150
        }
      }]
    })
  });
  
  const result = await response.json();
  return result.result.priorityFeeEstimate;
}

// Compare different lookback periods
const shortTerm = await getCustomLookbackEstimate(accountKeys, 50);   // Recent trends
const longTerm = await getCustomLookbackEstimate(accountKeys, 150);   // Historical average

console.log(`Short-term estimate: ${shortTerm} micro-lamports`);
console.log(`Long-term estimate: ${longTerm} micro-lamports`);

Smaller lookback: More recent, potentially volatile dataLarger lookback: More stable, historical context

Best Practices for Account Selection

Include Writable Accounts

Priority: Focus on accounts that will be modified

const writableAccounts = [
  "YOUR_WALLET",        // Paying fees
  "TOKEN_ACCOUNT",      // Being modified  
  "RECIPIENT_ACCOUNT"   // Receiving tokens
];

Add Key Programs

Context: Include relevant program accounts

const programAccounts = [
  "TokenkegQfeZyiNwAJbNbGKPFXCWuBvf9Ss623VQ5DA", // Token program
  "CUSTOM_PROGRAM_ID"                           // Your program
];

Error Handling & Fallbacks

class AccountBasedFeeEstimator {
  constructor(connection) {
    this.connection = connection;
    this.fallbackFee = 10000; // 10k micro-lamports fallback
  }

  async getEstimate(accountKeys, priorityLevel = "Medium") {
    try {
      // Primary attempt
      const estimate = await this.getPrimaryEstimate(accountKeys, priorityLevel);
      return estimate;
    } catch (error) {
      console.warn("Primary estimate failed:", error.message);
      
      // Fallback to different configuration
      try {
        return await this.getFallbackEstimate(accountKeys, priorityLevel);
      } catch (fallbackError) {
        console.warn("Fallback estimate failed:", fallbackError.message);
        return this.fallbackFee;
      }
    }
  }

  async getPrimaryEstimate(accountKeys, priorityLevel) {
    const response = await fetch(this.connection.rpcEndpoint, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        jsonrpc: "2.0",
        id: "1",
        method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
        params: [{
          accountKeys: accountKeys,
          options: { 
            priorityLevel: priorityLevel,
            recommended: true 
          }
        }]
      })
    });

    const result = await response.json();
    if (result.error) {
      throw new Error(result.error.message);
    }
    
    return result.result.priorityFeeEstimate;
  }

  async getFallbackEstimate(accountKeys, priorityLevel) {
    // Try with fewer accounts or different settings
    const coreAccounts = accountKeys.slice(0, 3); // Take first 3 accounts
    
    const response = await fetch(this.connection.rpcEndpoint, {
      method: "POST",
      headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        jsonrpc: "2.0",
        id: "1",
        method: "getPriorityFeeEstimate",
        params: [{
          accountKeys: coreAccounts,
          options: { 
            priorityLevel: "Medium", // Use medium as fallback
            evaluateEmptySlotAsZero: true
          }
        }]
      })
    });

    const result = await response.json();
    if (result.error) {
      throw new Error(result.error.message);
    }
    
    return result.result.priorityFeeEstimate;
  }
}

// Usage
const estimator = new AccountBasedFeeEstimator(connection);
const fee = await estimator.getEstimate(accountKeys, "High");

Limitations & Considerations

Account-based method limitations:

Less accurate for read-only accounts - The algorithm focuses on writable accounts
No instruction-specific analysis - Can’t consider specific operations
Account activity dependency - Less accurate for inactive accounts
No transaction size consideration - Doesn’t account for transaction complexity

When to upgrade to serialized transactions:

Production applications requiring highest accuracy
Complex transactions with multiple instructions
When instruction-specific fee patterns matter
Performance-critical applications

Serialized Transactions

More accurate method using full transaction serialization

API Reference

Complete API documentation and parameters

Get Started

Solana RPC Nodes

Data Streaming & Event Listening

How to Send Transactions

Getting Data

Dedicated Nodes

Compression

Staking

Billing

Using Orb

Resources

Solana Priority Fee Estimation: Account Keys Method

Overview

Advanced Use Cases

Trade-offs

When to Use Account Keys

Pre-transaction Planning

Simplified Integration

Quick Market Analysis

Multi-account Analysis

Quick Start

Basic Example

Implementation Guide

Core Function

Complete Example with Multiple Priority Levels

Account Types & Strategies

Advanced Configuration Options

Best Practices for Account Selection

Include Writable Accounts

Add Key Programs

Error Handling & Fallbacks

Limitations & Considerations

Serialized Transactions

API Reference

Get Started

Solana RPC Nodes

Data Streaming & Event Listening

How to Send Transactions

Getting Data

Dedicated Nodes

Compression

Staking

Billing

Using Orb

Resources

Documentation Index

​Overview

Advanced Use Cases

Trade-offs

​When to Use Account Keys

Pre-transaction Planning

Simplified Integration

Quick Market Analysis

Multi-account Analysis

​Quick Start

​Basic Example

​Implementation Guide

​Core Function

​Complete Example with Multiple Priority Levels

​Account Types & Strategies

​Advanced Configuration Options

​Best Practices for Account Selection

Include Writable Accounts

Add Key Programs

​Error Handling & Fallbacks

​Limitations & Considerations

​Related Resources

Serialized Transactions

API Reference

Overview

When to Use Account Keys

Quick Start

Basic Example

Implementation Guide

Core Function

Complete Example with Multiple Priority Levels

Account Types & Strategies

Advanced Configuration Options

Best Practices for Account Selection

Error Handling & Fallbacks

Limitations & Considerations

Related Resources