Call for reconfiguration of nodes to relay transactions with fee-rates below 1 sat/vbyte

In a recent discussion on the Bitcoin Development Mailing List, there was a consensus around the idea that introducing a configuration allowing a node runner to set -incrementalrelayfee=0 could effectively complement the existing minrelaytxfee=0.00000001. This suggestion comes in the light of observations that miners may already be operating with a -blockmintxfee set to 0 or lower than the default, evidenced by the presence of transactions with zero fees in blocks. The notion challenges the concern that setting minrelaytxfee to such a low value could heighten the risk of Denial of Service (DoS) attacks or make them more cost-effective for attackers.

Further analysis provided points out that the potential impact of DoS attacks facilitated by low fee-rate transactions is significantly mitigated by Bitcoin's current operational parameters. Specifically, the default mempool size limit of 300MB and a timeout of 336 hours for unconfirmed transactions are highlighted as critical measures that limit the effectiveness of such attacks. These built-in safeguards ensure that even with extremely low transaction fees, the network remains protected against potential DoS threats, thereby supporting the argument for the possibility of lowering transaction fees without compromising security.