Login

Ethereum

A blockchain platform enabling smart contracts and decentralized applications.

Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation and execution of smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps). It was proposed by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 and launched in July 2015.

Smart Contracts

Unlike Bitcoin, which primarily serves as digital money, Ethereum introduced programmable smart contracts — self-executing agreements with the terms directly written into code. This innovation enabled an entire ecosystem of decentralized applications.

Ether (ETH)

Ether is the native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network. It's used to pay gas fees for transactions and smart contract executions, and serves as the primary medium of exchange within the Ethereum ecosystem.

The Merge

In September 2022, Ethereum transitioned from Proof of Work (PoW) to Proof of Stake (PoS) in an event called "The Merge." This reduced Ethereum's energy consumption by approximately 99.95% and introduced staking as the network's security mechanism.

Ecosystem

Ethereum hosts the largest ecosystem of DApps, including DeFi protocols, NFT marketplaces, DAOs, and Layer 2 scaling solutions like Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ethereum?

Ethereum is a decentralized blockchain platform that enables smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps). Created by Vitalik Buterin and launched in 2015, it hosts the largest ecosystem of DeFi, NFTs, and Layer 2 solutions.

How is Ethereum different from Bitcoin?

Bitcoin is primarily digital money and a store of value. Ethereum is a programmable platform that supports smart contracts, enabling an entire ecosystem of applications. Bitcoin uses Proof of Work; Ethereum transitioned to Proof of Stake in 2022.

What was The Merge?

The Merge (September 2022) was Ethereum's transition from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake, reducing energy consumption by ~99.95%. It replaced miners with validators who stake ETH to secure the network and earn rewards.

Related Terms

Altcoin

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.

DAO

Decentralized Autonomous Organization — a community-led entity governed by smart contracts.

DApp

Decentralized Application — an application running on a blockchain network.

DeFi

Decentralized Finance — financial services built on blockchain without intermediaries.

EIP

Ethereum Improvement Proposal — a design document for proposing changes to the Ethereum network.

ERC-20

A technical standard for creating fungible tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.

Ether

The native cryptocurrency of the Ethereum blockchain network.

Fork

A change in a blockchain's protocol that creates a divergent version of the network.

Gas Fee

A fee paid to compensate for the computing energy required to process blockchain transactions.

Gwei

A small denomination of Ether used to measure gas prices on Ethereum.

Layer 1

A base blockchain network like Bitcoin, Ethereum, or Solana.

Layer 2

A secondary framework built on top of a Layer 1 blockchain to improve scalability.

NFT

Non-Fungible Token — a unique digital asset representing ownership of a specific item.

Proof of Stake

A consensus mechanism where validators stake tokens to secure the network.

Sharding

A database partitioning technique that splits a blockchain into smaller, parallel segments.

Smart Contract

Self-executing code on a blockchain that automatically enforces agreement terms.

Soft Fork

A backward-compatible upgrade to a blockchain's protocol.

Staking

Locking up cryptocurrency to support network operations and earn rewards.

Turing Complete

A system capable of performing any computation, given enough resources.

Zk-SNARKs

A type of zero-knowledge proof used for privacy and scalability in blockchain.