According to coinmarketcap.com, Ethereum valued at over $230 billion is the second-biggest digital asset by total capitalization after Bitcoin. No wonder, that beginning enthusiasts are willing to better familiarize themselves with the project as its adaption and utilization across different industries are growing at a fast pace.

Actually, Ethereum was a pioneer in multiple modern DeFi concepts, and it gained so much hype and fame that all the other developments representing the same features were named “Ethereum killers”. So far nobody killed Ethereum, so we have a chance to enjoy its best features. But for this, we need to learn more about them. This is what this guide was written for: let’s explore the key concept of the second-biggest crypto project.

ETH

ETH is a ticker symbol under which the original Ethereum token is traded. This coin is called Ether and is applied to enable operations within the virtual environment by powering it. The key functions of the unit are paying for computational resources and transaction gas fees necessary to execute any operation.

ETH is also used by users who work with smart contracts, as gas is required for their deployment, which should be paid in this currency as well. As you can guess, all the other operations that can be conducted there also require payments in this digital asset.

For newbies, it will be useful to learn that ETH has its wrapped alternative — a virtual coin that has its value pegged to the original asset. Understanding the differences between WETH and ETH is crucial to benefit from the compatibility features provided by wrapped tokens.

Smart Contracts

Ethereum was the first network to launch smart contracts, which are now used across multiple crypto developments. The concept of this technology is quite prosaic: these are digital protocols that enable the automatic execution of asset exchanges once the pre-determined conditions stated there are met. Every user of this ecosystem can deploy such digital agreements and specify all the necessary terms and conditions under which they will be executed without manual involvement.

In addition to automatic execution, one more feature to pay attention to is the inability to make any changes once the exchange is processed. Smart contracts are permanent and don’t allow any changes to transactions executed under their original conditions. This, and the advanced verification mechanism of the network, helps to ensure the transparent and trustworthy execution of operations between two parties.

EVM

EVM stands for Ethereum virtual machine. It serves as the core mechanism for processing agreements written in Solidity, the language specific to this blockchain. It operates within a controlled environment, enabling the creation of standalone environments for testing and development purposes. By deploying the digital agreement within this sandbox, it can be thoroughly tested and verified before being released onto the Ethereum main network.

Smart contracts, regardless of the computer language used, undergo compilation into bytecode comprehensible to the EVM. This bytecode is then executed by the EVM itself. Solidity is widely favored for constructing them, as it ensures the conversion of the protocol into bytecode and subsequent deployment on the EVM, guaranteeing protection against potential cyber threats.

But how does the EVM function in practice? Let’s say Individual 1 intends to transfer 100 ethers to Individual 2. To achieve this, a smart contract facilitating the fund transfer is dispatched to the EVM. The Ethereum network then undergoes a proof-of-work consensus algorithm to validate the transaction. Miner nodes within the Ethereum network verify various aspects, such as the existence of Individual 1 and the availability of sufficient funds for the transfer. Upon confirmation, the specified amount of ether is deducted from Individual 1’s wallet and credited to Individual 2’s wallet. During this process, miners levy a fee to authenticate the transaction and, in turn, receive a reward.

Across the Ethereum network, all nodes execute smart contracts using their individual EVM instances. This distributed execution framework ensures the integrity and stable performance of solutions within Ethereum.

DApps

Do you know how traditional web apps work? In simple words, when you enter the app, you facilitate the call to an API, which enables you to access a certain amount of information in a centralized database. Do decentralized applications differ a lot? In fact, the only major difference between these two types is that the API of dApps is based on smart contracts, and the data is transferred directly from the blockchain network storage. The concept of processing actually remains the same.

However, this simple difference offers numerous advantages to both users and developers. User privacy is one of the biggest pros of DApps, and it can be provided thanks to the anonymous nature of blockchains. Also, this decentralized nature allows excluding of any censorship regarding the data store. All of this facilitates greater flexibility and enables more seamless interaction between different solutions.

Read Also:

• Thoughts On The Initial Capital Needed To Start Your Own Crypto Exchange Business
• Empowering Privacy On Ethereum: Unveiling Anonymity Solutions
• Cryptocurrencies – Other Than Ethereum And Bitcoin – Worthy Of Entering Your Investment Portfolio