Ethereum, which was created in 2015, is the second most valuable cryptocurrency in terms of total market value behind Bitcoin. However, unlike Bitcoin, it was not designed to be a digital currency. Instead, the Ethereum creators set out to create a new sort of global, decentralised computing platform that extends the security and openness of blockchains to a broad variety of applications.
The Ethereum blockchain is now powering everything from financial tools and games to complicated databases. And the only limit to its future potential is the programmers’ creativity. “Ethereum may be used to encrypt, decentralise, secure, and transact nearly anything,” according to the non-profit Ethereum foundation.
- The most recent pricing may be seen on Coinbase’s Ethereum Assets page.
- Ethereum has grown in popularity as a means of investing and holding money (and can be used, like Bitcoin, to send or receive value without an intermediary).
- The Ethereum blockchain enables programmers to design and operate a broad range of applications, from games and sophisticated databases to complicated decentralised financial instruments, without the need for a bank or other intermediate entity.
- Smart contracts are used to construct Ethereum-based apps. Smart contracts, like traditional paper contracts, lay forth the parameters of a deal between two parties. Smart contracts, unlike conventional contracts, are implemented automatically when conditions are met, with no need for parties to know who is on the other side of the agreement and no need for any form of middleman.
- Like Bitcoin, Ethereum is an open source project that is not owned or administered by a single individual. Anyone with access to the internet may operate an Ethereum node and interact with the network.
- Similarly to how Bitcoin’s decentralised blockchain enables two strangers anywhere in the world to send or receive money without the need for a bank to act as an intermediary, smart contracts running on Ethereum’s decentralised blockchain enable programmers to create complex applications that must run exactly as programmed. There will be no outage, censorship, fraud, or third-party involvement.
Stablecoins (such as DAI, whose value is pegged to the dollar through a smart contract), decentralised financial applications (collectively known as DeFi), and other decentralised applications are popular Ethereum-based developments (or Dapps).
What’s the difference between Ethereum, Ether, and ETH?
The network’s name is Ethereum. The Ethereum network’s native cryptocurrency token is “Ether.” Finally, most people refer to the token as “ETH” in ordinary speech (or “Ethereum”). ETH functions similarly to Bitcoin in terms of transmitting, receiving, and storing currency. However, it also serves a unique purpose in the Ethereum network. Because users pay fees in ETH to execute smart contracts, we may think of them as the fuel that keeps everything operating (thus the term “gas”).
If Bitcoin is “digital gold,” Ethereum is “digital oil.”
Is Ethereum safe?
ETH is currently safeguarded by the Ethereum blockchain, just as Bitcoin is secured by its blockchain. A large computational capacity, to which all machines on the network have contributed, validates and protects all transactions, making third-party intervention almost impossible.
The basic concepts behind cryptocurrencies contribute to their security: the systems do not need authorizations, and the main software is open source, allowing numerous computer scientists and cryptographers to study all parts of the networks and their security.
However, apps running on the Ethereum blockchain are only as safe as the developers who designed them. For example, errors in the coding may result in the loss of cash at times. Although the source code for each application is open to everyone, the user bases of each individual programme are far smaller than that of Ethereum as a whole, therefore there are significantly fewer eyes on them. It is critical to research any decentralised application that you want to utilise.
The Ethereum protocol is being improved in order to make it quicker and more secure. For further details, see the Ethereum 2.0 section.
How does Ethereum work?
You’ve probably heard that the Bitcoin blockchain is analogous to a bank ledger or even a chequebook. It is a running record of every transaction performed on the network from its inception, with all computers on the network donating processing power to the task of maintaining the record’s accuracy and security.
The Ethereum blockchain, on the other hand, is more like a computer: although it likewise documents and secures transactions, it is considerably more flexible than the Bitcoin blockchain. The Ethereum blockchain may be used by programmers to construct a broad range of tools, from logistics management software to games and the complete universe of DeFi apps (which include loans, transactions, etc.).
- To do all of this, Ethereum employs a “virtual machine,” which is similar to a massive global computer made up of many individual computers running Ethereum software. Maintaining all of these computers necessitates an investment in hardware and power on the part of the participants. To compensate these expenses, the network employs Ether, a Bitcoin-like token (or ETH).
- Everything is kept operating with ETH. Interacts with the Ethereum network by paying it with ETH to conduct smart contracts. As a result, fees paid in ETH are referred to as “gas.”
- The cost of gas is determined by how busy the network is. In December 2020, Ethereum 2.0, a new version of the Ethereum blockchain designed to improve efficiency, became live. (The switch to the new blockchain is expected to take two years.)
What exactly is Ethereum 2.0?
Ethereum 2.0 (also known as ETH2) is a significant update to the Ethereum network. It was created to help the Ethereum network develop while also improving security, speed, and efficiency.
Ethereum 2.0 and Ethereum 1.0 exist side by side in early 2021, although the old blockchain will ultimately combine with the ETH2 blockchain. (If you own ETH, you don’t need to do anything; everything on the ETH 1.0 blockchain will automatically move to the ETH2 blockchain.) The switch to ETH2 began in December 2020 and is expected to take two years.
Why is Ethereum 2.0 required? Moving a crypto asset to a new platform is a complicated process, but it is required for Ethereum to grow and flourish. This is due to the fact that the “Proof of work” approach employed by the ETH 1.0 blockchain to validate transactions creates congestion, raises fees, and consumes a significant amount of resources (particularly electricity).
What exactly is Proof of Work? Without a central authority like Visa or Paypal as a middleman, how can cryptocurrency networks ensure that no one spends the same money twice? They make use of a consensus process. When ETH 1.0 was introduced, it used the Proof of Work consensus technique pioneered by Bitcoin.
- Proof of Work requires a lot of processing power, which is provided by virtual ” miners” all over the globe who compete to be the first to solve a long mathematical challenge.
- The winner receives a fixed sum of ETH for updating the blockchain with the most recently validated transactions.
- This procedure is repeated every 30 seconds (Bitcoin has a cadence of approximately 10 minutes). Proof of Work limits produced bottlenecks as network traffic grew, causing rates to soar unexpectedly.
What exactly is participation?
The Ethereum founders were well aware of the limits of Proof of Work. As a result, a radically different approach for Ethereum 2.0 was selected. A system that enables the network to execute thousands of Ethereum transactions per second effectively.
Ethereum 2.0 employs a Proof of Stake consensus process, which is quicker, requires less resources, and (at least potentially) is more secure. The end outcome is similar to Proof of Work in that a network member is chosen to verify the most recent transactions, update the blockchain, and earn ETH.
- Proof of Stake demands a powerful network of participants who are actually devoted to the company’s success, rather than a network of miners dedicated to solving a riddle.
- These interested parties are referred to as validators. Validators donate ETH to a “pool of holdings” rather than computing power, like miners do.
- Participation refers to the act of adding ETH to the pool. If you opt to contribute with some of your ETH, you will be rewarded in proportion to your contribution. For the majority of customers, membership will function similarly to an interest-bearing savings account.
- The network chooses a winner based on the amount of ETH each validator has in the pool and how long they have maintained it there, thus rewarding those that contribute the most.
- Other validators may testify to the accuracy of the most recent block of transactions after the winner has confirmed it. The blockchain is updated when a certain amount of these attestations are produced.
- All validators who participate earn an ETH reward, which is spread around the network in proportion to their involvement.
Anyone who is interested is welcome to participate ( and soon be available on Coinbase ).
An overview of Ethereum’s history
2013
- Vitalik Buterin, a 19-year-old computer programmer (and co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine), wrote a white paper suggesting a highly flexible blockchain capable of enabling nearly any form of transaction.
2014
- The Toronto youngster, together with a team of co-founders that included Gavin Wood, used crowdfunding to encourage the development of the Ethereum protocol by selling 18 million USD in pre-launch tokens.
2015
- In July, the Ethereum blockchain’s first public version was published. On the Ethereum blockchain, smart contract functionality has begun to be deployed.
2016
- Based on a software fault, hackers stole around USD 50 million from the DAO (acronym for “Decentralized Autonomous Organization”; decentralised autonomous organisation).
- The Ethereum community voted to examine the protocol in order to replace lost assets in a contentious vote. As a consequence, the Ethereum blockchain was hard split into two distinct blockchains, each with its own active community: Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.
2017
- The ERC-20 standard was developed to help developers design interoperable apps. ERC-20 provides a method for creating an asset (or token) on the Ethereum network.
- The first widely successful Ethereum-based application was CryptoKitties, a game in which players acquire and sell digital kittens. It became a true craze, with rare digital cats fetching more than 200,000 USD at their peak.
- The Ethereum Enterprise Alliance, a non-profit organisation, was formed to provide practical applications for smart contract technology. JP Morgan, Samsung, Microsoft, and Mastercard are among the members.
- MakerDAO, the Ethereum blockchain’s first Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocol, was released. DAI, the first ETH-based stablecoin, was also launched by the company.
- For the first time, ETH surpassed $100 USD.
2018
- The advent of the Compound lending protocol and the Uniswap decentralised exchange has given a boost to DeFi, which aspires to overhaul the financial services sector by making transactions quicker, less costly, and more secure.
- The USDC stablecoin has been released. With the help of the CENTRE Consortium, a collaboration between Coinbase and Circle, it released USD 1 billion in coins in the first year.
- In January, ETH surpassed USD 1000 for the first time before falling down below USD 100.
2020
- The Ethereum 2.0 upgrade will begin in December. The whole shift from Ethereum 1.0 to Ethereum 2.0 is projected to take two years.
- Proof of Stake was introduced as part of the first phase of Ethereum 2.0. Proof of Work is still used as a consensus technique in ETH 1.0.
2021
- ETH set a new all-time high over 1700 USD in February.
How is Ethereum purchased?
You must comprehend certain fundamental fundamentals regardless of how you get your ETH. A public key and a private key are provided for each address on the Ethereum network, and you will need a wallet to handle your cryptocurrency.
- Public key: Think of it as the bitcoin equivalent of an email address. People may transfer you ETH and Ethereum-based tokens like USDC and DAI using your Ethereum public key. You may securely distribute it to others.
- Private key: it functions as your password. In general, you should avoid sharing it with others. A private key is made up of a lengthy string of letters and integers. (It may also take the shape of a word sequence known as a seed phrase.) It is critical to keep control of your private keys. If you lose them, you will eternally lose your Ether.
- Wallet: A wallet is required to hold and secure your Ether. If you’re new to cryptocurrency, the simplest way to get started is to open an account using the Coinbase app or coinbase.com, where you’ll interact with a “wallet of custody” that holds and protects your private keys. As you develop, you may look at different wallets that work with decentralised finance (or DeFi) protocols, such as Compound (a lending and savings application) or Uniswap (a decentralised exchange that allows you to transact cryptocurrencies).
What makes Ethereum valuable?
To address this question, many factors must be considered. At one level, the value of Ethereum, like any other asset, is determined by the marketplace. People purchase it around the clock using Bitcoins, dollars, euros, yen, and other currencies. The price may change from day to day depending on demand. (Because Ethereum is still a new technology, its value is variable when compared to currencies like the USD or bonds like Fortune 500 stocks.)
However, why the market sets its prices in the manner that it does is a considerably more involved topic. Many investors appreciate Ethereum’s versatility as a platform for producing stablecoins and operating DeFi apps, which has resulted in a growing user base and increased transaction fees.
What will happen to Ethereum Next?
As of early 2021, Ethereum runs the great majority of blockchain applications and has a total market valuation of about USD 200 billion, with over USD 55 billion in tokens locked down on the blockchain. Because of the network effects, the most popular stablecoins, such as USDC and USDT, are now built on Ethereum.
However, numerous new smart contract blockchains are beginning to compete in the field. Despite the fact that Ethereum is presently the undisputed market leader, there is rising pressure on it to execute the Ethereum 2.0 transition successfully.