Ethereum is a decentralized, open source, blockchain-based distributed computing platform and operating system.
A defining feature of Ethereum is its smart contract functionality, making it extremely popular.
Ethereum dates back to 2014 and has since grown in popularity to stand as the second largest cryptocurrency by market cap.
As a decentralized cryptocurrency network and software platform, Ethereum represents the most important and widely circulated altcoin.
Of note, Ethereum also facilitates the use of Distributed Applications, or dapps.
Ethereum possesses its own unique programming language, known as Turing Complete, which is used to build the dapps.
Dapps in turn can be run on a peer-to-peer (P2P) network of virtual machines.
These can be just about anything and are optimized to run on Smart Contracts, which are pieces of code that can execute a predetermined set of actions once a certain set of criteria are met.
The Ethereum network’s native currency is called Ether, or ETH. ETH tokens can be used to pay for things inside of dapps or to receive payouts from smart contracts.
They can also be traded off of the Ethereum network inside of cryptocurrency exchanges or OTC trading platforms.
The Rise of Ethereum
Ethereum dates back to 2013 when crypto researcher and programmer Vitalik Buterin proposed its utility. Its early development was subsequently funded by an online crowdsale, which took place in 2014.
Ethereum ultimately went in July 2015 with 72 million coins minted. This accounted for roughly 65 percent of its total circulating supply at the time of writing.
Like other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum has had a complicated past, resulting in splits and some controversy.
For example, back in 2016, an exploited vulnerability in The DAO project's smart contract software caused the theft of $50 million worth of Ether.
This led Ethereum to split into two separate blockchains. A newer and separate version became known as Ethereum (ETH), while the original chain continued to be known as Ethereum Classic (ETC).
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