Jan 11th 2023

At its core, Ethereum is a decentralized global software platform powered by blockchain technology. It is most commonly known for its native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH).

Ethereum can be used by anyone to create any secured digital technology. It has a token designed to pay for work done supporting the blockchain, but participants can also use it to pay for tangible goods and services if accepted.

Ethereum is designed to be scalable, programmable, secure, and decentralized. It is the blockchain of choice for developers and enterprises creating technology based upon it to change how many industries operate and how we go about our daily lives.

It natively supports smart contracts, an essential tool behind decentralized applications. Many decentralized finance (DeFi) and other applications use smart contracts in conjunction with blockchain technology.

Learn more about Ethereum, its token ETH, and how they are an integral part of non-fungible tokens, decentralized finance, decentralized autonomous organizations, and the metaverse.

Vitalik Buterin, credited with conceiving Ethereum, published a white paper to introduce it in 2014.

The Ethereum platform was launched in 2015 by Buterin and Joe Lubin, founder of the blockchain software company ConsenSys.

The founders of Ethereum were among the first to consider the full potential of blockchain technology beyond just enabling the secure virtual payment method.

Since the launch of Ethereum, ether as a cryptocurrency has risen to become the second-largest cryptocurrency by market value. It is outranked only by Bitcoin.

One notable event in Ethereum’s history is the hard fork, or split, of Ethereum and Ethereum Classic. In 2016, a group of network participants gained majority control of the Ethereum blockchain to steal more than $50 million worth of ether, which had been raised for a project called The DAO.

The raid's success was attributed to the involvement of a third-party developer for the new project. Most of the Ethereum community opted to reverse the theft by invalidating the existing Ethereum blockchain and approving a blockchain with a revised history.

However, a fraction of the community chose to maintain the original version of the Ethereum blockchain. That unaltered version of Ethereum permanently split to become the cryptocurrency Ethereum Classic (ETC).