$ETH Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). Launched in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin and others, Ethereum introduced a more versatile blockchain compared to Bitcoin, allowing developers to build programs that run exactly as programmed without downtime or fraud. Its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), powers transactions and is used as "gas" to execute smart contracts. Ethereum has become a key infrastructure for DeFi (Decentralized Finance), NFTs (non-fungible tokens), and DAOs (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). In 2022, Ethereum transitioned from Proof-of-Work to a more energy-efficient Proof-of-Stake consensus mechanism, significantly reducing its energy consumption. With ongoing upgrades like sharding, Ethereum aims to increase scalability and reduce transaction fees. It remains one of the most influential and widely-used blockchain platforms in the evolving world of Web3 and decentralized technologies.