#BTCvsETH

Bitcoin (BTC) vs. Ethereum (ETH): A Quick Comparison

Both Bitcoin and Ethereum are leading cryptocurrencies, but they serve different purposes and have unique features. Here's a clear breakdown:

🔹 1. Purpose

Bitcoin (BTC):

Created as a decentralized digital currency. Its primary goal is to be a store of value and a medium of exchange, like "digital gold."

Ethereum (ETH):

Built as a platform for decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts. ETH is the native currency used to power the Ethereum network.

🔹 2. Technology

Bitcoin:

Uses a simple scripting language mainly for peer-to-peer transactions.

Ethereum:

Uses a Turing-complete language (Solidity), allowing for complex programmable transactions (smart contracts).

🔹 3. Supply

Bitcoin:

Fixed supply of 21 million coins. It’s deflationary by design.

Ethereum:

No fixed supply. The Ethereum community has introduced burn mechanisms (like EIP-1559) to reduce inflation over time.

🔹 4. Consensus Mechanism

Bitcoin:

Uses Proof of Work (PoW) for security and consensus.

Ethereum:

Originally used PoW but transitioned to Proof of Stake (PoS) with Ethereum 2.0 (The Merge in Sept 2022), which is more energy-efficient.

🔹 5. Speed & Scalability

Bitcoin:

Processes ~7 transactions per second (TPS); scalability solutions like Lightning Network are in development.

Ethereum:

Handles ~30 TPS (on the base layer); aims to scale massively with Layer 2 solutions and sharding in future upgrades.

🔹 6. Ecosystem & Use Cases

Bitcoin:

Primarily used as digital money, a hedge against inflation, and a store of value.

Ethereum:

Foundation for NFTs, DeFi, DAOs, gaming, and more—Ethereum has a larger development ecosystem.

🔹 7. Market Position

Bitcoin:

First and largest cryptocurrency by market cap. Seen as the most secure and trusted.

Ethereum:

Second-largest crypto, leading in innovation and development activity.