Ethereum (ETH) – The Blockchain Beyond Bitcoin
Introduction
Ethereum is the world’s second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, often considered the backbone of the decentralized application (dApp) and smart contract revolution. While Bitcoin is primarily seen as digital gold or a store of value, Ethereum offers something more — a programmable blockchain platform that enables developers to build decentralized applications, launch tokens, and create entire ecosystems without relying on centralized servers.
History and Background
Ethereum was proposed in late 2013 by Vitalik Buterin, a Russian-Canadian programmer, and officially launched on July 30, 2015. The goal was to go beyond Bitcoin’s simple peer-to-peer payments by creating a platform where smart contracts — self-executing agreements coded on the blockchain — could automate transactions and processes without intermediaries.