What is Ethereum? I mean, I keep hearing about it everywhere I turn. I see it’s the second-largest cryptocurrency, but I can’t wrap my head around the concept. Is it the next Bitcoin? Can it change the world as we know it? If you want a better understanding of Ethereum but are tired of explanations that sound like complete technical gibberish, stick around; we’ll answer these questions and more.
What Is Ethereum?
Before diving into Ethereum, we need a quick recap on Bitcoin. Ethereum was built based on Bitcoin. To make a long story short, Bitcoin is a form of decentralized money. Before the invention of Bitcoin, the only way to use money digitally was through an intermediary like a bank or PayPal. Even then, the money used was a controlled government-issued currency.
However, Bitcoin disrupted all that. By creating a decentralized form of currency, people could trade directly with each other without the need for an intermediary. What’s great about Bitcoin is that the whole Bitcoin network validates and confirms every transaction.
And since there’s no single point of failure – unlike centralized systems, the Bitcoin system is virtually impossible to control, shut down, or manipulate. Pretty neat, huh?
Decentralize With Blockchain Technology
Did you know that Blockchain technology is a by-product of the invention of Bitcoin? Before Bitcoin, there was no “Blockchain technology.”
A system to reach decisions without a centralized authority was created by fusing existing technologies (i.e., cryptography, proof of work, and decentralized network architecture). We refer to this as Blockchain technology.
To put this into perspective, Blockchain is to Bitcoin what the internet is to email. Essentially, it’s a system that you can build applications and programs on top of. And Ethereum is a part of that.
What Else Can We Decentralize?
Humor me for a second; what if we could use the technology behind Bitcoin, a.k.a Blockchain, to decentralize other parts of our lives as well?
Now that we know that we can decentralize money, what else can we look to decentralize? What about voting? Now, voting requires a central authority to count and validate votes. Because of this setup, voting is prime for manipulation and miscounts.
One such solution is allowing people to vote on a decentralized system. Because the system is transparent, all voters can see where each vote comes from. Further to that, each vote is legitimate. It would guarantee that people only get one vote, and there could be no way to manipulate the decentralized government voting system.
Let’s look at another example. People can rent hard drive space directly to others, making Dropbox obsolete. Drivers can offer services directly to passengers and remove Uber as the intermediary.
People can buy cryptocurrencies directly from each other without the need for a centralized exchange (i.e., a back), which can get hacked, and people steal your money, which makes Ethereum very attractive.
The Internet Is Centralized
For those of you who thought the internet was already decentralized, you’re mistaken. Amazon, Facebook, Uber, Netflix, and other giants control much of the World Wide Web as we know it. Undoubtedly, almost no activity on the web happens without some intermediary or third party. But this is changing.
Enter Ethereum.
SERVICES |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| DESCRIPTION | Bullish Bears offer trade rooms in our Discord. Our chat rooms include penny stocks, large caps, options, and futures | We offer stock signals and trade alerts through our watch lists and Discord bots using Tradytics | Swing trade and day trade watch lists with hand-picked symbols that have the best chance of breakouts. These are stocks to watch |
| INCLUDED | Trading courses • Live streaming • Discord • Real Time Teaching • Scanners & Bots Trade Rooms | Watch lists • Symbols • Support and resistance levels • Discord bots and scanners Trade Alerts | Swing trade watchlist • Day trade watchlist • Alert levels mapped out • Watch lists updated daily Watch Lists |
Decentralizing Our Life Using Ethereum
Once digital decentralization was demonstrated by Bitcoin, a whole new world opened up. Think about it for a second: what would life be like without the need for a centralized third party?
Ethereum was first proposed in late 2013 by Vitalik Buterin but came about in 2014. In plain and simple terms, Ethereum is the DIY platform for decentralized programs, also known as Dapps (decentralized applications). Ethereum is a decentralized open-source blockchain system with its cryptocurrency, Ether. It acts as a platform for numerous cryptocurrencies and executing decentralized smart contracts.
Ethereum allows people to connect directly with each other without a central authority or big brother overseeing things. By combining a network of computers, we end up with one powerful decentralized supercomputer.
Thousands of individual computers are running on the Ethereum platform, meaning it’s fully decentralized. Once a program or Dapp is launched to the Ethereum network, these computers, or nodes, ensure it’s executed as written.
Ethereum 5-Minute Takeaway
- It’s a decentralized open-source blockchain system.
- Ethereum is the infrastructure used to run Dapps worldwide.
- Ethereum connects people directly through a powerful decentralized supercomputer.
- Its goal is to truly decentralize the internet.
- Ethereum isn’t a currency; it’s a platform.
- Ether, or ETH, is the currency used to incentivize the network.
What Makes Ethereum Unique?
There are two words to answer the question of what makes Ethereum unique: Smart contracts.
Ethereum is the pioneer behind the blockchain smart contract platform. Smart contracts are computer programs that execute user agreements on the World Wide Web. They were designed to reduce the need for trusted intermediates between contractors. Overall, this reduces the costs of transactions while increasing transaction reliability.
Ethereum’s coding language, Solidity, is used to write “smart contracts,” which is the logic that runs Dapps. If you’ve dreamed of creating your decentralized program that no single person controls, learn the Ethereum programming language, Solidity, and begin coding.
How Smart Contracts Work on Ethereum
A contract is a set of “ifs” and “thens.” Or a set of conditions and actions. Here’s an example of a contract at work: As a tenant, I pay my landlord \$1500 at the beginning of each month, and he lets me use his apartment.
And that’s precisely how smart contracts work on Ethereum. We call contracts “smart” because they deal with all aspects of the contract, from enforcement to management, performance, and payment.
Ethereum developers write the conditions for the program or Dapp, and the Ethereum network executes it. For example, if I have a smart contract for paying rent, the landlord doesn’t need to collect the money physically.
The contract itself knows if the money’s in the account. If I indeed send the money, I can open my apartment door. If I missed my payment, I’d be locked out.
Best Trading Companies
Ethereum Is Not a Currency
Now, we need to talk about Ethereum as a currency. We’ve already established that Ethereum is a large bunch of computers working together, like one supercomputer, to execute code that powers Dapps. However, all of this costs money in the form of powering, storing, and cooling machines. And that’s the rationale behind the creation of Ether.
When people talk about Ethereum’s price, they are referring to Ether. Ether is the currency that incentivizes people to run the Ethereum protocol on their computers. For an author to deploy a smart contract to the Ethereum platform, they must pay.
And that payment is in the form of Ether. Charging a fee forces people to write efficient and optimized code and won’t waste the Ethereum network computing power on unnecessary tasks.
Ethereum’s Initial Coin Offering
Ether was first distributed in July of 2014. Back then, it cost around $0.40 to buy one Ether. Today, one Ether is valued at an astonishing $1808.75.
Is Ethereum the way of the future? ETH is the second-largest cryptocurrency. In fact, over the next few years, it’s thought that Ethereum will become the backbone of the decentralized internet, wholly dominating the platform market. The number of developers on the Ethereum network is growing and snowballing.
With over 250,000 developers on the network, the number of Dapps created on the Ethereum blockchain will only attract more users. This snowball effect will only prove to further the dominance of the network.
How Can I Purchase Ethereum (ETH)?
Because Ethereum is the second-largest cryptocurrency after Bitcoin, ETH is listed on nearly all major crypto exchanges. Some of the largest markets include:
Final Thoughts: What Is Ethereum?
There is a consensus among experts that the ETH price outlook will remain bullish in the coming years. According to insights from leading crypto sources like Coin Telegraph, Ethereum should go through a breakthrough this year. Some experts anticipate Ether will dominate the platform network and hit $15,000 this year. This should come as no surprise, considering the appetite for a decentralized web.
