Ethereum is a decentralized global software platform built on blockchain technology, best known for its native cryptocurrency, ether (ETH). It is intended to be scalable, programmable, secure, and decentralized, allowing anybody to develop secure digital technologies. The Ethereum token is intended to be used to pay for blockchain-related activities, but if accepted, participants can also use it to pay for physical goods and services.

 Ethereum’s history includes a dramatic split between Ethereum Classic and Ethereum, during which a third-party developer stole more than $50 million in ether. The Ethereum community eventually invalidated the existing Ethereum blockchain and accepted a rewritten history, while some members elected to keep the previous version.

 Ethereum employs a proof-of-stake transaction validation technique, which consumes less computing power and energy than Bitcoin’s competitive proof-of-work method. The Dencun upgrade enabled proto-danksharding on the Ethereum mainchain, laying the stage for future upgrades.

 Ethereum runs on a blockchain, which is a distributed ledger with information recorded in blocks. Each block is constructed using new ether tokens awarded to validators for their efforts. The proof-of-stake validation method employs a finalization protocol known as Casper-FFG and the algorithm LMD Ghost, which are merged into a consensus mechanism known as Gasper. Dishonest validators are punished by having their staked Ethereum burnt and deleted from the network.

 Ethereum is a distributed virtual computer that enables users to access their ether keys, which are kept in wallets. Unlike Bitcoin, which was designed to support the bitcoin cryptocurrency as a payment method, Ethereum has a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism and has a maximum circulation of more than 120 million units. The Ethereum platform consists of two layers: the execution layer and the consensus layer, which support expansion and manage network congestion issues.

 To address scalability, Ethereum is working on a method known as “danksharding,” which employs BLOBs, rollups, and data availability sampling to minimize costs and speed up transaction processing. Ethereum’s development roadmap outlines four major categories for future work: cheaper transactions, more security, improved user experiences, and future-proofing.

 Ethereum is being employed in gaming and virtual reality, with Decentraland and Axie Infinity utilizing blockchain technology to safeguard objects and establish ownership. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokenized digital goods generated with Ethereum that grant the owner access to the token. NFTs can be exchanged or sold, with the network verifying the transaction and transferring ownership.

 In brief, Ethereum is a distributed virtual computer that gives users access to their ether keys via wallets and NFTs.