Ethereum Explained
In order to answer a question such as “How does ethereum work?” one has to understand the basics of ethereum. Bear with me for this might get a little technical. It is a public and open-source distributed computing platform that is based on the concept of blockchain. The operating system of ethereum features a scripting functionality known as smart contract. It is transferable amongst accounts and is employed to substitute participant mining nodes for the performed computations.
Enough with the technical details. Let’s get practical now. As with bitcoin, this whole concept of ethereum is based on blockchain technology. Again, in order to know how does ethereum work, basic understanding of blockchain is required. So we need to talk about blockchain technology. First of all, the applications of blockchain go beyond these digital crypto currencies.
Beyond Blockchain
On earlier days, building applications based on blockchain demanded complex coding, cryptography mechanisms and advanced mathematics. Not to mention the sheer amount of resources involved. But that’s all changed now. Today, how to use ethereum is simplified and applied in the development of applications such as voting machines, digital assets, electronic trade, and so. These applications are decentralized in nature.
How Does Ethereum Work?
On simple terms, ethereum is an open source software program based on blockchain technology. It enables software developers around the world to build and implement decentralized applications. In a sense, it is similar to bitcoin yet there is a key difference.
The main similarity has to do with the fact that both ethereum and bitcoin are distributed public network based on blockchain. The most significant difference between bitcoin and ethereum is the functionality and capacity. While bitcoin focuses on transformation of electronic currency on a peer-to-peer basis for online payments, the ethereum blockchain concentrates on compiling the programming code of many decentralized applications.
Here, the data miners strive to procure ether instead of bitcoin. The term Ether is used defines a type of crypto token that acts as a fuel for the whole network. While ether can be traded as ethereum news today, it can also be utilized by application developers to reward for the services received on an Ethereum network.
I have already mentioned in the article that ethereum features a scripting functionality known as smart contract. Well, it is a terminology to denote a set of codes that facilitates online transactions such as currency, property documents, content, shares and other valuable commodities.
Thus the basic understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency is essential to understand how does ethereum work.