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  "id": "what-is-ethereum",
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  "collection": "ethereum",
  "title": "What is Ethereum? A shared network for running programs",
  "description": "Understand Ethereum through a simple shared-program example: accounts, transactions, smart contracts, ETH and the limits of what the network proves.",
  "aliases": [
    "Ethereum explained",
    "Ethereum blockchain"
  ],
  "dates": {
    "published": "2026-10-02",
    "modified": "2026-10-02",
    "verified": "2026-10-02T15:10:23.134Z",
    "dataAsOf": null
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  "authorship": {
    "publisher": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project",
    "process": "AI-assisted research and drafting with a separate automated source-verification pass; no external expert or named human review is implied."
  },
  "quickAnswer": {
    "text": "Ethereum is a public blockchain that records balances and runs programs called smart contracts. Participants agree on the resulting state using proof of stake. Ether, or ETH, is its native asset, used for transaction fees and staking. Applications can use Ethereum without being owned or operated by the Ethereum network itself.",
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  "keyFacts": [
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      "label": "Network",
      "value": "A shared state and rules for changing it",
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        "evm"
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      "id": "network",
      "claimId": "what-is-ethereum-fact-network"
    },
    {
      "label": "Native asset",
      "value": "Ether, abbreviated ETH",
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      "id": "native-asset",
      "claimId": "what-is-ethereum-fact-native-asset"
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    {
      "label": "Consensus",
      "value": "Proof of stake",
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      "id": "consensus",
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  "prerequisites": [
    "what-is-a-blockchain"
  ],
  "sections": [
    {
      "id": "shared-state",
      "heading": "A shared record that also runs instructions",
      "sourceIds": [
        "intro",
        "evm"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "Ethereum keeps account balances together with contract code and stored values. A transaction proposes a change. Nodes execute the relevant rules to check what the new state should be; a block records an agreed ordering of transactions.",
        "Think of a public noticeboard with programs attached. Reading a notice does not change it. Calling a program might update a balance, register a vote or transfer a token, provided the program accepts the request."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "ticket-example",
      "heading": "Example: a ticket rule becomes a state change",
      "sourceIds": [
        "contracts",
        "transactions"
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      "paragraphs": [
        "Imagine a contract with ten digital tickets, each priced at 0.01 ETH. A successful purchase can reduce its available-ticket count to nine and record one ticket against the buyer. This is an illustrative contract, not a real offer.",
        "The network checks the programmed payment and inventory conditions. It cannot establish whether a real venue exists or will admit the buyer. Connecting the digital ticket to entry at a door requires people or systems outside Ethereum."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "network-and-app",
      "heading": "The network, an application and a wallet have different jobs",
      "sourceIds": [
        "accounts",
        "contracts",
        "ether"
      ],
      "paragraphs": [
        "A wallet prepares requests and manages signing. An application offers an interface to contracts. Ethereum supplies the execution and settlement rules. A broken website therefore does not necessarily mean the underlying contract has stopped existing.",
        "ETH pays the network fee; an application may charge a separate price or issue its own token. Owning an application token does not automatically confer ownership of Ethereum or control over its protocol."
      ]
    },
    {
      "id": "what-agreement-proves",
      "heading": "Agreement proves execution, not that an idea is sound",
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      "paragraphs": [
        "Consensus helps participants agree which valid changes occurred. It does not certify that a contract has no bugs, that a token has economic value or that its operator has made accurate claims.",
        "Start by separating three questions: what does the program do, who can change or influence it, and what external promises does it rely on? The answers can differ even for applications on the same network."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "question": "Is Ethereum the same thing as ETH?",
      "answer": "No. Ethereum is the network and protocol; ETH is its native asset. People often use the network name casually when referring to the asset.",
      "sourceIds": [
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    },
    {
      "question": "Does every Ethereum application belong to one company?",
      "answer": "No. Different developers deploy applications with different governance and infrastructure. The public network does not endorse every application running on it.",
      "sourceIds": [
        "contracts"
      ]
    },
    {
      "question": "Does using Ethereum make a transaction private?",
      "answer": "No. The ordinary network records public transaction data. A wallet address is an identifier, and using it does not by itself provide anonymity.",
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        "transactions"
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    }
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        "notes": [
          "Checked shared state/contract role against intro, EVM and contracts; ticket example 10 minus1 and0.01ETH is expressly illustrative."
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  "citation": "Degrees of Satoshi editorial project. “What is Ethereum? A shared network for running programs.” Published 2026-10-02; updated 2026-10-02. https://degreesofsatoshi.com/encyclopedia/what-is-ethereum/"
}