Ethereum is an open-source public blockchain platform with smart contract function. It provides a decentralized Ethereum virtual machine to process point-to-point contracts through its special cryptocurrency ether (ETH).

The concept of Ethereum was first proposed by programmer vitalik buterin inspired by bitcoin from 2013 to 2014 to the effect of "next generation cryptocurrency and decentralized application platform", which began to develop through ICO crowdfunding in 2014.

As of February 2018, Ethereum was the second highest cryptocurrency by market value, second only to bitcoin.