Ethereum (English) is an open source public blockchain platform with smart contract functions. It provides a decentralized Ethereum Virtual Machine (Ethereum Virtual Machine) through its dedicated cryptocurrency Ether (Ether, referred to as "ETH"). Handle peer-to-peer contracts.
The concept of Ethereum was first proposed by programmer Vitalik Buterin in 2013-2014 after being inspired by Bitcoin, which means "the next generation of cryptocurrency and decentralized application platform", and it began to develop through ICO crowdfunding in 2014.
As of February 2018, Ethereum was the second most valuable cryptocurrency by market capitalization, after Bitcoin.