Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain featuring smart contract functionality, launched in 2015 after being described by Vitalik Buterin in 2013. It powers a vast ecosystem of decentralized applications (dApps) and token economies using self-executing smart contracts, eliminating the need for intermediaries. The network runs on its native cryptocurrency, Ether (ETH), which is used to pay transaction fees and supports Ethereum’s open-source, programmable, and censorship-resistant characteristics.