Ethereum: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It Still Rules Crypto

When you think of Ethereum, a decentralized blockchain platform that runs smart contracts and powers thousands of digital applications. Also known as ETH, it’s not just a cryptocurrency—it’s the operating system for most of modern crypto. While Bitcoin is digital gold, Ethereum is digital infrastructure. It’s where decentralized finance (DeFi) apps, NFT marketplaces, and token projects actually get built and run. Without Ethereum, most of the crypto you hear about wouldn’t exist.

What makes Ethereum different? It lets developers write code—called smart contracts, self-executing programs that run automatically when conditions are met—directly on the blockchain. These contracts handle everything from lending money without a bank to trading NFTs without a middleman. That’s why over 70% of all DeFi apps and 90% of NFT sales happen on Ethereum. Even when other chains pop up with faster speeds or lower fees, they still copy Ethereum’s core ideas. It’s the original blueprint.

But Ethereum isn’t perfect. It used to be slow and expensive, especially during busy times. That changed with the Merge, the 2022 upgrade that switched Ethereum from energy-heavy mining to a more efficient proof-of-stake system. Now it uses 99.95% less electricity. Still, gas fees can spike when everyone’s trading at once. That’s why you’ll see so many posts here about bridges, layer-2 solutions, and alternatives like Arbitrum or Polygon—they’re all trying to make Ethereum faster and cheaper to use.

You’ll find posts here about projects built on Ethereum—some successful, some dead. You’ll see how token burns affect ETH’s value, how DeFi tools like Balancer work, and why some airdrops only work if you’ve interacted with Ethereum wallets. You’ll also learn what not to do: like chasing dead tokens that were just built on top of Ethereum without real purpose. Ethereum isn’t a coin to buy and forget. It’s a platform. And if you want to understand where crypto is headed, you need to understand how this platform moves.

Whether you’re tracking ETH price swings, checking if an NFT is truly on Ethereum, or trying to claim an airdrop tied to a smart contract, everything starts here. The posts below aren’t just about Ethereum—they’re about what happens when you build on it. Some of those projects worked. Most didn’t. But knowing the difference? That’s what matters.