Ethereum ( ETH ) Price Live Chart

What is Ethereum (ETH)?

Ethereum (ETH) is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that runs smart contracts and supports its native cryptocurrency, Ether. Launched in 2015, Ethereum enables developers to build decentralized applications (dApps) on a secure and censorship-resistant infrastructure. Besides being the foundation for thousands of cryptocurrencies and tokens, Ethereum’s robust functionality makes it a leader in the blockchain ecosystem.

Ethereum was first conceptualized in 2013 through a whitepaper by Russian-Canadian programmer Vitalik Buterin. The idea caught traction quickly, and by mid-2014, Buterin and his co-founders conducted a public crowdfunding sale that raised $18.3 million in Bitcoin. At the time, Ether was priced at $0.311 per token, with over 60 million ETH sold in the ICO.

Given Ethereum’s current price, the return on investment (ROI) from its ICO exceeds 270% annually, effectively multiplying an investor’s capital many times over.

The Ethereum blockchain officially went live on July 30, 2015, with a prototype release called Frontier. It has since undergone multiple upgrades, including:

• Constantinople (Feb 2019)
  
  

• Istanbul (Dec 2019)
  
  

• Muir Glacier (Jan 2020)
  
  

• Berlin (April 2021)
  
  

• London Hard Fork (Aug 2021)
  
  

Ethereum’s mission is to become the global infrastructure for decentralized applications, empowering users worldwide to develop software that is secure, transparent, and resistant to fraud or censorship.

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Who Founded Ethereum?

Ethereum has eight co-founders, making it one of the most collaboratively launched crypto projects. These individuals first gathered on June 7, 2014, in Zug, Switzerland, a location now known as “Crypto Valley.”

Key Founders:

• Vitalik Buterin: The visionary behind Ethereum. He authored the 2013 whitepaper and was previously a co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine.
  
  

• Gavin Wood: Developed Ethereum’s first implementation in C++, created the Solidity programming language, and served as the first CTO of the Ethereum Foundation. He later launched the Web3 Foundation.
  
  

• Anthony Di Iorio: Financially backed the early stages of Ethereum.
  
  

• Charles Hoskinson: Helped establish the legal structure and the Ethereum Foundation. He later founded Cardano.
  
  

• Mihai Alisie: Supported the creation of the Ethereum Foundation.
  
  

• Joseph Lubin: A major early financier and the founder of ConsenSys, an incubator for Ethereum-based startups.
  
  

• Amir Chetrit: Co-founded Ethereum but exited early during its development.
  
  

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What Makes Ethereum Different from Other Blockchains?

Ethereum is best known for pioneering smart contracts — self-executing code that enforces agreement terms between parties without needing intermediaries. This innovation reduces reliance on centralized authorities, cutting costs and improving trust.

Ethereum’s blockchain serves as a global virtual computer, as described by Gavin Wood, where developers can build robust and censorship-resistant apps. In addition, Ethereum enables the creation of ERC-20 tokens, a standardized protocol used to launch other cryptocurrencies on the platform.

To date, over 280,000 ERC-20 tokens have been created, including popular ones like USDT (Tether), LINK (Chainlink), and BNB (Binance Coin) — several of which rank in the top 100 by market cap.

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What is the Ethereum Name Service (ENS)?

ENS (Ethereum Name Service) is the Web3 equivalent of DNS (Domain Name System). It transforms complex blockchain addresses — like
0xDC25EF3F5B8A186998338A2ADA83795FBA2D695E — into simple, readable names such as "alice.eth".

ENS operates using two smart contracts:

1. ENS Registry: Stores information like domain ownership, resolvers, and caching.
   
   

2. Resolver: Converts domain names into blockchain addresses and vice versa.
   
   

ENS also supports traditional domain suffixes like .com, .org, and .app, making blockchain integration with the web more seamless.

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What is an Ethereum Killer?

An Ethereum Killer refers to any blockchain that aims to outperform Ethereum by addressing its key limitations — high gas fees and low transaction speed (15–30 TPS).

The term gained traction around 2016–2017, with platforms like:

• Cardano
  
  

• EOS (raised $4.1B in its ICO)
  
  

• Solana
  
  

• Tezos
  
  

• Avalanche
  
  

• Fantom
  
  

• Binance Smart Chain (BSC)
  
  

These blockchains use different consensus mechanisms, such as:

• Solana: Proof-of-History (PoH)
  
  

• BSC: Proof-of-Authority (PoA) and Delegated Proof-of-Stake (DPoS)
  
  

Despite their advancements, none have displaced Ethereum, which still leads in NFT trading and DeFi activity.

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What is EIP-1559?

EIP-1559, introduced in the London Hard Fork (August 2021), revolutionized Ethereum’s fee structure by eliminating the chaotic "first-price auction."

Key Changes:

• Introduced a base fee (burned, reducing ETH supply).
  
  

• Users can add a priority tip for faster transaction processing.
  
  

• Created fee-burning, making ETH potentially deflationary.
  
  

Within just two months of launch, over $1 billion in ETH was burned — a move expected to increase scarcity and long-term value.

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How Many Ethereum Coins Are in Circulation?

As of September 2021, Ethereum had around 117.5 million ETH in circulation.

• 72 million ETH were minted in the genesis block, with:
  
  

• 60 million allocated to ICO participants.
  
  

• 12 million reserved for the development team.
  
  

Ethereum does not have a hard supply cap like Bitcoin. Instead, issuance is adjusted based on network requirements. Since 2015, block rewards have decreased:

• 5 ETH → 3 ETH → 2 ETH per block
  
  

• Blocks are mined every 13–15 seconds
  
  

With EIP-1559, base fees are burned, reducing the circulating supply and potentially making ETH deflationary in the long run.

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How is Ethereum Secured?

Until 2022, Ethereum used Ethash, a proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm. But with the rollout of Ethereum 2.0, Ethereum shifted to proof-of-stake (PoS) via an update called The Merge.

Key Security Features Post-Merge:

• Staking: Users lock up 32 ETH to become validators.
  
  

• Validators store data, process transactions, and secure the network.
  
  

• Staking rewards ranged from 4.5%–20% APR, depending on network activity.
  
  

Ethereum 2.0 Phases:

• Phase 0 (Beacon Chain): Launched Dec 2020
  
  

• The Merge: Finalized the shift from PoW to PoS on Sept 15, 2022
  
  

• Sharding (Future Phase): Will enhance scalability
  
  

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Where Can You Buy Ethereum (ETH)?

Ethereum is widely available on almost all major cryptocurrency exchanges.

Popular platforms include:

• Binance
  
  

• Coinbase
  
  

• Kraken
  
  

• SunCrypto (Offers ETH in INR and USDT trading pairs)
  
  

As the second-largest crypto by market cap, ETH is a staple asset in most trading portfolios.

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What Was the Ethereum London Hard Fork?

The London Hard Fork, launched in August 2021, was a major upgrade aimed at solving Ethereum’s high gas fees and volatility.

It included 5 EIPs:

• EIP-1559: New fee model and burning mechanism
  
  

• EIP-3554: Delayed difficulty bomb
  
  

• EIP-3529, 3198, and 3541: Various optimizations
  
  

This upgrade laid the foundation for Ethereum’s transition to Ethereum 2.0 and significantly impacted ETH’s economic model.

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What is Ethereum 2.0 (Now Called The Merge)?

Originally known as Ethereum 2.0, the network’s shift to proof-of-stake is now referred to as The Merge.

Major Changes:

• Merged the Beacon Chain (PoS) with the Ethereum Mainnet (PoW)
  
  

• Split Ethereum into:
  
  

• Consensus Layer (syncs the network)
  
  

• Execution Layer (handles transactions)
  
  

Timeline:

• Arrow Glacier Update (late 2021): Delayed difficulty bomb
  
  

• Merge Finalized: Sept 15, 2022
  
  

Post-Merge, ETH issuance dropped significantly, improving its deflationary potential.

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Final Thoughts

Ethereum continues to lead the blockchain revolution through innovation in smart contracts, dApps, NFTs, and decentralized finance. With upgrades like The Merge, Ethereum has transitioned into a more scalable, secure, and environmentally sustainable network. As Ethereum heads toward sharding and further scalability, it remains a pillar of the Web3 ecosystem.