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What is Ethereum Virtual Machine

The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is responsible for powering most of the blockchains in existence. EVM is a complex phenomenon that is probably what most of us think of as Ethereum itself. It is considered to be the part of Ethereum that performs smart contract implementation.

EVM is at the center of the smart contract revolution and is a key reason why EVM processes billions of dollars daily. EVM can be seen as its own environment, a place where smart contracts and blockchain addresses exist and manifest.

At its simplest, the EVM is a decentralized CPU; EVM is the function of the current state of Ethereum. The current state of the Ethereum Virtual Machine is the collection of the blockchain processes connected and encoded into the mainnet.

The EVM provides a reading – a snapshot – of the current state. The state of the machine is constantly evolving, changing with each new smart contract execution. At any point in time, a snapshot can be created to see and “define” what Ethereum’s canonical state is.

In other words, the Ethereum Virtual Machine is a virtual CPU for Ethereum to execute and display the speed of smart contracts. As long as there is a single Ethereum node still powered on, we will continue to have EVM.

This is also quite theoretical jargon, so let’s take a step back. And define a virtual machine yourself.

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What is a virtual machine?

Virtual machines (VMs) have existed on computers for quite some time. Developers and computer programmers have long known that virtual machines can help run different software on compilers to run different non-native programs. Essentially, VMs can help facilitate computer programs to deploy architecturally neutral data on top of another software or operating system.

A virtual machine is a useful tool for running programs on different systems simultaneously regardless of their native environments. VMs can simulate how a CPU performs all its execution on top of another CPU. A classic example would be an Apple Mac computer that can emulate and run a Windows application or software on top of its own software – or a Linux operator running a Windows program. There are countless examples.

When it comes to Ethereum, unlike a regular CPU that has hardware – like the computer you’re probably using right now – the Ethereum Virtual Machine is a distributed connection of nodes that maintain the virtual machine. EVMs (VMs) are sandboxed in the native system and cannot access other files or processes.

Why do we need EVM?

When blockchain technology emerged with Bitcoin, it was just a currency for transactions. Unlike Bitcoin, Ethereum shows more than accounts or balances for a single currency, as it has developed an entire machine state.

EVM adds a neutral interpretation of contracts to blockchain technology. Ethereum’s main website describes itself as a “distributed state machine” because it develops and executes the idea of ​​neutral ownership and facilitation of action. The virtual machine state can allow neutral arbitration across all transactions, realizing a real mantra for blockchain enthusiasts.

The state has become the de facto measurement of how blockchain transactions speeds and processes. It is a common understanding that EVM has acted as a catalyst to redefine how global transactions are completed.

With Ethereum, we have seen the first blockchain that implemented smart contracts, which opened up the crypto world we more or less know today. While doing so, the developers behind Ethereum created a new programming language called Solidity and several programming languages. The growth and success of Ethereum increased the demand for Solidity programmers.

One of the elegances and beauties of EVM is that it makes the Ethereum ecosystem compatible and efficient. Without EVM, blockchain programmers and developers would have to develop respective compilers for each operating system.

What is EVM Compatibility?

EVM compatibility is a common concept around blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi). Entire blockchains can be created with EVM compatibility and look no further than Binance Smart Chain, Polygon or Cronos to find digital ecosystems with decentralized applications and protocols with EVM compatibility.

When a blockchain says it has EVM compatibility, it means that its developers have written the code to function and execute smart contracts in line with EVM standards. Many blockchains aim for EVM compatibility to ease the migration from Ethereum to their blockchain.

As more and more blockchains emerge, the need to scale increases if new code is needed. Imagine if every blockchain smart contract needed a new programming language to write its new contract. Getting new programmers to join and write would be a monumental task.

Creating an environment for EVM-compliant code execution makes it easy for Ethereum developers to migrate smart contracts to the EVM-compliant chain without having to rewrite the code from scratch. It’s not lazy, but efficient for scalability.