Blockchain & Cryptocurrency Glossary

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua.

  • search-icon Clear Definitions
  • search-icon Practical
  • search-icon Technical
  • search-icon Related Terms

Ethereum Virtual Machine

1 min read
Pronunciation
[ee-theer-ee-um ver‑choo-uhl muh-sheen]
Analogy
The EVM is like a global CPU that every node runs to agree on smart contract computations.
Definition
The EVM is Ethereum’s stack‑based virtual machine that executes smart contract bytecode and enforces consensus rules.
Key Points Intro
EVM core functions include:
Key Points

Opcode set: Defines instructions for computation and state access.

Account model: Differentiates between externally owned accounts and contract accounts.

Gas accounting: Charges gas per opcode and storage change.

Deterministic state: All nodes compute identical results.

Example
When you call a DeFi contract on Ethereum, your transaction is processed by the EVM on every node to update token balances.
Technical Deep Dive
EVM uses 256‑bit words, a 1024‑depth stack, and a Merkle Patricia Trie for state. Each instruction has a fixed gas cost. EVM bytecode is generated by compilers like solc or vyper. EIPs define new opcodes and gas schedule adjustments.
Security Warning
Unchecked EVM upgrades can introduce hard‑fork risks; client diversity mitigates single‑implementation bugs.
Caveat
EVM’s 256‑bit architecture can be inefficient for some workloads.
Related Terms
Solidity
Gas Optimization
Bytecode

Ethereum Virtual Machine - Related Articles

No related articles for this term.