Ethereum ¹

The chain that matters. While "Ethereum killers" come and go, Ethereum remains the settlement layer for crypto — where real value lives, DeFi was born, and L2s post their proofs.

Unique Position Post-EIP-4844, Ethereum no longer competes on speed or cost but serves as the neutral, credible base layer everything else builds upon. The only chain with genuine decentralization, institutional adoption, and battle-tested security since 2015. When things go wrong elsewhere, Ethereum is where value flees for safety.

Primary Use Cases

• Blue-chip DeFi protocols requiring maximum security and liquidity
• L2 settlement layer for rollup proof verification
• High-value transactions where security trumps cost
• NFT originals where provenance and permanence matter
• Institutional deployments requiring regulatory clarity

Ecosystem Character The original and largest smart contract ecosystem where innovation happens first. Developer-centric culture values decentralization and credible neutrality over performance. Community consists of builders, researchers, and institutions rather than retail speculators. The canonical source of truth for crypto.

Trade-offs

• Gas fees remain high for complex operations during congestion
• Deliberately slow — 12-second blocks prioritize security over speed
• Not suitable for micropayments or high-frequency trading
• Conservative upgrade process means slow feature adoption
• L1 usage increasingly expensive as it transitions to settlement layer

Technical Details

Architecture Proof-of-Stake consensus with thousands of independent validators ensuring decentralization. EVM remains the standard all other chains copy or modify. EIP-4844 blob storage optimizes for L2 data availability rather than L1 execution.

Performance L1 processes approximately 15 TPS with L2s handling scaling via rollups. Blob storage reduced L2 costs by over 90% while maintaining security guarantees. Twelve-second block times with probabilistic finality growing stronger over time.

Security & Trust Model Most decentralized blockchain with over 1 million validators and no single point of control. Battle-tested since 2015 through multiple attacks and market cycles. Economic security from billions in staked ETH creates strongest crypto-economic guarantees.

Control & Governance Protocol development through rough consensus among client teams and researchers. No central authority — upgrades require overwhelming community support. Ethereum Foundation provides funding but no control over protocol direction.