How is Ethereum different from Bitcoin?

@matteo.zboncak 

There are several key differences between Ethereum and Bitcoin:

1. Purpose and Functionality: Bitcoin was primarily created as a decentralized peer-to-peer digital currency, aiming to be a replacement for traditional fiat currencies. Ethereum, on the other hand, is a decentralized platform that enables developers to build and execute smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps) on its blockchain.
2. Blockchain Technology: Both Ethereum and Bitcoin use blockchain technology, but they have different underlying structures. Bitcoin's blockchain is designed solely for financial transactions, while Ethereum's blockchain is more versatile and supports the execution of complex programmable contracts and applications.
3. Smart Contracts: Ethereum introduced the concept of smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with predefined conditions written into the code. These contracts automatically execute when the conditions are met, eliminating the need for intermediaries in many scenarios. Bitcoin does not provide native support for such smart contracts.
4. Development Community: Ethereum has a more active and diverse development community compared to Bitcoin. The Ethereum ecosystem has attracted numerous developers and entrepreneurs who are building a wide range of applications on top of the platform, driving innovation and growth.
5. Consensus Mechanism: Bitcoin uses a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism, where miners compete to solve complex mathematical puzzles to validate transactions and add them to the blockchain. Ethereum is in the process of transitioning from PoW to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism called Ethereum 2.0. PoS relies on validators who hold and "stake" their cryptocurrency to secure the network and validate transactions, which is more energy-efficient compared to PoW.
6. Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin (BTC) is solely a cryptocurrency, used for value transfer and as a store of value. Ethereum's cryptocurrency is called Ether (ETH), which is used to power the network and execute smart contracts. Additionally, Ether can also be used as a tradable asset within the Ethereum ecosystem.

It's important to note that while these are some of the fundamental differences, both Bitcoin and Ethereum have made significant contributions to the blockchain industry and continue to play major roles in the development of decentralized technologies.

@matteo.zboncak 

1. Purpose and functionality: Bitcoin was created as a digital currency for peer-to-peer transactions, while Ethereum is a platform for building and executing smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps).
2. Blockchain technology: Bitcoin's blockchain is designed primarily for financial transactions, whereas Ethereum's blockchain is more versatile, supporting complex programmable contracts and applications.
3. Smart contracts: Ethereum introduced the concept of smart contracts, which are self-executing contracts with predefined conditions written into the code. Bitcoin does not provide native support for smart contracts.
4. Development community: Ethereum has a more active and diverse development community compared to Bitcoin. The Ethereum ecosystem has attracted numerous developers and entrepreneurs who are building various applications on top of the platform.
5. Consensus mechanism: Bitcoin uses a proof-of-work (PoW) consensus mechanism, where miners compete to solve complex puzzles to validate transactions. Ethereum is transitioning to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism called Ethereum 2.0, which is more energy-efficient.
6. Cryptocurrency: Bitcoin (BTC) is solely a cryptocurrency used for value transfer, while Ethereum's cryptocurrency is called Ether (ETH), which is used to power the network and execute smart contracts. Ether can also be used as a tradable asset within the Ethereum ecosystem.

These are just some of the differences between Ethereum and Bitcoin. Each has its own strengths and use cases within the blockchain industry.