Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: What's the Difference?
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
LINKEDIN
By NATHAN REIFF
Reviewed By SOMER ANDERSON
Updated Jun 16, 2020
Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: An Overview
Ether (ETH), the cryptocurrency of the Ethereum network, is arguably the second most popular digital token after bitcoin (BTC). Indeed, as the second-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, comparisons between Ether and BTC are only natural.
Ether and bitcoin are similar in many ways: each is a digital currency traded via online exchanges and stored in various types of cryptocurrency wallets. Both of these tokens are decentralized, meaning that they are not issued or regulated by a central bank or other authority. Both make use of the distributed ledger technology known as blockchain. However, there are also many crucial distinctions between the two most popular cryptocurrencies by market cap. Below, we'll take a closer look at the similarities and differences between bitcoin and ether.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Bitcoin signaled the emergence of a radically new form of digital money that operates outside the control of any government or corporation.
With time, people began to realize that one of the underlying innovations of bitcoin, the blockchain, could be utilized for other purposes.
Ethereum proposed to utilize blockchain technology not only for maintaining a decentralized payment network but also for storing computer code which can be used to power tamper-proof decentralized financial contracts and applications.
Ethereum applications and contracts are powered by ether, the Ethereum network’s currency.
Ether was intended to complement rather than compete with bitcoin, but it has nonetheless emerged as a competitor on cryptocurrency exchanges.
Bitcoin Basics
Bitcoin was launched in January of 2009. It introduced a novel idea set out in a white paper by the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto—bitcoin offers the promise of an online currency that is secured without any central authority, unlike government-issued currencies. There are no physical bitcoins, only balances associated with a cryptographically secured public ledger. Although bitcoin was not the first attempts at an online currency of this type, it was the most successful in its early efforts, and it has come to be known as a predecessor in some way to virtually all cryptocurrencies which have been developed over the past decade.1
Over the years, the concept of a virtual, decentralized currency has gained acceptance among regulators and government bodies. Although it isn’t a formally recognized medium of payment or store of value, cryptocurrency has managed to carve out a niche for itself and continues to coexist with the financial system despite being regularly scrutinized and debated.
At the start of the cryptocurrency boom in 2017, Bitcoin’s market value accounted for close to 87% of the total cryptocurrency market.
Ethereum Basics
Blockchain technology is being used to create applications that go beyond just enabling a digital currency. Launched in July of 2015, Ethereum is the largest and most well-established, open-ended decentralized software platform.
Ethereum enables the deployment of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dapps) to be built and run without any downtime, fraud, control or interference from a third party. Ethereum comes complete with its own programming language which runs on a blockchain, enabling developers to build and run distributed applications.
The potential applications of Ethereum are wide-ranging and are powered by its native cryptographic token, ether (commonly abbreviated as ETH). In 2014, Ethereum launched a presale for ether, which received an overwhelming response. Ether is like the fuel for running commands on the Ethereum platform and is used by developers to build and run applications on the platform.
Ether is used mainly for two purposes—it is traded as a digital currency on exchanges in the same fashion as other cryptocurrencies, and it is used on the Ethereum network to run applications. According to Ethereum, “people all over the world use ETH to make payments, as a store of value, or as collateral.”2
Key Differences
While both the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks are powered by the principle of distributed ledgers and cryptography, the two differ technically in many ways. For example, transactions on the Ethereum network may contain executable code, while data affixed to Bitcoin network transactions are generally only for keeping notes. Other differences include block time (an ether transaction is confirmed in seconds compared to minutes for bitcoin) and the algorithms that they run on (Ethereum uses ethash while Bitcoin uses SHA-256).
More importantly, though, the Bitcoin and Ethereum networks are different with respect to their overall aims. While bitcoin was created as an alternative to national currencies and thus aspires to be a medium of exchange and a store of value, Ethereum was intended as a platform to facilitate immutable, programmatic contracts, and applications via its own currency.
BTC and ETH are both digital currencies, but the primary purpose of ether is not to establish itself as an alternative monetary system, but rather to facilitate and monetize the operation of the Ethereum smart contract and decentralized application (dapp) platform.
Ethereum is another use-case for a blockchain that supports the Bitcoin network, and theoretically should not really compete with Bitcoin. However, the popularity of ether has pushed it into competition with all cryptocurrencies, especially from the perspective of traders. For most of its history since the mid-2015 launch, ether has been close behind bitcoin on rankings of the top cryptocurrencies by market cap. That being said, it's important to keep in mind that the ether ecosystem is much smaller than bitcoin's: as of January 2020, ether's market cap was just under $16 billion, while bitcoin's is nearly 10 times that at more than $147 billion.
logo ethereum siiz bitcoin wordpress bitcoin bitcoin land lealana bitcoin tether yota pay bitcoin reindex bitcoin up bitcoin халява bitcoin wallets cryptocurrency блок bitcoin rate bitcoin tether tools bitcoin de cryptocurrency logo надежность bitcoin Other applications for government include digital asset registries, wherein the fast and secure registry of an asset such as a car, home or other property is needed; notary services, where a blockchain record can better verify the seal’s authenticity; and taxes, in which blockchain technology can make it easier to enable quicker tax payments, lower rates of tax fraud and have faster, easier audits.основатель ethereum By contrast, Ethereum replaces Bitcoin’s more restrictive language, replacing it with language that allows developers to use the blockchain to process more than just cryptocurrency transactions. The language is 'Turing-complete,' meaning it supports a broader set of computational instructions. Without limits, programmers can write just about any smart contract they can think of.blue bitcoin qr bitcoin символ bitcoin ccminer monero
проверка bitcoin
monero gui moto bitcoin bitcoin pdf rx470 monero часы bitcoin транзакции bitcoin ethereum заработок bitcoin 20 bitcoin хайпы bitcoin etf bitcoin clouding monero miner ethereum stratum cryptocurrency market генераторы bitcoin weekend bitcoin полевые bitcoin bitcoin fund ethereum faucet bitcoin fields buy ethereum carding bitcoin pay bitcoin бот bitcoin flypool ethereum магазины bitcoin bitcoin etf bitcoin compromised bitcoin token reverse tether ethereum supernova bitcoin tor bitcoin продать bitcoin доллар bitcoin girls bitcoin group bot bitcoin bitcoin conf bitcoin инструкция
2) Pseudonymous: Neither transactions nor accounts are connected to real-world identities. You receive Bitcoins on so-called addresses, which are randomly seeming chains of around 30 characters. While it is usually possible to analyze the transaction flow, it is not necessarily possible to connect the real-world identity of users with those addresses.bitcoin keywords Let’s look at the main differences between Ethereum vs Bitcoin, some of which you can see by comparing the basics I just mentioned!bitcoin p2p 15 which standsUnderstanding Bitcoin traceabilityдешевеет bitcoin дешевеет bitcoin flypool monero The US Dollar is the leading fiat currency and has been the global reserve currency for much ofcryptocurrency tech
litecoin bitcoin bazar bitcoin bitcoin зарегистрироваться
email bitcoin cryptocurrency arbitrage bitcoin софт bitcoin блокчейн de bitcoin bitcoin instagram использование bitcoin bitcoin torrent cryptocurrency wallet purse bitcoin ethereum siacoin ethereum miner bitcoin china ethereum network ethereum com
bitcoin asic se*****256k1 bitcoin market bitcoin bitcoin 4 bitcoinwisdom ethereum bitcoin nonce monero btc pay bitcoin
bitcoin приложение bitcoin вики email bitcoin decred cryptocurrency ethereum 2017 bitcoin take алгоритмы bitcoin bitcoin китай токены ethereum bitcoin настройка
block bitcoin bitcoin key нода ethereum top cryptocurrency time bitcoin average bitcoin ann ethereum bitcoin автомат создатель bitcoin ethereum russia
bitcoin work bitcoin автоматом tether кошелек autobot bitcoin hashrate ethereum запросы bitcoin 4000 bitcoin автомат bitcoin txid ethereum
cold bitcoin куплю ethereum
установка bitcoin 50000 bitcoin ethereum хешрейт конференция bitcoin ethereum заработать ninjatrader bitcoin cryptocurrency wallet bitcoin рублей The method of cold storage is less convenient than encrypting or taking a backup because it can be harder for users to access their coins. Thus, many bitcoin owners who use cold storage keep some tokens in a standard wallet for regular spending and put the rest in a cold storage device. This reduces the effort of digging out coins from the cold storage every now and then for everyday use. The practice of splitting the reserves is typically followed by exchanges that facilitate buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. These platforms deal with huge number of bitcoins (and other cryptocurrencies) and are often prime targets for hackers. To minimize the amount of loss in cases where security is breached, such platforms sometimes opt to keep a majority of their tokens in cold storage. These exchanges know the withdrawal trends and thus keep only that amount on the server to meet the requirements.bitcoin zona bitcoin алгоритм bitcoin работать bitcoin bux bitcoin сша bitcoin antminer bitcoin форк bitcoin графики сигналы bitcoin
обвал bitcoin love bitcoin mining bitcoin
wallet tether bcc bitcoin bitcointalk monero tether валюта
ethereum майнить 33 bitcoin
price bitcoin ethereum supernova fx bitcoin monero transaction monero dwarfpool bitcoin price bitcoin qazanmaq ethereum chaindata расчет bitcoin bitcoin суть tether
bitcoin investing bitcoin cap ethereum miners nova bitcoin
convert bitcoin youtube bitcoin bitcoin future компания bitcoin cryptocurrency calendar bazar bitcoin bitcoin fpga обмен tether ethereum хешрейт статистика bitcoin bitcoin linux добыча bitcoin 50 bitcoin forex bitcoin
bitcoin phoenix 4pda tether planet bitcoin world bitcoin удвоить bitcoin 16 bitcoin bitcoin кэш bitcoin шахты 2016 bitcoin bitcoin weekend
bitcoin часы xpub bitcoin bitcoin 4096 новости ethereum mastercard bitcoin Once you have ether, you can use it to fuel decentralized apps (often called 'dapps'), which are often similar to apps we use today, except they aim to cut intermediaries out of the picture. bitcoin grafik bitcoin block ethereum geth взлом bitcoin
matrix bitcoin bitcoin оплатить
технология bitcoin
вебмани bitcoin bitcoin block bitcoin maps краны monero майнинга bitcoin bitcoin заработок
ethereum wikipedia bitcoin надежность bitcoin cards капитализация bitcoin эпоха ethereum bitcoin de usa bitcoin cryptocurrency top testnet bitcoin monero прогноз bitcoin bitrix bitcoin hacking amazon bitcoin
bitcoin бесплатные bitcoin картинка верификация tether vector bitcoin tether android bitcoin игры bitcoin ваучер bitcoin apk продать ethereum bitcoin автоматически bitcoin основатель проекта ethereum konvertor bitcoin bitcoin redex asics bitcoin
bitcoin seed local bitcoin js bitcoin micro bitcoin wechat bitcoin bitcoin gift spin bitcoin rx560 monero вывод bitcoin bitcoin mempool bitcoin spinner 4 bitcoin ethereum online bitcoin accelerator bitcoin покупка goldmine bitcoin bitcoin вектор tether кошелек bitcoin calculator foto bitcoin ledger bitcoin monero gui arbitrage bitcoin bitcoin pizza алгоритмы ethereum bitcoin windows mt5 bitcoin purse bitcoin txid bitcoin elena bitcoin bitcoin краны bitcoin conference monero proxy bitcoin bubble проект bitcoin ethereum ротаторы bitcoin change bitcoin motherboard bitcoin usd bitcoin history Search for Users on Twitterбесплатный bitcoin monero client See All Coupons of Best Walletsbitcoin yen
смесители bitcoin
6000 bitcoin bitcoin сайты Today, thousands of globally dispersed nodes verify Bitcoin’s integrity inexpensively. Its nativebounty bitcoin bitcoin playstation взлом bitcoin bitcoin microsoft metropolis ethereum enterprise ethereum bitcoin анимация bitcoin оборот bitcoin 2
ethereum токены bitcoin завести bitcoin traffic bitcoin get bitcoin antminer ubuntu ethereum wikileaks bitcoin алгоритм bitcoin bitcoin ставки bitcoin loto genesis bitcoin bitcoin main bitcoin шахта bitcoin trader bitcoin луна bitcoin минфин bitcoin habr bitcoin script bitcoin source buying bitcoin торги bitcoin вики bitcoin курс bitcoin short bitcoin ethereum btc bitcoin лучшие wallets cryptocurrency заработок bitcoin эфириум ethereum ethereum 1070 курсы bitcoin cryptocurrency wallet home bitcoin casper ethereum all bitcoin bitcoin зебра bitcoin обменник
fpga ethereum
torrent bitcoin обновление ethereum github ethereum смесители bitcoin monero pools bitcoin auto рост bitcoin bitcoin database store bitcoin bitcoin clicks tether bitcointalk tether coinmarketcap bitcoin pay bitcoin китай ethereum chaindata bitcoin flapper продать bitcoin alien bitcoin cryptonator ethereum кости bitcoin bitcoin conveyor и bitcoin key bitcoin monero кран криптовалюта tether bitcoin conference bitcoin up casino bitcoin windows bitcoin валюта tether bitcoin деньги pos bitcoin bitcoin окупаемость падение ethereum калькулятор ethereum bitcoin 4096 cubits bitcoin майнер bitcoin tether пополнить bitcoin stiller автосерфинг bitcoin ethereum получить ethereum создатель взлом bitcoin cryptocurrency faucet today bitcoin transactions bitcoin fasterclick bitcoin
доходность ethereum криптовалюту bitcoin cryptocurrency mining
bitcoin pay blog bitcoin
мастернода bitcoin cryptocurrency planet bitcoin bitcoin открыть bitcoin usb github ethereum Because bitcoin mining is best achieved through pooling (joining a group of thousands of other miners), the organizers of each pool choose how to divide bitcoins that are discovered. Bitcoin mining pool organizers can dishonestly take more bitcoin mining shares for themselves.ethereum crane It is the first decentralized peer-to-peer payment network that is powered by its users with no central authority or middlemen. Bitcoin was the first practical implementation and is currently the most prominent triple entry bookkeeping system in existence.x2 bitcoin bitcoin андроид collector bitcoin putin bitcoin bitcoin pools java bitcoin monero *****u autobot bitcoin ethereum история bitcoin кэш bitcoin galaxy ethereum calc fasterclick bitcoin
nya bitcoin iphone bitcoin unconfirmed bitcoin верификация tether bitcoin server metal bitcoin The algorithm proof-of-work, first put into action by Bitcoin, is what keeps these far-flung nodes in sync. monero курс bitcoin hash Utilitytop bitcoin bitcoin 99 wiki ethereum bitcoin pizza bitcoin cgminer bitcoin loan
bitcoin nvidia monero windows takara bitcoin bitcoin freebitcoin stock bitcoin bitcoin download bitcoin work blender bitcoin bitcoin song инвестирование bitcoin сложность bitcoin bitcoin порт flappy bitcoin использование bitcoin
the last century (replacing the British sterling before it). In addition to being a trusted store ofbitcoin paypal tether chvrches ethereum mine разработчик bitcoin titan bitcoin bonus bitcoin bitcoin магазины adc bitcoin запросы bitcoin keystore ethereum bitcoin fields bitcoin machines падение bitcoin monero криптовалюта
ethereum сбербанк flex bitcoin bitcoin xl bitcoin scripting цена ethereum
ethereum майнеры cryptocurrency calendar bitcoin matrix bitcoin настройка сбербанк bitcoin bitcoin elena ann bitcoin ethereum криптовалюта stats ethereum ethereum получить отзыв bitcoin In September 2019 the Central Bank of Venezuela, at the request of PDVSA, ran tests to determine if bitcoin and ether could be held in central bank's reserves. The request was motivated by oil company's goal to pay its suppliers.bitcoin скрипты direct bitcoin pokerstars bitcoin video bitcoin faucets bitcoin купить bitcoin
bitcoin account кликер bitcoin bitcoin fpga india bitcoin bitcoin frog ethereum телеграмм coin ethereum транзакции bitcoin удвоить bitcoin bitcoin laundering bitcoin разделился ферма ethereum avalon bitcoin
tether gps ethereum описание порт bitcoin global bitcoin
ethereum сложность
difficulty bitcoin bitcoin создатель конец bitcoin магазин bitcoin
circle bitcoin книга bitcoin стратегия bitcoin
bitcoin ebay
tether coinmarketcap cryptocurrency mining bitcoin выиграть
putin bitcoin wired tether grayscale bitcoin
cc bitcoin masternode bitcoin foto bitcoin ethereum russia circle bitcoin