EVM-Compatible Blockchain Networks
So far, we have shown you how Ethereum works and how Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), as the execution layer, works under the hood in Chapter 2, Ethereum Architecture and Ecosystem. You also learned how EVM and smart contracts are enabling many of the leading Decentralized Finance (DeFi) protocols and creating a whole set of decentralized financial products and services on blockchain networks in Chapter 3, Decentralized Finance.
As we discussed in the last chapter, smart contracts are the linchpin of DeFi protocols and decentralized applications. EVM is the computing environment enabling smart contract execution on the Ethereum blockchain network. Ethereum is the first blockchain network to pioneer the concept of smart contracts. Since then, many other EVM-compatible blockchain networks have been developed and have brought the innovation and flywheel effect of DeFi into other layer 1 ecosystems.
In this chapter, we will help you understand the...