Ethereum Technical Architecture
Deep dive into Ethereum's technical foundations, from the EVM to consensus mechanisms.
Ethereum Virtual Machine
The EVM is a decentralized computer that executes smart contracts across thousands of nodes worldwide.
Consensus Mechanism
Ethereum uses Proof of Stake to secure the network and validate transactions efficiently.
State Management
Ethereum maintains a global state tree containing all account balances and contract storage.
Transaction Lifecycle
How transactions flow through the Ethereum network from submission to finalization.
Key Concepts:
Example:
When you send ETH, your transaction is signed, broadcasted to nodes, included in a block by a validator, and finally confirmed after 2 epochs (~12.8 minutes).
Gas Mechanism
Understanding Ethereum's fee system and how computational resources are priced.
Key Concepts:
Example:
A simple ETH transfer uses 21,000 gas units. With a base fee of 20 gwei, you'd pay 0.00042 ETH (~$1) in fees.
Smart Contract Bytecode
How Solidity code is compiled and executed on the Ethereum Virtual Machine.
Key Concepts:
Example:
The Solidity function 'transfer(address,uint256)' compiles to bytecode starting with selector '0xa9059cbb'.
Merkle Trees & Proofs
How Ethereum uses cryptographic proofs to verify data integrity efficiently.
Key Concepts:
Example:
You can prove your account balance without downloading the entire blockchain by providing a Merkle proof path to the state root.
Ethereum Technical Architecture
Ethereum is more than just a blockchain—it's a decentralized world computer that enables programmable money and applications.
Core Components
Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)
The EVM is the runtime environment for smart contracts on Ethereum. It's:
- Quasi-Turing complete - Can run any computation given enough gas
- Deterministic - Same input always produces same output
- Isolated - Contract execution is sandboxed
- Gas-metered - Every operation costs computational resources
Consensus Layer
Ethereum's Proof of Stake consensus ensures network security through:
- Validators - Stake 32 ETH to participate in consensus
- Attestations - Vote on the correct chain head
- Slashing - Penalties for malicious behavior
- Finality - Blocks become irreversible after 2 epochs
Execution Layer
Handles transaction processing and state management:
- Transaction Pool - Pending transactions waiting for inclusion
- Block Building - Validators select and order transactions
- State Execution - Apply transactions to update world state
- Merkle Trees - Efficient verification of large datasets
Network Architecture
Peer-to-Peer Network
- Discovery - Nodes find and connect to peers
- Gossip Protocol - Efficient message propagation
- Sync Strategies - Fast, full, and light sync modes
- Network Upgrades - Coordinated protocol improvements
Data Structures
- Blocks - Contain transaction batches and metadata
- Transactions - State-changing operations
- Receipts - Execution results and event logs
- State Trie - Current account balances and storage
Security Model
Cryptographic Foundations
- ECDSA - Digital signatures for transaction authorization
- Keccak-256 - Hashing algorithm for data integrity
- Merkle Proofs - Efficient verification without full data
- BLS Signatures - Aggregate signatures for consensus
Economic Security
- Staking - Economic incentives for honest behavior
- Slashing - Penalties for protocol violations
- MEV - Maximal Extractable Value considerations
- Fee Market - Dynamic pricing for block space
Development Considerations
Gas Optimization
- Storage vs Memory - Cost differences in data access
- Loop Unrolling - Reduce iteration overhead
- Bit Packing - Efficient storage layout
- Assembly Usage - Low-level optimizations
Security Patterns
- Checks-Effects-Interactions - Prevent reentrancy
- Access Control - Proper permission management
- Input Validation - Sanitize external data
- Upgrade Patterns - Safe contract evolution
Understanding these technical foundations is crucial for building secure, efficient applications on Ethereum.
Ethereum Architecture Overview
Application Layer
DApps, Wallets, Web3 interfaces
Execution Layer
EVM, Smart Contracts, Transactions
Consensus Layer
Proof of Stake, Validators, Finality