EVM blockchains are technically and developmentally compatible networks with Ethereum. Thanks to the Ethereum Virtual Machine or EVM, Ethereum smart contracts can be deployed on different blockchains under a standardized framework. In this way, developers can leverage Ethereum’s extensive smart contract capabilities to build decentralized applications (DApps) and new use cases.
What are EVM blockchains?
Ethereum is the largest infrastructure in the blockchain industry, and its smart contracts are an innovation that many blockchains seek to integrate natively. In this sense, EVM-compatible blockchains refer to independent networks that allow the execution of Ethereum smart contracts in their ecosystems.
This means that developers on EVM blockchains can deploy any decentralized application, token standard, or protocol using smart contracts with programming languages like Ethereum’s Solidity. A key factor is that developers can make this implementation without making substantial changes at the code level and without the need to start from scratch.
Thus, a DeFi-focused DApp or non-fungible token (NFT) built on Ethereum can be deployed on any EVM blockchain with few modifications and under a unified and intuitive environment. This allows users to benefit from much more connected and functional blockchain-driven environments, products, and services.
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It is important to note that in terms of performance, operability, features, or characteristics, these EVM-compatible blockchains can be very different from Ethereum, but they leverage its smart contracts to facilitate development and boost their ecosystems.
Ethereum Virtual Machine
The Ethereum Virtual Machine channels Ethereum’s status as a distributed state machine by providing a standardized computational execution engine for smart contracts. Thanks to this, a set of rules or parameters can be established that can be replicated across different ecosystems to implement Ethereum smart contracts. This is possible because the EVM has access to all nodes on the Ethereum network, compiling data and transactions from contract execution, ensuring that the code execution or implementation (bytecodes) is identical across all of them.
Features
EVM blockchains have different features and benefits:
Compatibility with Ethereum: EVM-compatible networks have access to a vast ecosystem of DApps, use cases, and developers like Ethereum. Interoperability: In addition to Ethereum, these networks also benefit from connectivity with other EVM-compatible blockchains. This unlocks a much higher level of interoperability, allowing connectivity between different blockchain ecosystems. Broader ecosystem: Thanks to their compatibility, these blockchains feature a larger number of builders and developers as their main characteristic. Many of them have previous experience designing DApps and functional tools with a large user base. Lower development costs: The possibility of implementing smart contracts in a standardized way reduces the need to build from scratch, which in turn directly impacts reducing development costs. Most developers have libraries and tools Simplified DApp implementation: Time is another important factor, as with predefined infrastructure and code, DApps can shorten the time it takes to implement them on EVM networks Asset flow: Overall, EVM ecosystems leverage this connectivity to benefit from enhanced interfaces, more connected processes, and more efficient asset (token) flow. Cryptocurrency bridges or cross-chain protocols are often key to facilitating token transfers between different EVM blockchains. We’ll tell you how to integrate Ethereum into Solana with Neon EVM
Main EVM Blockchains
Over time, different major blockchains, new ones, and scalability solutions like Layer 2 stand out for being EVM-compatible blockchains. Notably, EVM networks are key for multi-chain development, as reflected in a report by Electric Capital. Some of the most prominent EVM blockchains are:
BNB Chain Polygon Arbitrum Avalanche Fantom Celo Tron Hedera zkSync Astar Manta Network Not EVM-compatible
Bitcoin Solana Sui Cardano Aptos NEAR Sei Ripple.