Ethereum vs. Bitcoin
If you’re just getting started investing in cryptocurrency, you’ve more than likely heard of Bitcoin and Ethereum, two of the biggest blockchains in terms of value and influence.
You’ve probably even stumbled across this page in the hopes of getting an understanding of what makes Ethereum and Bitcoin different. Well, it so happens that comparing Ethereum vs Bitcoin is a great way to learn not just that, but also about crypto assets in general.
Let’s start with a 10,000-foot view.
While this may be an oversimplification of how these two incredibly complex networks work, the goal of this article is to give you a side-by-side comparison of Bitcoin and Ethereum so you can start to better understand and appreciate the differences yourself.
如何运作 比特币 和以太坊
DATE FOUNDED
Bitcoin
The Bitcoin white paper was published on October 31, 2008 on the cryptography mailing list. The software later went live on January 9, 2009.
以太坊
The Ethereum white paper was published in late 2013 and the software went live in July 2015. In 2021, the network is scheduled to complete an extensive overhaul of its software that will bring it closer to the completion of its roadmap.
CREATOR
Bitcoin
Bitcoin was created by a pseudonymous individual or group under the name Satoshi Nakamoto. To this day, Bitcoin’s creator remains unknown.
以太坊
Ethereum was created by 19-year-old Vitalik Buterin (with many others contributing to its code). Buterin was previously a founder at the publication Bitcoin Magazine and a 2014 Theil Fellow.
TICKER
Bitcoin
BTC (注:您可能会看到BTC在其他平台上显示为XBT。)
以太坊
ETH (注: ETC是以太坊软件的早期版本, 现在已分开管理)。
VISION
Bitcoin
Bitcoin is an open-source software that allows its global user base to manage a digital money supply outside the control of any government or central bank.
It was created in response to the 2008 global economic crisis as a means to combat inflation. In fact, the first mined block contained the message: “The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks,” a message many believe signifies the project’s revolutionary intent.
The Bitcoin software enables the computers running it to manage a ledger (the blockchain) that accounts for all transactions made using its currency (BTC) by enforcing a variety of rules.
The Bitcoin blockchain is a full record of the network’s transaction history validated by nodes, or individuals running its software. This ensures that each BTC cannot be copied or modified, and that bitcoins cannot be created or used in a way that is against its rules.
Bitcoins are scarce, divisible and transferable, making them a valuable alternative money.
以太坊
以太坊创建的初衷是成为一个全球性的开源平台,用于定制资产和新型经济应用。
以太坊被认为是迄今为止最雄心勃勃的区块链项目之一,它试图利用区块链技术,在货币之外的广泛用例中实现产品和服务的去中心化。
迄今为止,以太坊已经经历了几个不同的阶段,且强调了其不同阶段有不同方面的能力。
首先,在2017年著名的“ ICO热潮”期间,企业家涌向以太坊, 而创作者们利用以太坊区块链上的新资产为新项目筹集资金。并且在这段时间里,以太坊被视为一种全球资本分配和融资的机制。
以太坊的一个新阶段,即去中心化金融(DeFi),在2020年已经开始获得关注。 在这阶段中,去中心化的应用程序dapps则应运而生,其目的是在不需要传统银行或中介机构的情况下实现借贷等金融服务的自动化。
LAUNCH & ISSUANCE
Bitcoin
Bitcoin’s white paper, titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System” , was released by Satoshi Nakamoto in 2008.
The first 50 bitcoins were mined upon the release of the software, enabling a decentralized network of computers to run a digital economy that is still thriving today.
Satoshi famously left the project in 2011 and hasn’t been heard of since, though you can find out more about his (or her) attitudes toward the technology in various emails and forum posts.
Since then, hundreds of developers have contributed to improving Bitcoin’s code, whether it is routine bug fixes or great, efficiency driven, improvements.
以太坊
维塔利克-布特林(Vitalik Buterin)将以太坊设想为一台 "世界计算机",让任何人都可以在其上启动和运行应用程序。
这个想法是由一个非营利组织--以太坊基金会推动的, 该基金会在当时以众筹方式售出了7200万以太坊ETH的加密货币,并筹集了1800万美元。nbsp;
然而,早期以太坊最与众不同的地方就是围绕该项目的开发者团队。
Gavin Wood,Jeff Wilke,Joseph Lubin和Charles Hoskinson等开发人员对以太坊技术作岀了有意义的贡献, 亦使他们成为区块链生态系统中的重要人物。
NETWORK DESIGN
Bitcoin
比特币设计的核心是两个用户能够从世界任何地方互相发送比特币(BTC),而不需要透过中间人。
为了保持其网络的安全性和去中心化性,兼同时调节释放到其经济中的新资金的供应,比特币采用了一种称为“挖矿的流程”。
在这个被称为工作量证明(PoW)的系统中 , 矿工们会竞相完成密码学谜题,以提出构成比特币区块链的区块。
当一个区块被矿工发现时,它会被公布到网络上,而当每个被节点验证后,矿工会得到新铸造的比特币(BTC)补偿。
以太坊
为了创建dapps,开发者编写一种程序称为智能合约,并将这些代码部署到以太坊区块链上。这些dapps本质上是大型智能合约的构造,如果能满足某特定节点,则可以启动这些合约。
与比特币类似,以太坊采用工作证明(PoW)挖矿来驱动其区块链。
然而,该网络正在迈向以太坊2.0,它计划将其共识机制转换成一个名为 权益证明(PoS)的机制 (PoS)。
在这种模式下,任何拥有至少32个以太坊(ETH)的用户都可以将这些资金锁定在一个合约中,并通过解决向区块链添加新区块所需的计算来获得奖励。
注意:希望质押少于32 ETH的参与者可以使用Kraken的质押平台 并获得部分质押奖励。
货币政策
Bitcoin
One of the biggest value propositions of Bitcoin is its monetary policy – only 21 million BTC will ever be introduced into the network’s economy.
When the first block was mined in 2009, 50 BTC were released, a block reward that is cut in half roughly every four years. This event is known as the halving, or halvening.
Through this process, more than 18 million BTC have been made available as of 2020. The last bitcoin is projected to be mined in 2140.
以太坊
Ether (ETH) is the main cryptocurrency powering Ethereum. Similar to Bitcoin, ETH is minted in every block and distributed to its miners.
However, where Bitcoin has a limited supply, Ethereum does not place a limit on the amount of ETH that can be minted, and its supply is programmed to increase by 4.5% each year.
Notably, changes to the monetary policy are proposed by developers and voted on by nodes and miners running the software.
The Ethereum blockchain is also powered by another cryptographic function called “gas,” which is a special computational unit used for the computation fees. Of note, the more complex the computation, the more gas a given program will require.
实用资源
如您有兴趣了解更多关于比特币和以太坊的信息,请访问Kraken的 “什么是比特币?” 和 “什么是以太坊?” 的页面。
如果您想了解更多关于支持每个区块链的共识机制, 那么请快速前往“工作证明 vs. 权益证明<” 的页面!
想更深入了解有关特定的加密货币和区块链项目?那请访问我们的 资讯中心 来进一步了解这个蓬勃发展的领域。