Origin of the EVM

The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is a fundamental component of Ethereum’s infrastructure, responsible for executing smart contracts across the network. The origins of the EVM can be traced back to the creation of the Ethereum blockchain itself, proposed in a whitepaper by Vitalik Buterin in late 2013.

Buterin and the founding Ethereum team envisioned a platform where developers could build decentralized applications (dApps) on a blockchain. To accomplish this, they needed a way to execute arbitrary, complex computations in a secure and decentralized manner. This is how the concept of the EVM was born.

The EVM, an integral part of the Ethereum ecosystem, operates as a quasi-Turing complete machine. This means it can run nearly any algorithm, given enough resources. It's isolated from the main network, providing a sandboxed environment for smart contract execution.

Following the publication of the whitepaper, the Ethereum project moved into development. The first live version of the Ethereum network, including the EVM, launched on July 30, 2015. The Ethereum blockchain was designed with the EVM at the protocol level, enabling users to create and execute smart contracts. These smart contracts are essentially programs that autonomously execute the terms of an agreement. They are written in high-level languages like Solidity or Vyper, which are then compiled down to EVM bytecode for execution on the EVM.

Since its creation, the EVM has become a crucial component of the Ethereum blockchain and has set a standard for other blockchain platforms that have adopted similar models for executing smart contracts. The advent of the EVM has undoubtedly revolutionized the blockchain world by introducing the concept of programmable blockchains.