Ethereum is a decentralized, open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (dApps). It was created in 2015 by Vitalik Buterin, a Russian-Canadian programmer and co-founder of Bitcoin Magazine.

One of the key differences between Ethereum and Bitcoin is that while Bitcoin was designed primarily as a digital currency, Ethereum was developed with the intention of creating a decentralized platform for the execution of smart contracts. Smart contracts are self-executing contracts with the terms of the agreement between buyer and seller being directly written into lines of code. The code and the agreements contained therein are stored and replicated on the Ethereum blockchain.

In addition to enabling the creation of smart contracts, Ethereum also allows for the creation of dApps, which are applications that run on a decentralized network. This means that they are not controlled by any single entity and are resistant to censorship and fraud.

Ethereum has its own programming language, called Solidity, which is used to write smart contracts and dApps. These contracts and applications are run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which is a decentralized runtime environment.

Ethereum has gained a lot of traction in recent years, with many companies and organizations exploring its potential use cases. Some examples include the creation of decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs), the tokenization of assets, and the development of decentralized finance (DeFi) applications.

Overall, Ethereum has the potential to revolutionize the way we interact and do business online by enabling the creation of transparent and secure systems that operate without the need for intermediaries.