The primary difference between Ethereum and any other cryptocurrency is that it’s not just a currency, it’s an environment. Here anyone can take advantage of the blockchain technology to build their own projects and DAPPS (decentralized applications) through smart contracts. This is a very important distinction because this very thing shows you the true scope of what is possible in Ethereum.
To a beginner, the entire concept of Ethereum and Ethereum token can get very confusing very fast. The idea that Ethereum not only has its own currency (Ether) but also has tokens on top of that which can act as currency themselves, can be a little mind-boggling. Before we even begin understanding what Ethereum tokens are all about, it’s important to grasp some basic concepts.
Dapps And The Decentralized Future
The entire Ethereum network is a giant mass of nodes (computers) connected to one another. In fact, the entire network can be visualized as a single entity called the “Ethereum Virtual Machine” or EVM for short. All the transactions that have happened and will ever happen in this network are automatically updated and recorded in an open and distributed ledger. So what is the advantage of this? Before we explain that it is important to know what a “smart contract” is.
Smart Contracts
What is An Ethereum Token: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Smart contracts are how things get done in the Ethereum ecosystem. When someone wants to get a particular task done in Ethereum they initiate a smart contract with one or more people. Smart contracts are a series of instructions, written using the programming language “solidity”, which work on the basis of the IFTTT logic aka the IF-THIS-THEN-THAT logic. Basically, if the first set of instructions are done then execute the next function and after that the next and keep on repeating until you reach the end of the contract.
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The best way to understand that is by imagining a vending machine. Each and every step that you take acts like a trigger for the next step to execute itself. It is kinda like the domino effect. So, let’s examine the steps that you will take while interacting with the vending machine:
Step 1: You give the vending machine some money.
Step 2: You punch in the button corresponding to the item that you want.
Step 3: The item comes out and you collect it.
Now look at all those steps and think about it. Will any of the steps work if the previous one wasn’t executed? Each and every one of those steps is directly related to the previous step. There is one more factor to think about, and it is an integral part of smart contracts. You see, in your entire interaction with the vending machine, you (the requestor) were solely working with the machine (the provider). There were absolutely no third parties involved.
So, now how would this transaction have looked like if it happened in the Ethereum network? Suppose you just bought something from a vending machine in the Ethereum network, how will the steps look like then?
Step 1: You give the vending machine some money and this gets recorded by all the nodes in the Ethereum network and the transaction gets updated in the ledger.
Step 2: You punch in the button corresponding to the item that you want and record of that gets updated in the Ethereum network and ledger.
Step 3: The item comes out and you collect it and this gets recorded by all the nodes and the ledger.
Every transaction that you do through the smart contracts will get recorded and updated by the network. What this does is that it keeps everyone involved with the contract accountable for their actions. It takes away human malice by making every action taken visible to the entire network. But, having said that, what mainly incentivizes these people to fulfill their end of the bargain anyway? What are they getting by helping out the requestors? This is where Ether comes in.
Ether
Every single step in a smart contract is a transaction or a complex computation and would have a cost that is measured in “gas”. The price of this gas is paid by the requester in “Ether”. Ether is the currency with which everything runs in the Ethereum. When people talk about ETH and ETC they are actually talking about the value of the Ether in their respective blockchain.
Let’s check out the graph of gas prices over the years:
What is An Ethereum Token: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Every command has a specific gas limit which ensures that a buggy piece of code doesn’t end up depleting your entire ether wallet. So basically, the main reason why people fulfill their end of the bargain in a contract is that they are incentivized to collect Ether.
What happens when your ether supply gets depleted in the middle of the contract? If you do not have the ether required for all the gas payments, then all the transactions that have already taken place during the course will go back to the original state. But, your ether wallet will still reflect the change in balance since all transactions made in the blockchain are irreversible.
Going forward it is very important that you have two things absolutely clear:
Smart contracts are how things get done in Ethereum.
Ether is the currency that is used in the Ethereum network to do anything.
What Is An Ethereum Token: The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
The primary difference between Ethereum and any other cryptocurrency is that it’s not just a currency, it’s an environment. Here anyone can take advantage of the blockchain technology to build their own projects and DAPPS (decentralized applications) through smart contracts. This is a very important distinction because this very thing shows you the true scope of what is possible in Ethereum.
Ethereum Tokens: A Beginner’s Guide
Think of Ethereum like the internet and all the DAPPS as websites that run in it. There is something really interesting about these DAPPS, they are all decentralized and not owned by an individual, they are owned by people. The way that happens is usually by a crowd-sale called the “ICO” (more on that later). Basically, you buy certain tokens of that DAPP in exchange of your ether.
These tokens are usually of 2 varieties:
Usage Tokens.
Work Tokens.
Usage Tokens: These are the tokens that act like native currency in their respective DAPPS. Golem is a pretty good example of this. If you want to use the services in Golem then you will need to pay with Golem Network Token (GNT). While these tokens have monetary value they won’t give you any particular rights or privilege within the network itself.
Work Token: These are the tokens that identify you as a sort of shareholder in the DAPP. Because of that, you have a say in the direction that that DAPP takes. A perfect example of this is the DAO tokens. If you were a DAO token holder then you had the right to vote on whether a particular DAPP could get funding from the DAO or not.
Why Do We Need Tokens?
Right now you must be wondering, if all these DAPPS are made in the Ethereum Network, then why don’t we simply use Ether to pay for every transaction within those DAPPS? Why do we need a native currency for them? The answer to that is pretty simple, even in real life, there are tons of places where we use a form of token over cash.
Remember that time you went to the water park? Remember how they took your money and tied a band around your wrist which you used to gain access to all the rides in the park and to buy food as well? In this example the water park is the DAPP, your money is ether and the band is the token.
Okay, how about the time you bought those movie tickets for Wonder Woman and included an extra popcorn and coke in your ticket? The moment you entered the theater how did you get in the hall? You showed them the ticket. How did you buy your popcorn and coke? Again, by showing them the ticket. In this case, the cinema theater is the DAPP, your money is Ether and the ticket is the token.
By using tokens to execute certain functions in the smart contract of the DAPPS you make the process much more simple and seamless. Plus, tokens are also great for the overall value of ether as well (more on that later). Before we go any deeper, let’s first learn how exactly can one create a token and how can a DAPP issue tokens in exchange of ether
credit:
https://blockgeeks.com/guides/ethereum-token/I hope this helps you.
