{"id":10391,"date":"2023-02-11T05:04:37","date_gmt":"2023-02-11T05:04:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/?p=10391"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:23:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:23:01","slug":"what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine","title":{"rendered":"What is the Ethereum Virtual Machine?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine\/#how_does_a_virtual_machine_work\" >How does a Virtual Machine work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine\/#how_does_the_ethereum_virtual_machine_work\" >How does the Ethereum Virtual Machine work?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-the-ethereum-virtual-machine\/#characteristics_of_evm\" >Characteristics of EVM<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span><p>The Ethereum project is one of the most important in the world of cryptocurrencies. This project has a great treasure that makes possible most of its operation, the<strong>\u00a0Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM)<\/strong>. The EVM is a virtual\u00a0<strong>Turing<\/strong>\u00a0machine that allows any user to execute\u00a0<strong>Byte-Code<\/strong>\u00a0arbitrarily.<\/p>\n<p>A Turing machine is based on a\u00a0<strong>mathematical computer model<\/strong>\u00a0that is capable of, through predefined rules, determining outcomes through<strong>\u00a0variables<\/strong>. This machine plays a crucial role in the consensus mechanism of the Ethereum network. In addition, it enables the execution of\u00a0<strong>smart contracts<\/strong>\u00a0by enabling a series of\u00a0<strong>functions<\/strong>\u00a0on the Ethereum blockchain.<\/p>\n<p>These functions are used on a daily basis by all Ethereum network users. These functions allow great\u00a0<strong>flexibility<\/strong>\u00a0in different operations that other projects do not allow. That is why in this article we will tell you what this machine is and how it works.<\/p>\n<p>EVM began to develop in\u00a0<strong>2013<\/strong>\u00a0through the early ideas of creating a blockchain that worked through a full Turing language enabled for all operations. This idea came from Ethereum\u2019s lead developer\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/who-is-vitalik-buterin\/\">Vitalik Buterin<\/a>\u00a0and was brought to fruition by him and developers\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/who-is-gavin-wood\/\">Gavin Wood<\/a>\u00a0and Greg Colvin.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_does_a_virtual_machine_work\"><\/span><strong>How does a Virtual Machine work?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>When we talk about a Virtual Machine we refer to\u00a0<strong>software<\/strong>\u00a0developed to create what is known as an \u201c<strong>emulation layer<\/strong>\u201d from a computer. The virtual machine is responsible for emulating each and every one of the functions of a computer. This machine has the ability to recreate all the components of the computer, be it the processor or the network cards, even the\u00a0<strong>hard disks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>The machine can run\u00a0<strong>specific software<\/strong>\u00a0inside itself, which would be like having a\u00a0<strong>complete<\/strong>\u00a0computer inside another computer. This is not an easy task so the virtual machine must first isolate all the functions in a kind of container that we can access and interact with it through an interface. In this way the whole system running inside the virtual machine is isolated from the rest of the overall system.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, it can run on different\u00a0<strong>systems and hardware<\/strong>, which provides great portability, but also high\u00a0<strong>levels of security<\/strong>. These virtual machines are very flexible in terms of operation, offering unique services that no other software can offer (for the moment).<\/p>\n<p>Any developer could\u00a0<strong>create a Virtual Machine<\/strong>\u00a0that follows\u00a0<strong>unique<\/strong>\u00a0instructions, exhibits defined behaviors and isolates an entire system. This whole process can be done inexpensively and opens the door to further development.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"how_does_the_ethereum_virtual_machine_work\"><\/span><strong>How does the Ethereum Virtual Machine work?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Now that we know how a virtual machine works, we can apply this concept to the Ethereum network. This virtual machine is also a software that follows a series of instructions, only in this case on a large scale making possible the operation of the Ethereum blockchain. The instructions that the machine executes allow great\u00a0<strong>flexibility<\/strong>\u00a0in carrying out\u00a0<strong>transactions<\/strong>\u00a0within the network.<\/p>\n<p>For the programming of the Ethereum Virtual Machine, Solidity was created, a specialized language through which the development of smart contracts is facilitated. Its operation is as follows; Solidity is transformed into operation codes known as\u00a0<strong>OP_CODES<\/strong>\u00a0and from these a Byte-Code is executed by the EVM that will allow performing the operations in a\u00a0<strong>smart contract<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>By means of these codes we can program instructions for the machine. The OP_CODES function as the interaction interface mentioned above in the operation of a virtual machine. These are what make it possible for everything in Ethereum to work including even the smallest transactions.<\/p>\n<p>Thanks to all this operation the EVM can execute<strong>\u00a0functions<\/strong>\u00a0such as smart contracts being this a decentralized global machine formed by all nodes participating in the Ethereum network. This machine can solve virtually any\u00a0<strong>computational problem<\/strong>\u00a0in the network.<\/p>\n<div id=\"image_787779905\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Qu\u00e9-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/Que-es-la-Virtual-Machine-de-Ethereum.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"characteristics_of_evm\"><\/span><strong>Characteristics of EVM<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The Ethereum virtual machine is unique thanks to a myriad of features that make its operation possible. Below we will see the most important ones:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>High level of security:\u00a0<\/b>one of the most important features is that it provides a high level of security, since being a virtual machine that follows certain limitations in the instructions, it can execute untrusted code without being compromised or compromising the system.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>Completely decentralized:<\/strong>\u00a0the EVM is decentralized in its entirety, since it is made up of thousands of nodes which execute an exact copy of the machine and in turn act in conjunction with the rest of the nodes. This leads to decentralization, since even if almost all the nodes disappear, the machine will continue its instructions as long as there is at least one node running.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In addition, this operation allows access to the system from anywhere in the world and without censorship. Most importantly, there are no third parties and its functions cannot be modified or altered.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><strong>It allows the development of a large number of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-dapp\/\">applications<\/a>:\u00a0<\/strong>called dApps (decentralized apps), these can be executed on the same blockchain without affecting the rest of the functions executed on it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">The Ethereum Virtual Machine is capable of executing\u00a0<strong>Turing<\/strong>\u00a0complete\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-smart-contract\/\">smart contracts<\/a>. These are specific schedules that can be executed automatically.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">You can execute a set of operation codes called\u00a0<strong>OP_CODES<\/strong>. Without these codes the Ethereum Virtual Machine would not be able to run.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 3<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span>The Ethereum project is one of the most important in the world of cryptocurrencies. This project has a great treasure that makes possible most of its operation, the\u00a0Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The EVM is a virtual\u00a0Turing\u00a0machine that allows any user to execute\u00a0Byte-Code\u00a0arbitrarily. A Turing machine is based on a\u00a0mathematical computer model\u00a0that is capable of, through [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6813,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[185],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blockchain-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10391"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10391\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24662,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10391\/revisions\/24662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6813"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}