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What is the EVM?
The EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) is the shared computing environment that every Ethereum node runs to execute smart contracts. Each node runs the same code on the same inputs and gets the same result, which is how the network agrees on balances after every transaction.
What it means for you
Every operation the EVM performs has a gas cost, which is why a contract interaction such as a swap costs more than a plain transfer. Many Ethereum sidechains are EVM-compatible and run the same kind of contracts, so the network selected in a wallet decides where a transfer actually lands.
How it works
ethereum.org describes the EVM as a state transition function: given the current state and a new transaction, every node computes the same next state. Contracts are compiled to bytecode and run as opcodes on a stack machine whose stack holds up to 1024 items of 256 bits each. Memory is temporary and cleared between transactions; storage persists with the contract account. Every operation is measured in gas, so heavier computation costs more. Several independent implementations exist, all following the Ethereum Yellow Paper specification.
Sources: ethereum.org: Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), ethereum.org: Scaling · checked 4 October 2026
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