Ethereum is a decentralized platform that runs smart contracts: applications that run exactly as programmed without any possibility of fraud or third party interference.
In order to run these applications, Ethereum uses it’s own programming language, which is called Solidity.
Solidity is a contract-oriented, high-level language for implementing smart contracts. It was influenced by C++, Python and JavaScript and is designed to Target the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM).
Solidity is statically typed, supports inheritance, libraries and complex user-defined types among other features.
The language is still in active development and has undergone several major releases. The latest version is 0.5.0, which was released in October 2018.
Ethereum’s use of Solidity makes it unique among blockchain platforms. While most other platforms use existing programming languages like JavaScript or Python, Ethereum has its own language that was specifically designed for writing smart contracts.
This gives Ethereum a major advantage in terms of security and stability. Solidity is a well-tested and battle-hardened language that has been used in production for years.
By contrast, JavaScript and Python are both relatively new to the blockchain space and have yet to be proven at scale.
Additionally, because Solidity is a contract-oriented language, it allows for more complex applications to be built on Ethereum than on other platforms. This makes Ethereum ideal for a wide range of use cases including financial contracts, identity management, supply chain tracking, and much more.
In conclusion, Ethereum’s use of Solidity gives it a major advantage in terms of security and stability compared to other blockchain platforms. Additionally, Solidity’s contract-oriented design makes it well suited for building complex decentralized applications.