EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)

The runtime environment for smart contracts on Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains.

The Ethereum Virtual Machine is the runtime that executes smart contract bytecode on Ethereum. Many other chains (Polygon, BNB Chain, Avalanche C-Chain, most L2s) are "EVM-compatible," meaning they run the same bytecode and support the same Solidity tooling. EVM compatibility is what makes the multi-chain ecosystem cohesive.

Non-EVM chains include Solana (uses its own runtime), Aptos and Sui (Move-based), Cosmos chains (CosmWasm), and Bitcoin. Developers deploying to non-EVM chains need different languages, frameworks, and security expertise.