--- title: Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum Before... description: A comprehensive primer on Ethereum aimed at developers preparing to write smart contracts. Covers the differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum (UTXO vs account... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ethereum-before-writing-smart-contracts-0oygvplpl twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum Before Writing Smart Contracts | daily.dev og:description: A comprehensive primer on Ethereum aimed at developers preparing to write smart contracts. Covers the differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum (UTXO vs account... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ethereum-before-writing-smart-contracts-0oygvplpl og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/0OYgVPlpl.png og:image:alt: Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum Before Writing Smart Contracts og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum Before Writing Smart Contracts **[Coins Bench](https://daily.dev/sources/coinsbench)** · 25 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A comprehensive primer on Ethereum aimed at developers preparing to write smart contracts. Covers the differences between Bitcoin and Ethereum (UTXO vs account model, Bitcoin Script vs EVM, Proof of Work vs Proof of Stake), core network mechanics (nodes, clients, accounts, gas, EIP-1559, wallets, RPCs), how the EVM executes transactions step by step, common smart contract patterns (ERC-20 tokens, escrow, AMMs), broader use cases (stablecoins, DAOs, ENS), the DAO hack and hard fork history, and the blockchain trilemma with Layer 2 rollup scaling solutions. ## Full article daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: ## Questions this post answers ### How does Ethereum's account model differ from Bitcoin's UTXO model? Bitcoin uses the UTXO model, functioning like physical cash where spending a bill returns change as a new output, while Ethereum uses an account-based model, acting like a global ledger of accounts with dynamic balances and stored memory states. This account model, combined with the Turing-complete Ethereum Virtual Machine, enables arbitrary programmable logic that Bitcoin Script cannot support. _Developers comparing blockchain architectures can track deeper Ethereum and Bitcoin design explainers on daily.dev._ ### What caused the DAO hack in 2016 and how much ETH was stolen? A reentrancy bug in The DAO's withdrawal logic let an attacker recursively call the withdraw function before the contract updated its internal balance, draining 3.6 million ETH. The incident split the community into 'Code is Law' purists and pragmatists, resulting in a hard fork that created Ethereum (ETH) with recovered funds and Ethereum Classic (ETC) preserving the original chain. _Anyone auditing smart contracts for reentrancy risks can follow security writeups on daily.dev._ ### How do Optimistic Rollups differ from Zero-Knowledge Rollups for Ethereum scaling? Optimistic Rollups, used by Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base, assume transactions are valid by default and allow a 7-day fraud-proof challenge window for disputing invalid state changes. Zero-Knowledge Rollups, like zkSync and Starknet, instead submit a succinct cryptographic proof (ZK-SNARK/STARK) to Layer 1 that mathematically guarantees validity instantly, avoiding long withdrawal delays. _Developers choosing a Layer 2 for their dapp can compare rollup trade-offs through resources on daily.dev._ ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Bitcoin vs. Ethereum: Two Blockchains, Two Philosophies \(Part 2 of 10\)](https://daily.dev/posts/bitcoin-vs-ethereum-two-blockchains-two-philosophies-part-2-of-10--tjo8t8kzk) · Coins Bench · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [The World Computer: A Deep Dive into the Ethereum Blockchain](https://daily.dev/posts/the-world-computer-a-deep-dive-into-the-ethereum-blockchain-weq1karbc) · Coins Bench · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Before You Start Learning Blockchain](https://daily.dev/posts/before-you-start-learning-blockchain-fnjgnuwee) · Coins Bench · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Ethereum for Governments and Institutions: Why neutral infrastructure matters now](https://daily.dev/posts/ethereum-for-governments-and-institutions-why-neutral-infrastructure-matters-now-ai9jziypu) · Ethereum · 0 upvotes · 0 comments - [Smart Contract: Hands-on Exploration](https://daily.dev/posts/smart-contract-hands-on-exploration-jrgxhshls) · Coins Bench · 0 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#blockchain](https://daily.dev/tags/blockchain), [#ethereum](https://daily.dev/tags/ethereum), [#smart-contracts](https://daily.dev/tags/smart-contracts), [#solidity](https://daily.dev/tags/solidity), [#evm](https://daily.dev/tags/evm) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ethereum-before-writing-smart-contracts-0oygvplpl) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"TechArticle","headline":"Everything You Need to Know About Ethereum Before Writing Smart Contracts","url":"https://daily.dev/posts/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ethereum-before-writing-smart-contracts-0oygvplpl","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://daily.dev/posts/everything-you-need-to-know-about-ethereum-before-writing-smart-contracts-0oygvplpl"},"datePublished":"2026-08-24T12:46:37.738Z","dateModified":"2026-08-24T12:47:34.280Z","description":"A comprehensive primer on Ethereum aimed at developers preparing to write smart contracts. 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This account model, combined with the Turing-complete Ethereum Virtual Machine, enables arbitrary programmable logic that Bitcoin Script cannot support. Developers comparing blockchain architectures can track deeper Ethereum and Bitcoin design explainers on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"What caused the DAO hack in 2016 and how much ETH was stolen?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A reentrancy bug in The DAO's withdrawal logic let an attacker recursively call the withdraw function before the contract updated its internal balance, draining 3.6 million ETH. The incident split the community into 'Code is Law' purists and pragmatists, resulting in a hard fork that created Ethereum (ETH) with recovered funds and Ethereum Classic (ETC) preserving the original chain. Anyone auditing smart contracts for reentrancy risks can follow security writeups on daily.dev."}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do Optimistic Rollups differ from Zero-Knowledge Rollups for Ethereum scaling?","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"Optimistic Rollups, used by Arbitrum, Optimism, and Base, assume transactions are valid by default and allow a 7-day fraud-proof challenge window for disputing invalid state changes. Zero-Knowledge Rollups, like zkSync and Starknet, instead submit a succinct cryptographic proof (ZK-SNARK/STARK) to Layer 1 that mathematically guarantees validity instantly, avoiding long withdrawal delays. Developers choosing a Layer 2 for their dapp can compare rollup trade-offs through resources on daily.dev."}}]} ```