Why use Ethereum?

Ethereum provides shared digital infrastructure that no single provider controls. Its open design can support interoperability, independent verification, service continuity, and greater individual agency while allowing institutions to retain authority over their own policies and services.

Sovereignty at every level

Ethereum’s open, shared network can reduce dependence on a single provider while preserving institutional authority over policies and service delivery. Applications built on Ethereum can also give individuals greater control over credentials and the information they share, supporting sovereignty at both the institutional and individual level.

Institutional autonomy

Avoid dependence on infrastructure controlled by a single provider
Retain authority over policies, rules, and service delivery
Maintain independent oversight without relying on a central operator’s records or reporting

Individual agency

Hold digital credentials that work across compatible services
Verify eligibility without revealing unnecessary personal information
Move between compatible services without depending on a single account or provider

Designed for systems that need to endure

Ethereum's architecture can support long-term resilience, interoperability, independent oversight, data protection, and institutional choice.

Ethereum is maintained by independent participants around the world. This reduces institutions’ dependence on any single provider for access and service continuity, limiting the risk that outages, cyberattacks, policy changes, or withdrawal of service could disrupt essential services.
Ethereum’s core software is open source and built around shared standards, giving institutions a choice of compatible implementations, tools, and providers.
Ethereum provides shared infrastructure that can support interoperability between digital systems used by different institutions. This can facilitate information sharing and coordination across government agencies and national borders.

Institutions can independently verify records, credentials, and other digital information without relying solely on a central operator, providing a common reference when several organizations need to review the same activity. As AI makes digital content and automated interactions harder to assess, verifiable records can also help establish identity, origin, and authenticity.
Sensitive information does not need to be stored on Ethereum. Confidential data can remain in existing systems, while privacy-preserving methods can verify only what is necessary.

Ethereum in operation

The characteristics above can also be examined through Ethereum’s public operating record.

100% network uptime

Ethereum has operated continuously since 2015 without a single second of downtime.

Largest developer ecosystem

Ethereum has the largest blockchain developer ecosystem, with independent contributors worldwide working on its software, security, and applications. This ongoing development helps the network evolve while giving institutions greater choice of technical expertise and partners to develop and maintain their systems.

Multiple independent software implementations

Independent teams maintain software implementations written in different programming languages, all following Ethereum’s shared rules. This diversity reduces reliance on a single codebase and lowers the risk that an attack or defect in one implementation disrupts the network as a whole.

Globally distributed operation

Participants across countries and jurisdictions operate Ethereum using widely available hardware. This geographic distribution strengthens resilience and reduces dependence on infrastructure in any one location.

Sources: OpenZeppelin's Technical Risk Assessment on Blockchain Networks (data as of March 2026), Electric Capital Developer Report

Stewardship for Ethereum's future

The Ethereum Foundation (EF) is a nonprofit working to strengthen Ethereum's resilience. We are part of a larger community of organizations and individuals that grow the ecosystem, support protocol development, and advocate for Ethereum.

We work to preserve Ethereum’s censorship resistance, open-source foundations, privacy, and security as the network develops. These principles, collectively known as CROPS, guide our work.

We share research and tools openly, helping others across the Ethereum ecosystem take on greater responsibility. As the wider Ethereum community grows stronger, our role will become less central. Knowledge, capability, and influence is distributed, rather than concentrated within the EF.

We also choose to hold a small share of the total ETH supply to avoid concentrating economic influence within the EF. As of 31 October 2024, our holdings represented just 0.26% of the total supply, as disclosed in our 2024 report.

Our goal is for Ethereum and its core applications to operate reliably and continue to evolve, even without the EF.