Understanding the EVM

Overview

Understanding the EVM is a deep dive into the engine that powers Ethereum and many other blockchain networks built on top of it. This course is designed to give you a clear mental model of how the Ethereum Virtual Machine operates - what it does, how it processes transactions, and why it is essential to the Web3 ecosystem. Whether you are a developer, researcher, or simply a curious builder, this course breaks down the EVM in a structured and approachable way.

You’ll start with the fundamentals of Ethereum, exploring its origins, core architecture, and how it differs from Bitcoin. The course then moves through Ethereum’s essential components. You’ll also gain an understanding of how Ethereum standards like EIPs and ERCs shape the development landscape and foster innovation.

The heart of the course focuses on the EVM itself. You’ll examine how the virtual machine is structured, how it runs smart contracts, and how it handles data using memory, storage, and the stack. We’ll walk through the transaction lifecycle in detail, break down the components of bytecode and opcodes, and analyze how Solidity code gets compiled and executed within the EVM.

Finally, the course covers Ethereum’s account model, including the differences between externally owned accounts and contract accounts, as well as recent innovations like EIP-7702. You’ll also gain insights into how Ethereum nodes and clients operate behind the scenes. By the end of the course, you will have a solid grasp of the EVM’s inner workings and the confidence to build, analyze, and optimize smart contracts more effectively.

Who this course is for

• Web3 natives interested in looking under the hood of the EVM and seeing it's low-level architecture
• Medior to Senior developers looking to upgrade their knowledge of Ethereum on the protocol level
• Entrepreneurs and builders wanting to create more efficient, secure Web3 applications
• Smart Contract Engineers that want to write better optimized smart contracts
• Anyone interested in learning about better understanding the inner-workings of the EVM 

What you'll learn

• Foundations of Ethereum: its origins, evolution, and comparison to Bitcoin

• Core components of Ethereum: P2P network, consensus, transactions, clients, and economic security

• How Ethereum standards work: understanding EIPs, ERCs, and their ecosystem impact

• Introduction to Virtual Machines and the EVM’s role in executing smart contracts

• Deep dive into EVM architecture: stack, memory, storage, calldata, and internal mechanics

• Understanding Ethereum’s state model: world state, Merkle trees, and data storage

• Ethereum accounts explained: UTXO vs account model, EOAs, contract accounts, and EIP-7702

• Exploring Ethereum transactions: structure, types, execution flow, and gas mechanics

• From Solidity to opcodes: compiling smart contracts, reading bytecode, and ABI generation

• Step-by-step EVM execution: transaction lifecycle, state changes, and finalization

Requirements

• A computer with internet access
• Basic understanding of blockchain networks
• Understanding of Data Structures & Algorithms
• Understanding Solidity will be helpful
• Willingness to learn