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Foundations: Execution

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Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What Is a State Machine in Blockchain Execution?

Learn what a blockchain state machine is, how transactions and smart contracts change state, and why deterministic execution matters.

22 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What Is a Virtual Machine in Blockchain?

Learn what a blockchain virtual machine is, why it exists, and how VMs like the EVM, WASM, Move, and Plutus execute smart contracts deterministically.

26 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What is a Smart Contract?

Learn what smart contracts are, why blockchains use them, how on-chain execution works, and where smart contract trust and automation break down.

24 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What Is a Solana Program?

Learn what Solana programs are, how they work, why code is separate from state, and how accounts, PDAs, CPI, and compute limits shape execution.

25 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What Is Deterministic Execution?

Learn what deterministic execution is, why blockchains require it, how virtual machines enforce it, and where nondeterminism can break consensus.

25 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What is the EVM?

Learn what the EVM is, why Ethereum needs it, how bytecode execution works, and how gas, state, storage, and contract creation fit together.

25 min read

Execution

Mar 21, 2026

What is WASM (WebAssembly)?

Learn what WebAssembly (Wasm) is, how its sandboxed execution model works, why it exists, and where it fits in browsers, servers, and smart contracts.

25 min read