The programming language used by Ethereum for developing smart contracts.
Solidity is a high-level object-oriented programming language that is principally used for the
Ethereum blockchain. Solidity is a great tool to write smart contracts, which are self-executing code that enable complex automated functions. The programming language interacts with the
Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which is the abstraction layer between the executing code and execution machine. It is influenced by the C++, Python and JavaScript languages.
It has to be compiled to low-level machine instructions, called Opcodes, since they aren’t directly compiled by the EVM. Solidity is easy to switch to and convenient to write code in, especially for those who have existing programming knowledge. Despite being initially proposed by Solidity and
Polkadot founder
Gavin Woods in 2014, it was developed by the
Ethereum foundation and Solidity project team.
The programming language is statically-typed, which means it discourages type errors and syntax issues by verifying the program’s source code. Solidity also supports inheritance, user-defined complex objects and libraries. It has allowed developers to create novel types of complex and automated financial, gaming, auction-based, management and other applications.
But like any programming language, it has a couple of issues. First, the immutable nature of blockchain ensures that a smart contract once deployed can’t be taken down or modified in any way. It means that every single line of code has to be perfect or else it runs the risk of being hacked or exploited, since it exists as long as the
Ethereum network does. Solidity is also vulnerable to reentrancy attacks and other security issues. It was designed during a time when the Ethereum network wasn’t deployed. Therefore, its design needs to be updated to keep up with today’s requirements.