EVM Overview

The Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) is the execution environment that powers smart contracts across the Ethereum ecosystem. By supporting the EVM, Shardeum enables Solidity-based applications to run seamlessly, using the same tools, libraries, and workflows that developers already rely on.

This makes it easy to deploy Ethereum-compatible smart contracts on Shardeum while benefiting from the network’s high performance, low fees, and scalable architecture. Here are some key aspects about the EVM:

1. Turing Completeness: The EVM is fully Turing-complete, allowing developers to express any computable logic within a smart contract. This supports a broad range of use cases — from tokens and NFTs to DeFi protocols, gaming logic, and advanced automation.

2. Gas & Fees: Every transaction and smart-contract execution consumes gas, which measures the computational work required. On Shardeum:

   • Gas fees are paid in SHM, the network’s native token
   • Fees remain consistently low
   • Gas protects the network from spam or inefficient code

This ensures efficient use of resources and predictable transaction costs.

3. Bytecode Execution: Smart contracts are authored in high-level languages such as Solidity, compiled into EVM bytecode, and then deployed on the network. Once deployed:

   • The bytecode becomes immutable
   • All nodes execute it deterministically
   • Contract behavior is consistent across the network

Because Shardeum maintains compatibility with the EVM, bytecode compiled for Ethereum or other EVM chains works equivalently on Shardeum.

Why EVM Support Matters?

By adopting the EVM, Shardeum becomes instantly accessible to millions of developers already familiar with the Ethereum ecosystem. This enables:

• Rapid dApp deployment using frameworks like Hardhat, Foundry, Remix, and Truffle
• Instant wallet compatibility, including MetaMask and other popular wallets
• Seamless migration of existing Ethereum and EVM-based projects
• Straightforward onboarding for new developers entering the Shardeum ecosystem

EVM support ensures that developers can build with familiar tooling while benefiting from Shardeum’s scalability, low fees, and modern infrastructure.

Smart Contract Languages

The two primary languages for developing smart contracts on the EVM are Solidity and Vyper. Since Solidity is more widely used, let's see its features and an example smart contract using Solidity.

Solidity

Solidity is the most widely used language for writing Ethereum smart contracts, and it is fully supported on Shardeum. It is statically typed, contract-oriented, and designed to express application logic like:

• Tokens (ERC-20, ERC-721, ERC-1155)
• DeFi protocols
• NFT marketplaces
• Governance systems
• Gaming and Automation logic

Because Shardeum is EVM-compatible, existing Solidity contracts can be deployed without modification.

Example: A simple storage contract (Solidity)

// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
pragma solidity ^0.8.0;
 
contract SimpleStorage {
    uint256 private value;
 
    function store(uint256 newValue) public {
        value = newValue;
    }
 
    function retrieve() public view returns (uint256) {
        return value;
    }
}

You can compile and deploy this contract using Hardhat, Foundry, Remix, or any standard EVM tool.