ERC-20 Token Standard

When working with ERC-20, a technical protocol that defines how tokens are created, transferred, and interacted with on the Ethereum blockchain. Also known as ERC20, it provides a common set of functions that let wallets, exchanges, and dApps speak the same language. Ethereum, the platform where ERC-20 lives, supplies the underlying network and gas needed for contract execution. Smart contracts, self‑executing code on Ethereum, implement the ERC-20 interface and enforce rules like total supply and balance tracking. Because every ERC-20 token follows the same blueprint, DeFi applications can instantly integrate new assets, enable lending, swapping, and yield farming without custom integration work.

That uniformity is why you see ERC-20 everywhere—from the airdrop of a new meme coin to the stablecoins that power cross‑border payments. In practice, an ERC-20 token’s attributes include its name, symbol, decimal precision, and total supply, all stored on the blockchain for anyone to verify. When a project launches an airdrop, the distribution smart contract simply calls the ERC-20 transfer function, making the process cheap and auditable. Wallets like MetaMask read the same contract ABI, so users can add any ERC-20 token with a single address entry and see balances instantly. Exchanges list ERC-20 assets because they already support the standard, reducing onboarding friction and lowering security risks. Moreover, tokenomics built into many ERC-20 projects—such as burn mechanisms or staking rewards—are just additional functions layered on top of the base standard.

What to Expect Below

Below you’ll find a curated set of articles that dive deeper into the world built around ERC-20. We cover topics like mining difficulty and how it indirectly affects transaction costs for ERC-20 transfers, the legal landscape of crypto access in restrictive regions, detailed breakdowns of specific ERC-20 tokens (from low‑cap meme coins to cross‑chain projects), and practical guides on securing your assets with multisig wallets. Whether you’re hunting a new airdrop, evaluating an exchange, or just want to understand how DeFi leverages ERC-20, the collection gives you actionable insights and real‑world examples. Let’s get into it.