Smart Contracts and dApps on Ethereum (for Non‑Technical People)

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For the last couple of days, Ethereum has shown up as “a shared computer” and “a platform for decentralized apps”, not just “another coin like Bitcoin”. Day 6 is about the two ideas that make that possible: smart contracts and dApps, explained for people who don’t write Solidity.

Quick reminder: where we left Ethereum

Bitcoin’s main idea is digital money on a public network instead of inside a bank’s database. Ethereum extends that idea by letting the network run small programs, not just track balances, so you can encode rules and logic alongside assets.

That extra programmability is what powers most of what people call “Web3” today: DeFi, NFTs, DAOs, and on‑chain games are all just different combinations of contracts and interfaces on top of Ethereum.

What is a smart contract?

A smart contract is a small program stored on a blockchain that runs automatically when it is triggered by a transaction. Once deployed, its rules are transparent and hard to change, and anyone can inspect how it is supposed to behave.

Two non‑technical takeaways:

A smart contract can hold assets and data (tokens, positions, ownership).
It can enforce rules consistently (who can move what, under which conditions) without a support team quietly editing a private database.

On Ethereum, most smart contracts are written in languages like Solidity and then deployed to the network for anyone to interact with via a wallet. Solidity is simply the main programming language developers use to write Ethereum smart contracts, similar in spirit to other coding languages but designed specifically for blockchains like Ethereum.

What do smart contracts actually do?

In practice, smart contracts show up as the building blocks behind familiar financial and app concepts:

Token contracts that define new assets and encode minting, transferring, or burning rules.
Lending/trading contracts that let you deposit tokens, borrow against them, or swap them, while automatically tracking positions and interest.
NFT contracts that represent unique items (art, game assets, membership passes) and track which address owns which token ID.

The concepts (balances, loans, ownership) are old; the new part is that the logic and data sit on a shared, verifiable network instead of one company’s backend.

What is a dApp?

A dApp (decentralized application) is a normal‑looking app or website that uses smart contracts as its backend instead of a traditional server.

Most dApps have:

A front‑end that feels like any other web or mobile app (buttons, forms, charts).
One or more smart contracts that handle the core logic and store important state (balances, positions, votes, ownership) on Ethereum.

Instead of talking to a private API owned by a single company, the front‑end talks to public contracts through your wallet.

A simple mental model: normal app vs dApp

When you use a traditional app:

Your actions go to the company’s servers and private database.
The company can change rules, upgrade code, or adjust data without you seeing the exact details.

When you use a dApp:

Your actions are turned into transactions that call smart contracts on Ethereum.
The rules for what is allowed live in the contract code, and all users share the same logic and on‑chain state.

You still need to trust that the contract was written well, but you’re trusting open code and a shared network more than a black‑box backend.

Where wallets fit into this picture

This is why wallets suddenly matter so much on Ethereum. A wallet is not just a login; it’s the tool that:

Manages your Ethereum accounts and keys.
Shows you what a dApp is asking a smart contract to do with your assets.
Asks you to approve or reject each on‑chain action and its gas fee.

When a dApp triggers a wallet popup, that’s the moment you’re deciding: “yes, I’m okay with this smart contract interaction being recorded on‑chain.”

Why this matters if you want to work around developers

For DevRel, docs, or community roles, smart contracts and dApps are not just buzzwords; they’re where beginners usually get lost. People understand “website” and “app”. They don’t automatically understand:

Why they suddenly need a wallet to use certain products.
Why clicking a button might cost gas in ETH.
What exactly they are granting when they approve a contract or sign a transaction.

That’s also the opportunity: if you can walk someone through one real dApp flow in plain language (“here’s the contract, here’s what your wallet is doing, here’s what changes after you click confirm”), you’ve already added more value than most landing pages. Day 6 is about getting comfortable enough with these pieces that you can be that person.