Ether

The form of payment used in the operation of the distribution application platform, Ethereum.

Ether is used to pay for transaction fees and services and as a staking reward for stakers that validate transactions on the network. It can also be used to build DeFi applications, games and other applications that run on the Ethereum network. 

Ether and Ethereum are both terms that tend to be used interchangeably. Ether is the cryptocurrency token used in the Ethereum network. It is used to pay for transactions and services on the network. Ethereum is a decentralized public ledger designed to facilitate the development of decentralized applications (dApps). It is powered by Ether and provides the necessary infrastructure for developers to create, host and deploy blockchain-based applications.

Bitcoin and Ethereum are both open-source platforms based on the concept of blockchain technology, but they differ substantially in purpose and capability. 

Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer decentralized digital currency system designed to enable online payments and store value. Ethereum is a platform for building decentralized applications and smart contracts, allowing developers to create and deploy decentralized applications and programs that run on the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). The Ethereum blockchain is also more versatile and can be used to create digital tokens and other value-based assets, such as ERC-20 tokens and NFTs.

Ether can be purchased from many different cryptocurrency exchanges. Some of the most popular exchanges include Coinbase, Kraken and Binance.