Two kinds of accounts exist in Ethereum: Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) Contract Accounts (CAs) The first type is EOAs, and the other is CAs.
EOAs are similar to accounts that are controlled by a private key in Bitcoin.
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CAs are the accounts that have code associated with them along with the private key.
Various properties of each type of accounts are described here: EOs: EOAs has ether balance They are capable of sending transactions They have no associated code They are controlled by private keys Accounts contain a key-value store They are associated with a human user CAs: CAs have Ether balance.
They have associated code that is kept in memory/storage on the blockchain.
They can get triggered and execute code in response to a transaction or a message from other contracts.
It is worth noting that due to the Turing-completeness property of the Ethereum blockchain, the code within contract accounts can be of any level of complexity.
The code is executed by Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM) by each mining node on the Ethereum network.
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Also, CAs can maintain their permanent state and can call other contracts.
It is envisaged that in the serenity release, the distinction between externally owned accounts and contract accounts may be eliminated.
They are not intrinsically associated with any user or actor on the blockchain.
Key Points to Remember
- Types of accounts Two kinds of accounts exist in Ethereum: Externally Owned Accounts (EOAs) Contract Accounts (CAs) The first type is EOAs, and the other is CAs.
- EOAs are similar to accounts that are controlled by a private key in Bitcoin.
- CAs are the accounts that have code associated with them along with the private key.
- Various properties of each type of accounts are described here: EOs: EOAs has ether balance They are capable of sending transactions They have no associated code They are controlled by private keys Accounts contain a key-value store They are associated with a human user CAs: CAs have Ether balance.
Conclusion
Types of accounts represents one of the many innovative layers that make blockchain technology so powerful and transformative. As distributed systems continue to evolve, a solid understanding of these core concepts becomes increasingly valuable — not just for developers, but for anyone building, investing in, or working alongside blockchain-powered systems.
Whether you are just starting your blockchain journey or deepening existing expertise, mastering these fundamentals gives you the tools to think clearly about decentralized systems and make smarter decisions in this rapidly evolving space.