# What is our EVM? ## Expanse Virtual Machine Expanse is a programmable blockchain. Rather than give users a set of pre-defined operations (e.g. bitcoin transactions), Expanse allows users to create their own operations of any complexity they wish. In this way, it serves as a platform for many different types of decentralized blockchain applications, including but not limited to cryptocurrencies. Expanse in the narrow sense refers to a suite of protocols that define a platform for decentralised applications. At the heart of it is the [Expanse Virtual Machine (“EVM”)](http://docs.expanse.tech/en/latest/contracts-and-transactions/developer-tools.html#the-evm), which can execute code of arbitrary algorithmic complexity. In computer science terms, Expanse is “Turing complete”. Developers can create applications that run on the EVM using friendly programming languages modelled on existing languages like JavaScript and Python. Like any blockchain, Expanse also includes a peer-to-peer network protocol. The Expanse blockchain database is maintained and updated by many nodes connected to the network. Each and every node of the network runs the EVM and executes the same instructions. For this reason, Expanse is sometimes described evocatively as a “world computer”. This massive parallelisation of computing across the entire Expanse network is not done to make computation more efficient. In fact, this process makes computation on Expanse far slower and more expensive than on a traditional “computer”. Rather, every Expanse node runs the EVM in order to maintain consensus across the blockchain. Decentralized consensus gives Expanse extreme levels of fault tolerance, ensures zero downtime, and makes data stored on the blockchain forever unchangeable and censorship-resistant. The Expanse platform itself is featureless or value-agnostic. Similar to programming languages, it is up to entrepreneurs and developers to decide what it should be used for. However, it is clear that certain application types benefit more than others from Expanse’s capabilities. Specifically, expanse is **suited for applications that automate direct interaction between peers or facilitate coordinated group action across a network**. For instance, applications for coordinating peer-to-peer marketplaces, or the automation of complex financial contracts. Bitcoin allows for individuals to exchange cash without involving any middlemen like financial institutions, banks, or governments. Expanse’s impact may be more far-reaching. In theory, financial interactions or exchanges of any complexity could be carried out automatically and reliably using code running on Expanse. Beyond financial applications, any environments where trust, security, and permanence are important – for instance, asset-registries, voting, governance, and the internet of things – could be massively impacted by the Expanse platform. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.expanse.tech/beginner/expanse-virtual-machine.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.