What is MEV (Maximal Extractable Value)?
Maximal Extractable Value is the additional profit a block producer can capture by strategically ordering, inserting or censoring transactions in a block. Common forms include arbitrage, liquidations and sandwich attacks; MEV is a structural feature of public mempools.
Why MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) matters
Understanding MEV (Maximal Extractable Value) is part of building a solid mental model of how Bitcoin, blockchain and Web3 systems actually work. Concepts in the Ethereum category sit at the foundation of the broader stack — get them right and the rest is far easier.
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Related terms
- Mempool — The waiting room for unconfirmed transactions.
- Validator — A node that proposes and attests to blocks in PoS.
- DeFi (Decentralized Finance) — Financial services built from smart contracts.
More ethereum terms
- Ethereum — A programmable blockchain that supports smart contracts.
- EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) — The execution environment for Ethereum smart contracts.
- Gas — The unit measuring computational cost on Ethereum.
- NFT (Non-Fungible Token) — A unique, non-interchangeable token on a blockchain.
- Smart Contract — Code on a blockchain that automatically enforces its rules.
- Solidity — The most popular programming language for Ethereum smart contracts.
- Web3 — An umbrella term for blockchain-based, user-owned internet applications.
- DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) — An on-chain organization governed by token holders.
Keep exploring
Continue with the full blockchain glossary — 136 terms in total — or read the developer blog and FAQ for deeper context.