Monad 101: Everything You Need To Know
A simple and easy to understand article breaking down everything you need to know about Monad - the "high-performance" 100% EVM-compatible L1!
A simple and easy to understand article breaking down everything you need to know about Monad - the "high-performance" 100% EVM-compatible L1!
darwizzynft
Posted on Jun 12, 2025
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Monad Testnet has been live for a few months now.
Described as the L1 Blockchain with “limitless potential”, Monad delivers:
- 100% EVM compatibility
- True decentralisation
- “Production-grade security”
- “Exceptional throughput”
All possible with low hardware requirements and fast transactions speeds.
And not to mention “near zero gas fees” too!
Now let’s be real.
These are just “smart” phrases/words that companies/brands use to attract users/investors.
Most people (like me and you) simply want to know:
- How Monad actually works?
- What Monad actually does?
- Is Monad actually useful?
So here’s a simple article explaining everything you need to know about Monad!
Welcome to Monad 101.
What is Monad?
Monad is a high-performance Layer 1 (L1) blockchain with 100% EVM-compatibility.
The L1 has been designed to work seamlessly with Ethereum’s tools and smart contracts.
Monad promises better speed and scalability than Ethereum.
Think of Monad as Ethereum’s high-performance cousin — built from the ground up to handle massive amounts of data fast, while staying compatible with Ethereum apps/smart contracts.
What blockchain is Monad on?
Monad is a Layer 1 blockchain, which means it’s its own blockchain.
Even though i’s often compared to Ethereum due to its EVM-compatibility, Monad is built to operate completely separately from any other blockchain.
What does “100% EVM-compatibie” mean?
Monad fully supports Ethereum’s Virtual Machine (EVM), meaning developers can use existing Ethereum code and tools (like MetaMask) without having to make changes.
Put it this way:
Monad speaks the same “language” as Ethereum.
So all Ethereum apps work out-of-the-box on Monad. No need to build anything extra.
Why is it described as “high-performance”?
Monad processes 10,000 transactions per second with 0.5-second block times.
Fair to say that’s pretty quick eh?
Team
Before we dive into the juicy details, let’s take a look at who’s steering the Monad ship!
Founders
- Keone Hon - Co Founder & CEO
- James Hunsaker - Co-Founder & CTO
- Eunice Giarta - Co-Founder & COO
Monad’s founding team consists of experienced individuals with solid backgrounds in low-latency programming and distributed systems design.
What Monad actually does
Ethereum is powerful, but can be slow and expensive when the network gets too busy.
Monad aims to solve this by:
- Processing many transactions at the same time (called parallel execution)
- Finishing blocks every 0.5 seconds
- Keeping the Ethereum developer tools everyone already knows
As a result, developers can build faster apps, and users can enjoy cheaper fees.
All without having to learn a whole new system (as Monad is 100% EVM-compatible!)
So in a nutshell; Monad aims to offer a faster, cheaper alternative to Ethereum.
How Monad actually works
Monad is a “redesign” of Ethereum, and as we’ve already mentioned is 100% EVM-compatible, so all existing Ethereum apps can run on Monad without having to make changes.
Earlier, we also mentioned that Monad can process 10,000 transactions per second.
Monad can achieve this because it uses:
- Parallel Execution: helps handle multiple transactions at once
- Deferred Execution: helps separate consensus and execution
- A Custom MonadBFT Consensus: fast and confirms blocks at high speeds
- MonadDb: a fast database
Who’s behind this? A team of engineers from high-speed trading backgrounds.
The result? Monad’s overall performance and scalability benefits users/builders.
Speaking of builders…
Anyone building anything on Monad?
Monad’s EVM-compatibility means that anything that can be done on Ethereum can be done on Monad too, and as a result, the L1 has attracted an impressive range of projects/builders.
I’d list them now, but we already have a complete Monad Ecosystem Page live on Pluid!
Pluid’s Monad Ecosystem Page includes:
- Tier-style ranking of all Monad projects
- Categories w/ Name, Description and Links
- Detailed Overviews, Breakdowns and Tutorials
- Ecosystem, KOL & Community Must-Follows
Updated by our team weekly!
Check it out here!
Why should anyone care about Monad?
Using Monad could save users time and money.
Typical decentralized apps (dApps) offer benefits like:
- Transparency and auditable code
- Global access without middlemen
- Open, composable systems where apps build on each other
But dApps will struggle to scale if the blockchain is slow or expensive.
Monad’s speed and low cost has the potential to enable powerful, scalable applications like DeFi platforms, games, and social apps; available to millions without bottlenecks.
What's Next for Monad?
Mainnet.
Alongside mainnet we can expect Monad to introduce a network token.
Currently during testnet, Monad uses testnet “MON” tokens to run the network.
Depending on how well Monad Testnet performs, we’ll get an idea of when Mainnet launches.
Monad promises a fast, scalable, and developer-friendly network, and if it can deliver on those promises, the “purple chain” could become a key player in the next wave of crypto innovation.
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Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is NOT financial advice and has ONLY been presented for informational and educational purposes
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