Solidity is an object-oriented, high-level language for implementing smart contracts. Smart contracts are programs which govern the behaviour of accounts within the Ethereum state.
Solidity is a curly-bracket language. It is influenced by C++, Python and JavaScript, and is designed to target the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM). You can find more details about which languages Solidity has been inspired by in the language influences section.
Solidity is statically typed, supports inheritance, libraries and complex user-defined types among other features.
With Solidity you can create contracts for uses such as voting, crowdfunding, blind auctions, and multi-signature wallets.
When deploying contracts, you should use the latest released version of Solidity. This is because breaking changes as well as new features and bug fixes are introduced regularly. We currently use a 0.x version number to indicate this fast pace of change.
Getting Started
1. Understand the Smart Contract Basics
If you are new to the concept of smart contracts we recommend you to get started by digging into the “Introduction to Smart Contracts” section, which covers:
A simple example smart contract written in Solidity.
Blockchain Basics.
The Ethereum Virtual Machine.
2. Get to Know Solidity
Once you are accustomed to the basics, we recommend you read the “Solidity by Example” and “Language Description” sections to understand the core concepts of the language.
3. Install the Solidity Compiler
There are various ways to install the Solidity compiler, simply choose your preferred option and follow the steps outlined on the installation page.
4. Learn More
If you want to learn more about building decentralized applications on Ethereum, the Ethereum Developer Resources can help you with further general documentation around Ethereum, and a wide selection of tutorials, tools and development frameworks.
If you have any questions, you can try searching for answers or asking on the Ethereum StackExchange, or our Gitter channel.