November 2, 2018
Uniswap v1 released
Hayden Adams deployed UniswapA decentralized exchange protocol on Ethereum — automated market makers for token swaps. v1 on November 2, 2018 — an automated market maker that swapped ERC-20 tokens with x*y=k liquidity pools.
What it was for
UniswapA decentralized exchange protocol on Ethereum — automated market makers for token swaps. replaced order books with constant-product pools anyone could fund. Liquidity providers earned fees; traders swapped atomically on-chain. V2 and V3 scaled the model into the backbone of DeFiDecentralized finance — lending, trading, and derivatives on blockchains without traditional banks. — composable with flash loans, yield farms, and aggregators.
People
- Hayden Adams — creator
Why it's here
UniswapA decentralized exchange protocol on Ethereum — automated market makers for token swaps. pioneered on-chain AMM trading for Ethereum tokens.
Why it mattered
Permissionless pools made every ERC-20 instantly tradable without listing fees.
What it solved
Decentralized exchanges relied on slow order books with thin liquidity.
Media
ImageUniswap Foundation LogoSzenon, CC BY-SA 4.0, via wikimedia
Related
- ERC-20 token standard finalizedNovember 19, 2015
- MakerDAO launches DAI stablecoinDecember 18, 2017
- Compound launches COMP governance tokenJune 15, 2020
- Ethereum mainnet launchesJuly 30, 2015