Detail the process of deploying a smart contract on a chosen blockchain platform, and include the steps involved from code writing to execution.

Deploying a smart contract on a blockchain platform involves several crucial steps, from writing the code to making it executable on the network. This process typically includes coding, compilation, deployment, and verification. Let's detail these steps focusing on a prominent platform, Ethereum, as an example. The process starts with the coding phase. Smart contracts are usually written in high-level programming languages, such as Solidity for Ethereum. This code defines the logic and the rules that the smart contract will execute. For example, a simple smart contract could define the terms of a crowdfunding campaign, a token transfer, or an escrow agreement. In this code, developers specify the contract's state variables, which store the contract's data, functions, which define what the contract can do, and modifiers, which are used to add conditions to these functions. For instance, a function to transfer ownership of a digital asset might specify that only the current owner can initiate the transfer. After coding, the next step is compilation. The Solidity code needs to be converted into bytecode, a low-level language that can be understood by the Ethereum Virtual Machine (EVM), which is the runtime environment for smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain. This process is done using a compiler like the Solidity compiler, solc. The compiler checks the code for errors and generates the bytecode and Application Binary Interface (ABI). The ABI is like an interface that allows external applications and other smart contracts to interact with the compiled smart contract. The compilation phase is critical as it prepares the code for deployment onto the blockchain. Following compilation, the next phase is deployment. To deploy the smart contract, the bytecode is sent to the Ethereum network as part of a special transaction. This transaction specifies the bytecode to be executed, along with any necessary initialization parameters. This transaction, like all others on the Ethereum network, needs to be signed with the private key of the deploying account and includes a fee paid in the network's native cryptocurrency, Ether, which incentivizes miners to process the transaction. This transaction initiates a request to create the smart contract at a unique address, which can then be accessed by others. For example, if deploying a token contract, this transaction would create the token on the blockchain. Once the deployment transaction is processed and included in a block, the smart contract is said to be deployed and can be interacted with. This is achieved by sending further transactions to the smart contract address which call the available functions with the necessary parameters. Once deployed, it is crucial to verify the smart contract, which is often done using third party verification tools. Verification involves matching the source code with the bytecode stored on the blockchain. When a contract is verified, a human readable copy of the contract’s code is available online, allowing users to check what the contract does and ensure that the contract is functioning as intended. For example, if a decentralized exchange is built on top of a smart contract, users can verify that the smart contract code is fair and transparent. Verification enhances the transparency of the contract. A common example includes deploying an ERC-20 token contract on Ethereum. The developer writes Solidity code for the token, then compiles the code using the Solidity compiler. They then use a tool like Remix or Truffle to deploy the compiled bytecode to the Ethereum network by submitting a deployment transaction along with a necessary fee. Once the transaction is included in a block, the token contract is available at a specific address and the user can then make use of the smart contract functionality, for example transferring the token. In summary, deploying a smart contract involves writing the code, compiling it to bytecode, deploying the bytecode to the blockchain using a transaction, and finally verifying the source code against the bytecode on the blockchain. This process turns the coded logic into a running application that is immutable and transparent.