https://metamask.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360015489611-Learn-the-basics-of-blockchains-and-Ethereum-miners-and-validators-gas-cryptocurrencies-and-NFTs-block-explorer-networks-etc-
Traditionally, a digital database is kept in a specialized computer called a server. This server would be accessed by people who are granted permission to do so; it could be made public, or private, or somewhere in between, but everyone is accessing that same database--it's centralized.
What's more, it's probably controlled by a certain set of people, and at the end of the day, we have to trust that the data is being kept safe and is accurate (and not being used for purposes that go against our own interests!). The downside to this is, of course, what if someone isn't acting in good faith? What if someone hacks the database, and changes things, or steals information for their own purposes (or sells it as part of their business model)?
A blockchain--and in particular, a public blockchain--is, at its core, a different kind of database. The word ledger is used to describe it, and a blockchain is very good at keeping track of assets coming and going, but it can store lots of different kinds of information. However, rather than having this ledger all in one computer (centralized), it's synced across a number of different computers known as nodes: it's decentralized or, as it's often called, distributed.
All of those nodes are constantly syncing information between each other about transactions on the ledger: assets moving from one address, or account, on the network to another. These transactions are checked against the ledger's history to ensure that they're valid. Once enough nodes have verified a new transaction, it gets confirmed and becomes final. After a certain amount of time, or every certain number of transactions, the network will bundle up all those finalized transactions and seal them, using cryptographic software tools, into a block. This block is identified with a hash produced by those cryptographic tools. The next block will use the previous block's hash as a starting point, and so the entire history of the ledger, and therefore of the network, is linked together in a chain of blocks containing transactions: the blockchain.
Ethereum is a public blockchain network with a vast vision. Ethereum's designers realized that if you built a public blockchain network, you could do a lot more than just track digital currency: you could run a global public computer, always available and open to the world. And that's what Ethereum is: it's a global network that is capable of running programs on the Ethereum Virtual Machine, or EVM. Programs are written for the EVM in a language called Solidity, and the network uses a cryptocurrency, called ether (or ETH, pronounced "eeth") to compensate the people that maintain the network--and also as a token of value for transactions carried out on the network.
As mentioned previously, an essential function of a blockchain network is coordinating the process of agreement between all the nodes in the network regarding whether a transaction is valid or not. The agreement is referred to as consensus, and the process by which it occurs is called a consensus mechanism, or consensus protocol. Two different consensus mechanisms are relevant for Ethereum, the first being Proof of Work (PoW) and the second Proof of Stake (PoS). In both mechanisms, computers are provided to do the work of verifying the validity of the transactions, and agreeing on them.
Under PoW consensus, actors known as 'miners' carry the responsibility of verifying the transactions, creating the blocks, and maintaining the chain. In exchange, these miners are given a reward (in ETH) each time their node is the first to finalize, or mine, a new block; this also incentivizes miners having good-quality equipment and connection speeds, which in turn helps the network.
However, there exists the possibility for enough miners to band together--at least 51% of the network--and subvert control of the network to their own ends, rewriting the transaction history, stealing tokens, etc. In order to prevent this and other security problems, the mining is made intentionally difficult, that is, computationally complex (often called "expensive") in order to make it virtually impossible for any rogue actor(s) to carry out such an attack.
This design--made to keep the network safe--has side effects, in particular environmental and real-world economic ones; the economic model on the blockchain is also inefficient. The constant incentive to mine blocks faster means that miners have a real motivation to buy new computers, even specialized ones that do nothing other than mine on blockchains. And big, powerful computers use a lot of electricity, and generate a lot of heat. This environmentally-unfriendly, inefficient arms race has become increasingly difficult to justify, on a number of points.
Enter PoS consensus: instead of miners, validators are the actors ensuring transaction validity and network integrity. In place of costly number-crunching as a security measure, each validator must have staked 32 ETH; that is, deposited it in a smart contract, a kind of computer program that lives on the Ethereum blockchain, with the promise that they will operate their validator according to the rules. If they act in bad faith, or try to subvert or attack the network, or just don't maintain enough connectivity, their staked currency will be slashed, or taken from them. If they do what they're supposed to do, maintain connectivity and confirm transactions, they will be rewarded with ETH, the same as miners. For more on PoS, see here.
Ethereum currently uses PoW, which means the mainnet (i.e. the current single blockchain in use) relies on miners to validate blocks and secure the ongoing integrity of the network. Currently, Ethereum is in the midst of a series of planned developments which fall under the umbrella term Eth2, which, in summary, involves transitioning to PoS to improve scalability, sustainability and security.
The first step in this process was creating the Beacon Chain, which uses PoS and operates alongside the mainnet, although cannot handle smart contracts. Incentivised by staking rewards, validators can sign up to the Beacon Chain by depositing 32 ETH, becoming part of a network of validators that will be necessary to secure Ethereum after the transition to PoS.