An EOA, or Externally Owned Account, in the context of Ethereum and other blockchain platforms, refers to an account controlled by a private key and not by a smart contract. This type of account is operated by a human or an entity that holds the private key, making it capable of sending transactions (like transferring tokens) and interacting with smart contracts on the blockchain.
Unlike contract accounts which are governed by their contract code, EOAs have direct control over their funds and actions on the blockchain. This means that the EOA’s transactions are initiated externally (hence the name) by the person or entity that holds the private keys. EOAs are essential for the basic operations within the Ethereum ecosystem, including sending Ether and other tokens, deploying smart contracts, and interacting with decentralized applications (DApps).