ALICE is one of the experiments at the LHC and it aims to study the quark-gluon plasma (or QGP for short). The QGP is a state of matter believed to be present moments after the Big Bang and understanding its properties is fundamental to explore the phase diagram of quantum chromodynamics (QCD). In this talk, I will introduce the quark-gluon plasma as well as its search across multiple systems. A selection of recent ALICE results that shed light on the properties of this new state of matter will be presented as well. I will also briefly discuss the short- and long-term perspectives of ALICE.