Glossary
List of terms necessary to understand the contents of this guide.
A
ACL (Access Control List)
A traffic filter of a list of networks and correlated actions used to improve security. Block or allow users to access specific resources.
API (Application Programming Interface)
Set of functions and procedures that allow the creation of applications that access the characteristics or data of an operating system, application or other specific service.
AWS (Amazon Web Services)
Is a cloud computing services platform that offers a combination of infrastructure services, such as data storage and computing power.
B
BaaS (Blockchain as a Service)
A cloud-based service that enables users to develop their own digital products by working with blockchain. These can include smart contracts, decentralized applications (DApps), or other services without the need to set up or manage the blockchain infrastructure.
Backend
Refers to the data access layer of software or the physical infrastructure in software engineering.
Bear Market
A market condition where prices are falling or are expected to fall. It often leads to a downward economic trend and is characterized by pessimism.
Block
The fundamental unit of a blockchain, which contains a collection of transactions that have been validated by the network and permanently recorded.
Block Explorer
An online tool to view all transactions, past and present, on the blockchain. It provides information about the blockchain's activity, including transaction histories and balances of addresses.
Blockchain
A distributed database or ledger that is shared among the nodes of a computer network. It stores information electronically in digital format and is known for its secure design, decentralization, and resistance to modification of its data.
Bull Market
A market condition where prices are rising or are expected to rise. This term is typically used in the context of financial markets and reflects an upward trend and investor confidence.
Burned Tokens
Refers to tokens that have been permanently removed from circulation. This is typically done by sending the tokens to an unusable account or address. Token burning can be used as a tool for managing inflation or for other economic strategies within a cryptocurrency ecosystem.
Byzantine Fault Tolerance (BFT)
A property of a system that allows it to continue operating properly in the event of failures of some of its components. In the context of blockchain, this refers to the system's ability to resist the problems associated with the Byzantine Generals' Problem.
C
Cloud Hosting
It is a type of web hosting that uses multiple different servers to balance the load and maximize uptime.
Consensus Algorithm
A process in blockchain networks used to achieve agreement on a single data value or a single state of the network among distributed processes or multi-agent systems.
Cryptocurrency
A digital or virtual currency that uses cryptography for security and operates independently of a central bank, often used in blockchain systems.
D
Database
A database is an organized set of data stored and accessible electronically.
Decentralized Application (DApp)
An application that runs on a decentralized network, avoiding a single point of failure or control.
DeFi
DeFi, or Decentralized Finance, is a term that refers to financial applications built on blockchain networks that do not depend on centralized financial intermediaries.
E
ERC-20
A standard for creating and issuing smart contract tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
ERC1155
It refers to a standard for generating batches of tokens found on the Ethereum blockchain. The most common term used to refer to these assets is non-fungible tokens.
ERC3643
It is an open source protocol that allows the issuance, management and transfer of permissioned tokens.
ERC721
It refers to a standard for generating unique tokens found on the Ethereum blockchain. The most common term used to refer to these assets is non-fungible tokens.
Ethereum
An open-source blockchain platform that enables the creation of smart contracts and decentralized applications (DApps).
F
Fiat
Traditional government-issued currency, such as dollars or euros, not backed by a physical commodity.
Front-end
It is the user interface and everything that the user can see and interact with
G
Gas (Blockchain)
A unit of measure for the amount of computational effort required to execute operations on the Ethereum network.
I
ICO (Initial Coin Offering)
A fundraising mechanism where new projects sell their underlying crypto tokens in exchange for early capital.
Issue
In the context of programming and software development, an “issue” is a term used to describe a bug report, improvement, or feature requested by someone who is working on the project.
IPFS (InterPlanetary File System)
A protocol and peer-to-peer network for storing and sharing data in a distributed file system.
J
JSON-RPC
A remote procedure call protocol encoded in JSON, used to interact with nodes in a blockchain network.
K
KYC (Know Your Customer)
The process of a business verifying the identity of its clients, commonly used in the context of financial institutions.
L
Layer 2
A secondary framework or protocol built on top of an existing blockchain system, designed to solve its scalability and speed issues.
Ledger
A record of transactions maintained by a blockchain network, which is distributed and immutable.
M
Mainnet
It is a working blockchain that uses its own cryptocurrencies or tokens.
Middleware
It is software that acts as a bridge between an operating system or database and applications, especially on a network.
Mining
The process of validating and recording transactions on a blockchain network by solving complex cryptographic puzzles.
Multisig Wallet
A type of cryptocurrency wallet that requires multiple keys to authorize a transaction, enhancing security.
N
Node
A connection point in a network, in blockchain typically a computer that connects to a blockchain network.
Non-Fungible Token (NFT)
A type of cryptographic token on a blockchain that represents a unique asset or property.
O
Oracle
In blockchain, a way of bringing real-world data into a blockchain to interact with smart contracts.
P
Private Key
A secret number that allows a user to access their cryptocurrency funds, crucial for security in blockchain transactions.
Proof of Stake (PoS)
A type of consensus algorithm in blockchain networks where the creator of a new block is chosen via various combinations of random selection and wealth or age.
Public Key
It is a cryptographic key that is mathematically related to a private key within a key pair used in asymmetric encryption and decryption algorithms. It is shared publicly and is accessible to anyone on the network.
R
RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
A protocol that allows a program to cause a procedure (subroutine) to execute in another address space, commonly used in blockchain networks for communication between nodes.
RWA (Real World Asset)
They are physical or intangible assets that exist outside of the blockchain, such as real estate, gold, carbon credits, invoices, etc. These assets can be tokenized and brought to the chain.
RWAO (Real World Asset Operator)
This is the operator or owner of the RWA.
S
Serverless
It is a cloud execution model in which the cloud provider is responsible for executing a piece of code eliminating the need for the user to provision and manage a server.
Smart Contract
A self-executing contract with the terms of the agreement directly written into lines of code, which exist across a distributed, decentralized blockchain network.
Solidity
A programming language for writing smart contracts, primarily used for Ethereum.
Stablecoin
A token whose value is intended to remain stable. This can be done by pegging to another currency or token, or algorithmically. Many stablecoins peg to the US dollar, meaning that one token should always be redeemable for one US dollar.
T
TaPoS (Transaction as Proof of Stake)
TaPoS is used to ensure that a user fetches the recent state of the top of the blockchain to prove that they are aware of the state of the chain when signing a transaction. This helps to prevent certain forms of attacks, such as a replay attack where a malicious user tries to replay a transaction, despite the state of the associated accounts having already been changed.
Testnet
It is an exact replica of the original blockchain, with the same technology, software and functionalities. The only difference is that the transactions on the testnet are simulated and the coins on the testnet have no real value outside the testnet environment.
Token
A digital unit designed with utility in mind, providing access and use of a larger crypto-economic system.
Transactions
It is a combination of one or more actions. Usually the result of executing a smart contract.
Transaction Fee
In blockchain, a fee for conducting a transaction or executing a contract on the network, often related to the computational power required.
U
UI
The User Interface (UI) is the point of interaction between the user and a digital device or product.
UX
User Experience (UX) refers to the total experience of a user when using a product or service.
UXTO (Unspent Transaction Output)
A concept used in some blockchains, representing the amount of digital currency someone can spend.
V
Validator
In blockchain, especially in proof of stake systems, validators are responsible for maintaining the network and validating new transactions.
W
Wallet
A tool that allows users to interact
.svg){kind=small}
