Glossary

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0x

1. Ethereum addresses begin with the "0x" prefix in order to specify that the characters should be interpreted as a hexadecimal number by smart contracts and other programs.

2. A decentralized exchange protocol. https://www.0xprotocol.org/

See also: #ZRX, #0x, #51% Attack, #Address, #Air Gap, #Airdrop, #Allowlist, #Alpha, #Altcoin

51% Attack

A takeover of more than 50% of the nodes or mining power of a network by a single individual, organization, or entity. Any person or group controlling the majority of the network can exclude valid transactions, include fraudulent transactions, and otherwise manipulate the blockchain history for their own gain.

A

Address

In the context of Cryptocurrency, an address is an alphanumeric string of characters representing the public half of a public/private key pair belonging to a specific user. Much like an email address, this identifier can be shared publicly, embedded in links, and presented as a QR code to other users in order to accept funds or assets on the respective blockchain.

A single user may have multiple addresses and their corresponding private keys across multiple blockchains and wallets. Cryptocurrency wallets in the form of software, browser extensions, apps, or hardware devices allow for the management of and access to addresses under a user’s control.

Services like the Ethereum Name Service (ENS) map human-friendly domain names to Ethereum addresses for a fee, allowing them to be more easily shared and remembered.

See also: #ENS, #Public Address, #Public Key, #Wallet Address

Air Gap

A security measure implemented to isolate a device or system physically, not connecting to other devices or the internet, adding another layer of protection between the sensitive data stored therein and potential hackers or malware.

See also: #Cold Wallet, #Hardware Wallet

Airdrop

A distribution method employed by projects or creators to send coins, tokens, or NFTs directly to users’s wallets. This distribution is often a reward for performing certain actions or meeting certain criteria, like completing simple tasks on social media, participating in community discussions or activities, or holding specific digital items during a certain timeframe.

Allowlist

A pre-approved list of accounts, users, or wallets, usually compiled in preparation for the release of an anticipated project. Limiting participation to a select few might be done to reward early adopters, or as an attempt to avoid bottlenecks created by an overwhelming influx of users trying to complete blockchain transactions simultaneously, which can cause technical issues and drive up transaction costs significantly, resulting in a negative experience for many.

Alpha

Slang

Most likely adopted from the practice of designating the initial phase of software testing "Alpha Testing," where the product is only available to internal users. In the context of web3, alpha refers to information regarding crypto products or projects that has not yet been divulged publicly. Informally, it can refer to any matter where there might be information not yet widely known: "What’s the alpha on your new neighbor?"

Altcoin

Originally used in reference to any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, this shortened version of “alternative coins” is often now more subjectively used. Many agree that Ethereum has graduated from this category with its widespread use and significant market cap.

See also: #Fork, #Shitcoin

Alts

Abbreviation - Short for #Altcoin, or in the context of social media, alias account profiles.

See also: #Sock Puppet

AML

Acronym - Anti-Money Laundering

Rules, regulations, laws, and practices established and enforced by financial regulatory agencies around the globe to prevent money laundering by criminals. Compliance includes verifying the identity of customers and collecting relevant information from them, as well as monitoring transaction patterns in order to identify and report suspicious activities. AML regulations may vary by country or jurisdiction.

See also: #BitLicense, #KYC

AMM

Acronym - Automated Market Maker

A platform, project, or exchange that eliminates the need for a traditional broker to set the price of an exchange between buyers and sellers by automating the process. This is accomplished by utilizing algorithmic pricing, liquidity pools, and smart contracts.

Decentralized tools that perform tasks related to AMM democratize markets by significantly increasing accessibility to trading cryptocurrencies, tokens, and NFTs. However, issues like insufficient liquidity and deceptive behavior by bad actors can, and often do, result in the loss of funds by participants.

See also: #DEX, #Liquidity, #Slippage

Anchor

Framework for the development of programs or smart contracts on the Solana network.

See also: #Smart Contract, #Solana

Ape

Slang

Possibly inspired by the meteoric rise in the popularity of the BAYC (Bored Ape Yacht Club) NFT project when it launched, “to ape in” describes the act of rushing to purchase a coin or NFT project without taking time to adequately research or investigate.

Since blockchain assets are often very volatile, many traders of web3 digital assets realize that some purchases are more of a gamble than an investment and do not assign much of a negative connotation to this term.

See also: #NFA, #DYOR, #NFT

API

Acronym - Application Programming Interface

A set of predefined programming standards and protocols that specify how applications communicate with another program. APIs encourage standardization across platforms, blockchains, and tools for a variety of online ecosystems, as well as automation that can provide real-time information to users in friendly formats.

AppChain

Abbreviation - Short for Application-Specific Blockchain.

A secondary or tertiary blockchain built to facilitate the scalability, modularity, and interoperability of a specific application or applications by providing an optimized and tailored environment. This environment is often built atop a primary network in order to take advantage of its security or consensus mechanisms.

See also: #Blockchain Trilemma, #Layer 1, #Layer 2, #Modular Blockchain, #Sidechain

AR

Acronym - Augmented Reality

Arbitrum

An Ethereum layer 2 blockchain network built as a scaling solution to alleviate congestion and reduce transaction fees.

See also: #Ethereum, #Layer 2, #Transaction Fee

Archival Nodes

Nodes that store a complete historical record of a blockchain's data, including all previous states and transactions, but do not necessarily validate blocks.

See also: #Blockchain, #Genesis Block, #Node

ASIC

Acronym - Application-Specific Integrated Circuit

Specialized hardware optimized for performing the calculations required to mine cryptocurrencies utilizing Proof of Work algorithms.

The use of ASICs is sometimes considered controversial, both in and out of web3, due to their high energy use and potential for centralization when concentrated in mining farms.

ATH

Acronym - All Time High

ATL

Acronym - All Time Low

Avalanche

An open-source platform including several blockchains built for fast transaction finality and high throughput. Networked blockchains are known as subnets and can define their own token economics, security, and execution logic.

AVAX is the native token of Avalanche.

https://docs.avax.network/

See also: #Subnet

AVAX

Ticker Symbol - The native token of Avalanche.

See also: #Avalanche

B

Bags

Slang

Refers to the digital assets one may be holding, often those one is willing to sell as soon as it is profitable to do so.

See also: #Holding A Bag/Holding Bags

Base Fee

An algorithmically determined dynamic transaction fee, typically referring to Ethereum. This fee is determined by the network itself to prevent sudden spikes and is adjusted based on network activity and congestion. Transaction fees are collected by miners as an incentive to validate and include transactions in each block, as well as secure the network.

See also: #Ethereum, #Gas, #Gas Estimator, #Gas Fees

Bear Market

A general and sustained downward trend of cryptocurrency and NFT prices, as well as market sentiment.

See also: #Bearish, #Bull Market

Bearish

Slang

Indicates a lack of conviction regarding a market, industry, project, or even individual item. A pessimistic outlook.

See also: #Bear Market, #Bullish

Bid

An offer made by a potential buyer during an auction. The programmable nature of cryptocurrencies and NFTs allows for automation of this process if the proper APIs or other tools are available on the auction platform.

BIP

Acronym - Bitcoin Improvement Proposal

A standard format for proposing, discussing, and implementing changes to Bitcoin protocols and standards.

https://github.com/bitcoin/bips/

See also: #Bitcoin

Bitcoin

An open-sourced, cryptographically secured, decentralized, peer-to-peer digital currency released in 2009 by a pseudonymous entity known only as Satoshi Nakamoto. The blockchain and network is always capitalized (“Bitcoin”), while the cryptocurrency is not (“bitcoin”). Bitcoins may be subdivided to eight decimal places, with the smallest unit known as a satoshi - 1 BTC = 100,000,000 satoshis.

The Bitcoin network is secured and transactions are validated through a Proof of Work system by miners around the globe, and as such, is not controlled by any individual, government, or organization. Miners are incentivized with rewards in the form of newly created bitcoins and transaction fees submitted by users.

The Bitcoin whitepaper: https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf

More info can be found at https://en.bitcoin.it/wiki/Bitcoin

BitLicense

Virtual currency regulation 23 NYCRR Part 200 issued by the New York Department of Financial Services in 2015. Any person or business conducting activities involving virtual currencies in the state of New York or involving a resident of New York can either apply for a BitLicense or for a charter.

https://www.dfs.ny.gov/virtual_currency_businesses

Block

A record of transactions added to a blockchain, along with information pertaining to the previous block. The “chain” of data results in a distributed ledger synced and validated by nodes tasked with securing and supporting the network.

See also: #Blockchain, #Blockchain Explorer, #Block Reward, #Mining

Block Explorer

A website, application, or tool that provides an interface to navigate and explore blockchain address and account information. This information may include, but is not limited to transaction history, transaction status, transaction value, timestamps, fees, sender and recipient addresses, block height, miner rewards, smart contract source code and historical data, network statistics, and block confirmation times.

Block explorers' are available for a variety of blockchains. Features and functionality will vary.

See also: #Block, #Blockchain

Block Height

The number of confirmed blocks preceding a particular block in a blockchain. Block height indicates how many blocks have been added to the blockchain since its genesis block, or block 0. Block height increases sequentially with each new block added and confirmed and is utilized by consensus mechanisms to confirm the valid and accepted version of the chain.

See also: #Block, #Blockchain

Block Reward

The incentive earned by miners or validators of a blockchain, usually in the form of newly minted cryptocurrency, transaction fees accumulated by the network, or both. Block rewards vary from blockchain to blockchain.

See also: #Blockchain, #Mining

Blockchain

A distributed ledger or database of information related to accounts and transactions of a particular cryptocurrency.

See also: #Block, #Block Explorer, #Private Blockchain

Blockchain Explorer

See #Block Explorer

Blockchain Trilemma

Coined by Vitalik Buterin, the blockchain trilemma refers to the challenge of simultaneously attempting to optimize a blockchain for decentralization, security, and scalability.

See also: #Blockchain

Blue Chip

A term commonly used to indicate a project or collection likely to retain a high value for the foreseeable future. Originally used in this manner for financially successful stocks, the phrase refers to blue poker chips, which typically have the greatest value.

See also: #NFT

BNB Chain

Originally named the Binance Smart Chain, BNB Chain was launched by Binance in 2020 as a blockchain network parallel to the Binance Chain. It utilizes the Binance Coin (BNB) as its native token for transaction fees, staking, and other functions. The chain was designed as a layer 1 solution with smart contracts and decentralized applications in mind.

See also: #Blockchain

Bored Ape Yacht Club

See BAYC

Sometimes shortened to simply "Bored Apes."

Brain Wallet

The practice of memorizing the mnemonic sequence of 12 to 24 words used to derive cryptocurrency private keys as a form of “cold” storage. If this seed phrase is not recorded elsewhere, cryptocurrency stored in this manner are lost forever if the owner dies, becomes permanently incapacitated, or simply forgets the phrase.

See also: #Cold Wallet, #Non-Custodial Wallet, #Wallet

Bridge

A protocol built to allow separate blockchains to communicate. By creating a connection in this manner, the ability to transfer data or digital assets from one chain to another becomes a possibility.

Sometimes used as a verb: to "bridge" a digital asset from one chain to another.

See also: #Blockchain

BTC

Ticker Symbol - Bitcoin

The native cryptocurrency of the Bitcoin network.

See also: #Bitcoin, #Exchange

Bug Bounty

A program offered to encourage individuals to report bugs in exchange for rewards or compensation.

Buidl

Slang

An intentional misspelling of the word "build" referencing the more infamous "hodl." In web3, it is often used to encourage community involvement and active development of the decentralization ecosystem.

Bull Market

A general and sustained upward trend of cryptocurrency and NFT prices, as well as market sentiment.

Bullish

Slang

Indicates a high level of conviction regarding a market, industry, project, or even individual item. An optimistic outlook.

See also: #Bearish, #Bull Market

Burn

The process of permanently removing tokens or coins from circulation by sending them to an inaccessible destination address.

See also: #Blockchain

Byzantine Fault Tolerance

The abilitity of a system to continue to operate as intended even if parts of the network are faulty or cannot be trusted.

See also: #Byzantine Generals Problem

Byzantine Generals Problem

A game theory scenario where consensus must be achieved in a decentralized system without the benefit of a trusted, centralized source.

See also: #Byzantine Fault Tolerance

Byzantium Fork

The planned upgrade to Ethereum that occurred in October 2017. This was a hard fork on the roadmap to transition from Proof of Work to Proof of Stake and the fifth major upgrade in Ethereum's history.

See also: #Ethereum, #Hard Fork

C

Cancel Transactions

A transaction submitted with the same nonce as a pending transaction but with a greater transaction fee attached, incentivizing miners to process it first, at which point the original transaction becomes invalidated and is dropped.

See also: #Replacement Transaction, #Stuck Transactions

CC0

Acronym - Creative Commons 0

A Creative Commons license to waive copyright or database protections to place works as completely as possible in the public domain.

https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/

CeFi

Abbreviation - Centralized Finance

See also: #DeFi

Censorship

The act of restricting, suppressing, or manipulating content, often by an authoritarian power.

Centralized

The concentration of power or decision-making abilities for a system under a small group or within a particular geographical location.

See also: #Centralized Exchange

Centralized Exchange

An exchange managed by a business, organization, or other entity with limited to no input from the wider ecosystem.

See also: #Centralized, #Decentralized Exchange

CEX

Acronym - #Centralized Exchange

Client

Software that acts as an interface between users and a blockchain network and usually includes a cryptocurrency wallet. Clients may also host nodes to help support the relevant network.

See also: #Node

Coin

A fungible token used as a store of value and medium of exchange within a particular blockchain ecosystem. Some may have specific utility, such as paying for transaction fees or participating in governance processes, and some are designed to maintain a stable value, but all of them may succumb to trading volatility or other instabilities. For these, and many other, reasons, anyone wishing to trade or invest is advised to do so only after sufficient research and understanding of the associated risks.

Sometimes used synonymously with "token."

See also: #Cryptocurrency, #Token, #Tokenomics, #Due Diligence, #DYOR, #NFA

Cold Wallet

A cryptocurrency wallet not connected to the internet. These may be hardware devices or any media that can be used to record private keys or seed phrases, like simple pen and paper. Cold wallets are typically used for long-term storage since extra steps are required to broadcast transactions to the network. Physical devices acting as cold wallets are still susceptible to theft, damage, or other types of loss.

See also: #Brain Wallet, #Hardware Wallet, #Wallet, #Wallet Address

Collateral

An asset provided as security for a loan in order to mitigate risk for the lender.

Confirmed Transaction

A transaction that has been validated and permanently added to a blockchain by network participants. Each confirmation increases the difficulty of reversing or changing the transaction details by attempting to submit an alternate block of transactions instead of the original.

See also: #Pending Transaction, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee, #Transaction Hash, #Transaction Pool

Consensus

The state of agreement by network participants on the validity and version of the synchronized blockchain. Consensus is arguably the most fundamental aspect of blockchain technology, ensuring the integrity and validity of transaction records.

See also: #Consensus Mechanism, #Node

Consensus Mechanism

The process by which network participants come to an agreement on the validity and integrity of all the transactions contained within a blockchain. Proof of Work (PoW) and Proof of Stake (PoS) are two well-known methods of achieving consensus.

See also: #Consensus, #Node

Consensys

Software company responsible for MetaMask and Infura.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ConsenSys

Constantinople Fork

The hard fork system upgrade of Ethereum which took place in 2019.

See also: #Ethereum, #Hard Fork

Contract

See #Smart Contract.

Cross-Chain

The interoperability or communication between otherwise isolated or independent blockchains. Protocols, applications, or smart contracts that facilitate the transfer of assets or data between chains are known as “bridges.”

See also: #Bridge

Crypto

Abbreviation - Greek prefix meaning “hidden.” The word “cryptocurrency” is derived from “cryptographic currency” since cryptocurrencies utilize cryptography to secure transactions. However, cryptographers often use this abbreviation to refer to their own field of study.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crypto_naming_controversy

See also: #Cryptocurrency, #Cryptography

Cryptocurrency

A digital or virtual currency that uses cryptographic techniques to secure transactions, control the creation of new units, and verify the transfer of assets. Cryptocurrencies are typically decentralized and operate on blockchain technology, utilizing a distributed and public ledger. Cryptocurrencies are created and secured through cryptographic algorithms that are maintained and confirmed in a process called mining, where a network of devices process and validate the transactions. This decentralized structure allows them to exist outside the control of governments and other central authorities.

See also: #Coin, #Token

Cryptographic Signature

A method of authenticating content, typically based on public-key cryptography, where a signer uses the private half of a key pair to generate a signature, and the recipient uses the corresponding public key to verify its authenticity.

See also: #Cryptography

Cryptography

The practice and study of techniques used to secure communication by encoding information so that it can only be deciphered by authorized recipients.

See also: #Crypto

Custodial Wallet

A cryptocurrency wallet in which a third party, such as a cryptocurrency exchange, holds the private keys that authorize and sign transactions. Custodial wallets shift the burden of responsibility and security to the third party, lowering the barrier to entry for many new cryptocurrency users. A certain amount of trust is required, however, since users are reliant on the custodian to take proper security precautions and implement reasonable policies regarding their assets and funds.

See also: #Non-Custodial Wallet, #Wallet

D

DAI

Ticker Symbol - Dai

A stablecoin on Ethereum pegged to the US dollar maintained and regulated by MakerDAO.

Formerly Sai or SAI

https://makerdao.com/

See also: #Stablecoin

DAO

Acronym - Decentralized Autonomous Organization

An entity where governance is typically facilitated through smart contracts and tokens that represent a membership or voting rights. DAOs typically have specific objectives or missions, and proposals, disbursements, or purchases involving treasury funds are voted on by members.

See also: #Decentralized

Dapp

Abbreviation - Decentralized Application

A software application that runs on a blockchain network, incorporating smart contracts to provide transparent and trustless functionality across a wide range of use cases.

See also: #Decentralized, #AppChain

Decentralized

Descriptor referring to a state where decision-making authority is distributed among multiple entities or individuals.

Decentralized Exchange

A cryptocurrency exchange operating without the need for a centralized intermediary, typically utilizing smart contracts to interact with a blockchain network. Limitations compared to centralized exchanges often include lower liquidity, fewer trading features, and limited recovery options in the case of a loss of funds or assets due to error, malicious behavior from bad actors, or code vulnerabilities.

See also: #DeFi, #DEX

DeFi

Abbreviation - Decentralized Finance

Main Article: DeFi

See also: #Decentralized, #DEX, #Degen

Degen

Slang

Short for “degenerate gambler.”

Anyone who enjoys buying, selling, or trading coins or NFTs for profit. Almost always used without negative connotation, despite its origin.

See also: #DeFi

DEX

Acronym - #Decentralized Exchange

Diamond Hands

Slang

The unwillingness to sell a coin or asset despite market turbulence, especially over a significant amount of time.

Sometimes indicated with emojis: 💎🙌

See also: #Degen, #Paper Hands

Difficulty

The concept of measuring the level of computing power needed to add a block of verified transactions to a blockchains utilizing Proof of Work mining.

See also: #Block, #Blockchain, #Blockchain Trilemma, #Proof of Work

Difficulty Bomb

The incentive introduced into the Ethereum network which encouraged migration from a Proof of Work consensus mechanism to Proof of Stake. Block verification became prohibitively expensive and difficult, facilitating the transition to PoS in order to improve the scalability and energy efficiency of the network.

See also: #Difficulty

Digital Identity

The representation of a person or entity online. Formed by associated data, actions and interactions performed, as well as information about them shared by others. Offline information such as a physical address may also be included if it can be associated with an online presence. Users may assume multiple identities or personas for various purposes and scenarios.

Digital Signature

See #Cryptographic Signature

See also: #Cryptographic Signature, #Cryptography

Discord

A social platform used for community management. Communities are delegated to “servers” and may be public or private. Servers are often organized into topic-based channels with access to communication tools like voice, video, and text chat, as well as direct messaging, the ability to upload and share media, and the connection of various external social media profiles.

https://discord.com/

Distributed Ledger

A database of transactions replicated and maintained by multiple participants in a decentralized manner, eliminating any single point of control or failure.

See also: #Blockchain

Double Spend

A blockchain fork created when a user sends the same blockchain assets to two different entities. These forks are prevented by consensus mechanisms put in place to verify and record transactions in order to maintain the integrity of the blockchain. In theory, if a malicious entity were to gain control of more than 50% of network miners or validators, transactions that would otherwise be considered invalid could be pushed through.

See also: #51% Attack, #Fork

Dropped Transaction

A transaction removed from a confirmation queue, and therefore not included in the relevant blockchain. Possible causes include an incorrect nonce, insufficient transaction fee, or other errors in the transaction data.

See also: #Confirmed Transaction, #Failed Transaction, #Nonce, #Pending Transaction, #Stuck Transactions, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee, #Transaction Hash

Due Diligence

The process of gathering and verifying information, assessing risks and opportunities, and confirming details or claims about a matter under consideration, often associated with a financial transaction.

Sometimes shortened to simply "DD."

See also: #DYOR, #NFA, #Rug/Rug Pull

DYOR

Acronym - Do Your Own Research

See also: #Due Diligence, #NFA, #Rug/Rug Pull

E

EIP

Acronym - Ethereum Improvement Proposal

A standard format for proposing, discussing, and implementing changes to Ethereum protocols and standards.

https://eips.ethereum.org/

See also: #Ethereum

EIP-1559

Ethereum Improvement Proposal 1559

An upgrade implemented as part of Ethereum’s London Fork in August 2021. The upgrade introduced a system of block-based fees and sender-specified max fees, replacing the existing gas limit.

See also: #EIP, #Ethereum, #London Fork

ENS

Acronym - Ethereum Name Service

A decentralized domain name system for Ethereum which enables users to register and manage human-readable domain names representing longer and more complex Ethereum hexadecimal addresses.

https://ens.domains/

See also: #Address, #Ethereum, #Public Address

EOA Transaction

Transactions between Externally Owned Accounts on the Ethereum network. Not to be confused with Internal Transactions, which involve smart contracts.

See also: #Ethereum, #Internal transaction

Epoch

A standardized unit of time in regard to a blockchain network, used as a frame of reference for miners and validators to have a synchronized understanding of when certain events occur.

See also: #Block, #Blockchain

ERC

Acronym - Ethereum Request for Comments

An application-level standard for Ethereum. These standards address different aspects of the Ethereum ecosystem, but often focus on how tokens are created, transferred, and interacted with on the blockchain.

See also: #Ethereum, #ERC-1155, #ERC-20, #ERC-721

ERC-1155

A multi-token Ethereum standard allowing the creation and management of fungible, semi-fungible, and non-fungible tokens by a single smart contract.

See also: #Ethereum, #ERC-20, #ERC-721

ERC-20

An Ethereum token standard defining the rules and functions specifically for fungible tokens, ERC-20 tokens may be used as cryptocurrency, utility tokens, governance tokens, and other digital assets,

See also: #Ethereum, #ERC-1155, #ERC-721

ERC-721

An Ethereum token standard defining the rules and functions specifically for non-fungible tokens, ERC-721 tokens may be used as collectibles, digital art, virtual real estate, in-game items, or other unique digital assets,

See also: #Ethereum, #ERC-1155, #ERC-20

Escrow

A neutral or trusted third party intermediary used to mitigate risk by holding funds or assets until certain conditions are met.

ETH

Ticker Symbol - Ether

The native crypocurrency of Ethereum.

See also: #Ethereum

Ethereum

A decentralized layer 1 blockchain platform proposed by Vitalik Buterin in 2013 and launched in 2018.

Main Article: Ethereum

Etherscan

A popular block explorer and analytics tool for the Ethereum blockchain which provides a comprehensive view of the network, and allows users to search and explore addresses, transactions, and other activity.

https://etherscan.io/

See also: #Block Explorer, #Ethereum, #Gas, #Transaction, #Transaction Hash

EVM

Acronym - Ethereum Virtual Machine

A Turing complete computation engine and runtime environment powering the Ethereum blockchain.

See also: #Ethereum, #Node, #Smart Contract

Exchange

An intermediary platform used to trade cryptocurrencies for conventional fiat (government-issued currency) or other digital assets.

See also: #CeFi, #DeFi

F

Failed Transaction

A blockchain transaction that fails to execute and is not validated or confirmed. This can happen for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to, insufficient gas, invalid data, or errors in smart contract code. ‘’’Failed transactions’’ can still consume gas fees even if they make no changes to the blockchain.

See also: #Confirmed Transaction, #Dropped Transaction, #Internal transaction, #Pending Transaction, #Stuck Transactions, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee

Fantom

A layer 1 blockchain launched in 2018 that utilizes Proof of Stake. It is intended to be an Ethereum alternative, and a scalable platform for enterprise applications and dapps.

See also: #Blockchain, #Dapp, #Ethereum, #FTM, #Layer 1

Faucet

An application, website, or tool that dispenses cryptocurrency or tokens, usually with little to no value, often distributed for use by developers on a test network.

See also: #Testnet

Fiat

Legal tender that is not backed by a tangible asset like gold or silver. Supply is controlled by the government or a central bank, adjusted in response to economic conditions and monetary policy.

Flippening, The

Slang

The name given to the hypothetical event in which the Ethereum market cap surpasses the Bitcoin market cap. Possibly inspired by the title of the film Highlander II: The Quickening.

See also: #Bitcoin, #Ethereum

FOMO

Acronym - Fear Of Missing Out

See also: #Degen

Fork

An alternate version of a blockchain that shares a common history but is modified due to a change in the underlying protocol. This is often intentionally provoked in order to apply upgrades to the network, and network supporters will abandon the older version for the improved chain.

See also: #Hard Fork, #Soft Fork

Fractionalize

The process of dividing a single digital asset into smaller units, where each piece is represented by a token that can then be bought or sold on a marketplace, exchange, or directly between users.

Frens

Slang

Friends

Front-running

The practice of executing a transaction ahead of others based on insider or advanced information to take advantage of price swings, liquidity imbalances, or arbitrage opportunities.

FTM

Ticker Symbol - Fantom

The native token of the Fantom network

See also: #Fantom

FUD

Acronym - Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt

Full Node

A computer or server that actively supports a blockchain network by maintaining a complete history of all past transactions and blocks, as well as independently verifying the legitimacy and integrity of transactions and blocks while relaying them to other nodes.

See also: #Archival Nodes, #Light Node, #Master Node, #Node

Fungible

Items such as goods or commodities that can be exchanged on a one-to-one basis without any loss of value between individual units. Examples include currencies and commodities like oil, wheat, or gold.

See also: #Fungible Token, #NFT, #Semi-fungible

Fungible Token

A digital asset that is divisible, uniform, and interchangeable on a one-to-one basis with other tokens or assets of the same type.

See also: #Fungible, #NFT, #Semi-fungible

G

GameFi

Abbreviation - Game Finance

Sometimes used synonymously with #Play-To-Earn, this term refers to the intersection of gaming and decentralized finance. Gamers are offered the ability to earn digital assets that can be bought, sold, or traded outside the game’s native ecosystem utilizing blockchain technology.

See also: #CeFi, #DeFi

Gas

Fees required to execute a transaction or interaction with a smart contract on the Ethereum network.

https://ethereum.org/en/developers/docs/gas/

See also: #Ethereum, #Gas Fees, #Transaction Fee

Gas Estimator

A tool or service used to inspect pending transactions for the Ethereum blockchain to provide information on the amount of gas that will be required to execute a transaction on the network.

See also: #Gas, #Gas Fees

Gas Fees

Fees required to execute a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain. These fees incentivize miners to validate blocks and verify and process transactions between users. Prices are determined based on the complexity of the transaction, as well as current network congestion and capacity.

See also: #Gas, #Gas Estimator, #Gas Limit, #Gas Price, #Max Fee Per Gas, #Transaction Fee

Gas Limit

The highest amount of gas a user authorizes to process a transaction on the Ethereum blockchain. These amounts are often calculated automatically by cryptocurrency wallets, but they may also be set manually by users. Inappropriate limits may result in gas consumption and a failed transaction, or overpayment for a successful transaction.

See also: #Gas Fees

Gas Price

Price that a user is willing to pay per unit of computational work in relation to executing a transaction on the Ethereum network. Along with the gas limit, this is used to determine the total cost of a transaction and is determined by the demand for block space, which can vary considerably based on network congestion.

See also: #Gas Fees

Generative Art

Art that involves the use of an autonomous system to determine certain features that the artist would otherwise determine. ‘’’Generative art’’’ often incorporates randomness and computational systems to represent a fusion of technology and creative expression.

See also: #NFT, #NFT Marketplace

Genesis Block

The first block of a new blockchain, and, as such, does not contain any reference to a previous block by design. This initial block records the initial state of the blockchain network and sets the stage for all future blocks and transactions.

See also: #Block, #Blockchain, #Block Explorer

GM

Acronym - Good Morning

GMI

Acronym - Gonna Make It

See also: #NGMI, #WAGMI

GNO

Ticker Symbol - The native token of the Gnosis chain.

See also: #Gnosis

Gnosis

An Ethereum layer 2 solution launched in 2017. ‘’’Gnosis’’’ is governed by its community via GnosisDAO and its staking and governance token, GNO.

See also: #Ethereum, #GNO, #Layer 2

Goerli

A community-run Proof of Authority Ethereum testnet network launched in 2019 that operates as a sidechain.

See also: #Proof of Authority, #Ethereum, #Testnet, #Mainnet

Gwei

One billionth (1/1,000,000,000) of one Ether (ETH), the native token of the Ethereum network, typically used when referencing gas prices.

See also: #Ethereum, #Gas Fees, #Wei

H

Hackathon

A portmanteau of “hack” and “marathon.” Participants work individually or in teams over a relatively short period of time, often competitively, on software or hardware projects.

Halving

A mechanism implemented in some cryptocurrencies, like Bitcoin, that controls the total supply, reducing by half the rate at which new coins are created. This event occurs at regular, predetermined intervals - after a certain amount of time has elapsed or after a certain number of blocks have been mined.

Hard Fork

A significant change to the rules and protocol of a blockchain network which splits the original blockchain into two separate chains, each following a different set of rules and protocols. Transactions and other interactions on one chain are not recognized by the other.

See also: #Fork, #Soft Fork

Hardware Wallet

A physical device intended to be kept offline in order to securely store the private keys used to access cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.

See also: #Cold Wallet, #Non-Custodial Wallet, #Wallet, #Wallet Address

Hash

A cryptographic, algorithmic function that takes a string of data and produces a unique identifier of a fixed size. ‘’’Hash’’’ functions are deterministic, meaning the same input will always produce the same output, allowing verification of data integrity.

See also: #Transaction Hash

Hash Rate

The total number of calculations per second performed by mining machines on a blockchain network utilizing Proof of Work.

See also: #Mining, #Proof of Work

Hashing

See #Hash.

HD Wallet

Abbreviation - #Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet

See also: #Wallet

Hexadecimal

A base 16 counting system using the numbers 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 and the letters A B C D E F.

Hierarchical Deterministic Wallet

A cryptocurrency wallet that can generate a series of cryptographic key pairs from a single seed, typically represented by a 12 or 24 word mnemonic key phrase. The algorithm used to derive cryptocurrency addresses from the seed is deterministic, meaning it will always generate the same sequence of keys and addresses from the same key phrase, allowing for easy recovery as long as the original phrase is provided.

Hodl

Slang

Misspelling of the word "hold" on the bitcointalk.org Bitcoin Forum in 2013. The phrase was adopted by the community to convey a sense of conviction in a digital asset despite any downward movement in price action.

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=375643.0

See also: #Diamond Hands

Holding A Bag/Holding Bags

Slang

Possessing digital assets, often with the connotation that they have depreciated in value, or at least not increased as much as anticipated.

See also: #Bags, #Degen, #Diamond Hands, #FOMO, #FUD, #Paper Hands

Hot Wallet

A cryptocurrency wallet connected to the internet used to manage access to private keys and the digital assets they control. ‘’’Hot wallets’’’ sacrifice some security for convenience since they are more vulnerable to hacks and malware than wallets kept offline.

See also: #Cold Wallet, #Non-Custodial Wallet, #Wallet

Hyperledger

An open-source ecosystem of tools, libraries, and products hosted by The Linux Foundation supporting the development of distributed ledger technologies.

https://www.hyperledger.org/

See also: #Blockchain, #Consensus Mechanism

I

ICO

Acronym - Initial Coin Offering

A crowdfunding method used by projects or companies to raise capital by selling coins or tokens. Regulatory agencies have increased scrutiny of ICOs, partly in response to the proliferation of fraud, as well as issues with compliance with securities laws.

See also: #Coin, #DeFi

IDO

Acronym - Initial DEX Offering

A crowdfunding method used by projects or companies to raise capital by selling coins or tokens through decentralized exchanges utilizing liquidity pools and smart contracts. By introducing these tools, IDOs are an attempt to provide a safer investor option than ICOs.

See also: #Decentralized Exchange, #DeFi, #ICO, #IEO

IEO

Acronym - Initial Exchange Offering

A crowdfunding method used by projects or companies to raise capital by selling coins or tokens through cryptocurrency exchanges, which act as intermediaries between projects and investors.

See also: #Exchange, #DeFi, #ICO, #IDO

Immutability

The state or quality of remaining the same over time, unchangeable, incapable of alteration or modification.

Internal Transaction

Transactions on the Ethereum network between smart contracts, or transactions from a smart contract to an externally owned address (EOA).

See also: #Ethereum, #Etherscan, #NFT Marketplace, #Smart Contract, #Transaction, #EOA Transaction

InterPlanetary File System

See #IPFS

IP

Acronym - Intellectual Property

IPFS

Acronym - InterPlanetary File System

An open-source protocol and network designed to provide a decentralized file storage and referencing system, enabling the storing and sharing of hypermedia in a distributed manner.

https://docs.ipfs.tech/

K

Key

In the context of web3, a key typically refers to a cryptographic key used for authentication and access control of digital assets in a blockchain network.

See also: #Private Key, #Public Key, #Public Key Encryption

Know Your Customer

See #KYC

KYC

Acronym - Know Your Customer

The practices required by law and regulatory agencies of centralized exchanges and other financial institutions to verify the identities and background information of their customers.

See also: #AML

L

L1

Abbreviation - #Layer 1

L2

Abbreviation - #Layer 2

Lambo

Slang

Lamborghini

Lamport

One billionth (1/1,000,000,000) of one SOL, the native token of the Solana network.

See also: #SOL, #Solana

Layer 1

A primary or foundational chain in a blockchain network, providing the fundamental infrastructure and core functionality.

See also: #AppChain, #Blockchain, #Layer 2, #Sidechain

Layer 2

A secondary framework built on top of an existing blockchain network in order to address scalability and performance limitations by processing transactions and storing data off the main blockchain but maintaining a connection to ensure data integrity and security.

See also: #AppChain, #Blockchain, #Layer 1, #Sidechain

Light Client

Software that acts as an interface between users and a blockchain network and usually includes a cryptocurrency wallet but does not store the entire blockchain history, thereby minimizing resource requirements.

See also: #Client

Light Node

A node that does not store the entire blockchain history, but can connect to full nodes to retrieve the necessary information to check the authenticity and integrity of transactions.

See also: #Node, #Full Node

Liquidity

The measure of how quickly an asset can be bought or sold efficiently in the market. Highly liquid items can be bought and sold quickly at a desirable valuation, while less liquid items may take more time and effort.

See also: #Liquidity Pool, #Liquidity Provider

Liquidity Pool

A reserve of funds provided by users of a decentralized exchange in order to provide liquidity, incentivized with rewards or benefits in relation to the amount of funds they supplied. Funds are controlled by a smart contract, which automates the process and removes the need for a central figure to control or oversee transactions.

See also: #Liquidity, #Liquidity Provider

Liquidity Provider

An individual or entity that supplies funds to a liquidity pool, facilitating trading in exchange for rewards or benefits in relation to the amount of funds they provided.

See also: #Liquidity, #Liquidity Pool, #LP

Locking

See #Staking

London Fork

A hard fork that occurred in August 2021 and a major upgrade to the Ethereum network, which introduced several changes meant to improve overall performance, address the issue of fluctuating and often high transaction fees, as well as moving the blockchain one step closer to shifting from a Proof of Work to a Proof of Stake consensus mechanism.

See also: #Ethereum, #Hard Fork, #Proof of Stake, #Proof of Work

Loopring

An open-source layer 2 protocol and decentralized exchange built on top of Ethereum, leveraging zero-knowledge proofs and zkRollups to enable significantly more trades per second.

See also: #Decentralized Exchange, #Ethereum, #Layer 2, #Zero-Knowledge Proof, #ZK-Rollup

LP

Acronym - #Liquidity Provider

M

Mainnet

See also: #Testnet

Market Cap

Master Node

See also: #Node

Max Fee Per Gas

See also: #Gas Fees, #Transaction Fee

Max Priority Fee

See also: #Gas Fees, #Transaction Fee

Maxi

Slang

Maximal Extractable Value

See also: #Maximal Extractable Value, #MEV

Mempool

See also: #Mempool Explorer

Mempool Explorer

See also: #Mempool

Merge, The

See also: #Ethereum, #Proof of Stake, #Proof of Stake

Merkle Patricia Trie

See also: #Merkle Tree

Merkle Root

See also: #Merkle Tree

Merkle Tree

See also: #Merkle Patricia Trie

Merkle Trie

Mesh

MetaMask

See also: #Consensys

Metaverse

MEV

Acronym -

Miner Extractable Value

Mining

See also: #Proof of Work

Mint/Minting

See also: #NFT

Mnemonic Phrase

See also: #Brain Wallet, #Wallet

Modular Blockchain

See also: #Blockchain, #Monolithic Blockchain

Monolithic Blockchain

See also: #Blockchain, #Modular Blockchain

Moon

Slang

Multi-Sig Wallet

See also: #Wallet

N

New York BitLicense

See #BitLicense

NFA

Acronym - Not Financial Advice

See also: #Due Diligence, #DYOR

NFT

Acronym - Non-Fungible Token

Main article: NFTs

See also: #Non-fungible, #Semi-fungible

NFT Aggregator

See also: #NFT, #NFT Marketplace

NFT Marketplace

See also: #NFT, #NFT Aggregator

NGMI

Acronym - Not Gonna Make It

See also: #GMI, #WAGMI

Nocoiner

Slang

Node

See also: #Archival Nodes, #Full Node, #Light Node, #Master Node

Non-Custodial Wallet

See also: #Custodial Wallet, #Wallet

Non-fungible

See also: #Fungible, #NFT, #Semi-fungible

Nonce

O

Off-Chain

See also: #Blockchain, #On-Chain

On-Chain

See also: #Blockchain, #Off-Chain

On-Ramp/Off-Ramp

See also: #Exchange

Optimism

See also: #Ethereum, #Layer 2

Optimistic Rollups

See also: #Optimism

Oracle

Orphan Block

See also: #Block, #Stale Block

P

P2E

Acronym - Play To Earn

P2P

Acronym - Peer-To-Peer

See also: #Peer-To-Peer

Paper Hands

Slang

See also: #Ape, #Diamond Hands, #FOMO

Peer-To-Peer

Pending Transaction

See also: #Speed Up Transactions, #Stuck Transactions, #Transaction

PFP

Acronym - Profile Picture

See also: #NFT

PoA

Acronym - Proof of Authority

See also: #Proof of Authority

PoAP

Acronym - Proof of Attendance Protocol

See also: #Proof of Attendance Protocol

PoH

Acronym - Proof of History

See also: #Proof of History

Polygon

See also: #Ethereum, #Layer 2

PoS

Acronym - Proof of Stake

See also: #Proof of Stake

PoW

Acronym - Proof of Work

See also: #Proof of Work

Private Blockchain

See also: #Blockchain

Private Key

See also: #Cryptographic signature, #Cryptography, #Public Key, #Public Key Encryption

Proof of Attendance Protocol

Proof of Authority

See also: #Proof of History, #Proof of Stake, #Proof of Work

Proof of History

See also: #Proof of Authority, #Proof of Stake, #Proof of Work

Proof of Stake

See also: #Proof of Authority, #Proof of History, #Proof of Work

Proof of Work

See also: #Proof of Authority, #Proof of History, #Proof of Stake

Protocol

Public Address

See also: #Address, #Cryptographic signature, #Cryptography, #Public Key, #Public Key Encryption, #Private Key

Public Key

See also: #Address, #Cryptographic signature, #Cryptography, #Public Address, #Public Key Encryption, #Private Key

Public Key Encryption

See also: #Address, #Cryptographic signature, #Cryptography, #Public Address, #Public Key, #Private Key

Pump and Dump

See also: #FOMO, #Rekt, #Rug/Rug Pull

R

Rekt

Slang

Wrecked

See also: #Rug/Rug Pull

Replacement Transaction

See also: #Cancel Transactions, #Pending Transaction, #Speed Up Transactions, #Stuck Transactions, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee

Rinkeby

See also: #Ethereum, #Proof of Authority, #Testnet

Rollup

See also: #Arbitrum, #Optimism, #Optimistic Rollups, [[#ZK-Rollup

]]

Ropsten

See also: #Ethereum, #Testnet

Rug/Rug Pull

Slang

See also: #Pump and Dump, #Rekt

S

Satoshi Nakamoto

See also: #Bitcoin, #Blockchain

Satoshis

See also: #Bitcoin, #Bitcoins, #Satoshi Nakamoto

Secret Recovery Phrase

See also: #Private Key, #Seed Phrase

Seed Phrase

See also: #Private Key, #Secret Recovery Phrase

Semi-fungible

See also: #Fungible, #Non-fungible, #NFT

Ser

Slang

Sir

SHA

Acronym - Secure Hash Algorithm

See also: #Bitcoin, #Hashing, #Mining

SHA-256

See also: #SHA

Sharding

Shill

Shitcoin

See also: #Altcoin

Sidechain

See also: #AppChain, #Blockchain, #Layer 1, #Layer 2

Slashing

Slippage

See also: #Liquidity Pool

Smart Contract

See also: #Smart Contract Wallet

Smart Contract Wallet

See also: #Smart Contract

Sock Puppet

Slang

See also: #Alts

Soft Fork

See also: #Fork, #Hard Fork

SOL

Ticker Symbol - Solana

See also: #Solana

Solana

See also: #Lamport, #SOL

Solidity

See also: #Ethereum, #Smart Contract

Speed Up Transactions

See also: #Cancel Transactions, #Failed Transaction, #Pending Transaction, #Replacement Transaction, #Stuck Transactions, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee

SPL

Acronym - Solana Programming Language

See also: #Solana

Stablecoin

See also: #Coin, #Cryptocurrency, #DeFi

Staking

See also: #DeFi, #Locking, #TVL, #Total Value Locked

Stale Block

See also: #Block, #Orphan Block

Stuck Transactions

See also: #Cancel Transactions, #Failed Transaction, #Pending Transaction, #Replacement Transaction, #Speed Up Transactions, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee

Subnet

See also: #Avalanche

SushiSwap

See also: #DeFi, #Decentralized Exchange, #Swap, #Uniswap

Swap

See also: #DeFi, #Decentralized Exchange, #SushiSwap, #Uniswap

T

Testnet

See also: #Faucet, #Mainnet

Ticker Symbol

A unique combination of letters representing assets, stock, or cryptocurrencies on various exchanges. Often limited to three letters, but may be longer.

Token

See also: #Coin, #Cryptocurrency, #NFT, #Tokenomics, #Wrapped Token

Tokenomics

See also: #Token

Total Value Locked

TPS

Acronym - Transactions Per Second

Transaction

See also: #Block Explorer, #Transaction Fee, #Transaction Hash, #Transaction Pool

Transaction Fee

See also: #Gas, #Gas Estimator, #Gas Fees, #Gas Limit, #Gas Price, #Max Fee Per Gas

Transaction Hash

See also: #Block Explorer, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee, #Transaction Pool

Transaction Pool

See also: #Block Explorer, #Transaction, #Transaction Fee, #Transaction Hash

Trilemma

See #Blockchain Trilemma

TVL

Acronym - Total Value Locked

Txn

Abbreviation - Transaction

U

Uniswap

See also: #DeFi, #Decentralized Exchange, #Swap, #SushiSwap

Up Only

Slang

Utility

See also: #NFT

UX

Acronym - User Experience

V

Validator

See also: #Full Node, #Master Node, #Node

Vaporware

Slang

VR

Acronym - Virtual Reality

W

WAGMI

Acronym - We're All Gonna Make It

Wallet

See also: #Brain Wallet, #Cold Wallet, #Custodial Wallet, #Hardware Wallet, #HD Wallet, #Hot Wallet, #Multi-Sig Wallet, #Smart Contract Wallet, #Wallet Address

Wallet Address

See also: #Wallet

Web1

See also: #Web2, #Web3

Web2

See also: #Web1, #Web3

Web3

See also: #Web1, #Web2, #Web3 Domains

Web3 Domains

See also: #Web3

Wei

See also: #Ethereum, #Gas, #Gwei

Wen

Slang

When

WETH

Ticker Symbol - Wrapped ETH

See also: #Wrapped Ethereum, #Wrapped Token

Whale

Whitelist

Deprecated. See #Allowlist

Wrapped Ethereum

See also: #Ethereum, #Wrapped Token

Wrapped Token

See also: #Ethereum, #Wrapped Ethereum

X

xDAI Chain

See also: #Blockchain, #DAI

Y

Yuga Labs

See also: #BAYC, #CryptoPunks

Z

Zero-Knowledge Proof

ZK-Rollup

See also: #Ethereum, #Rollup, #Zero-Knowledge Proof

zk-SNARK

Acronym - Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-interactive Argument of Knowledge

See also: #Zero-Knowledge Proof

zkSync

See also: #Zero-Knowledge Proof

ZRX

Ticker Symbol - 0x Protocol

https://0x.org/

See also: #0x