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
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 organizations 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 with 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
Alts
- Abbreviation - Short for Altcoins, 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, #SushiSwap, #Uniswap
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: #BAYC, #DYOR, #NFA, #Yuga Labs
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 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.
- See also: #Subnet
B
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
Bid
Bitcoin
Bitcoins
Bug Bounty
Buidl
- Slang
Bull Market
C
CC0
- Acronym -
Censorship
CEX
- Acronym -
Client
Collateral
Confirmed Transaction
D
DAI
- Ticker Symbol -
Decentralized
Digital Identity
Discord
Dropped Transaction
E
Escrow
Ethereum
F
Failed Transaction
Fantom
Fiat
Fractionalize
Frens
- Slang
Front-running
FUD
- Acronym -
G
GM
- Acronym -
H
Hackathon
Halving
Hexadecimal
Hierarchical Deterministic wallet
I
ICO
- Acronym -
IDO
- Acronym -
IEO
- Acronym -
Immutability
Infura
Internal transaction
IP
- Acronym -
IPFS
- Acronym -
J
K
Key
Know Your Customer
KYC
- Acronym -
L
L1
- Abbreviation -
L2
- Abbreviation -
Lambo
- Slang
Lamport
Layer 1
Layer 2
Light Client
Light Node
Liquidations
Liquidity
Liquidity Pool
Liquidity Provider
Locking
Loop Ring
M
Mainnet
Market Cap
Master Node
Max Fee Per Gas
Max Priority Fee
Maximal Extractable Value
Mempool
Mempool Explorer
Merge, The
Merkle Patricia trie
Merkle Root
Merkle Tree
Merkle trie
Mesh
MetaMask
Metaverse
MEV
- Acronym -
Miner Extractable Value
Mining
Mint/Minting
Mnemonic Phrase
Modular Blockchain
Monolithic Blockchain
Moon
- Slang
Multi-Sig Wallet
N
New York BitLicense
NFA
- Acronym -
NFT
- Acronym -
NFT Aggregator
NFT Marketplace
NGMI
- Acronym -
Nocoiner
- Slang
Node
Non-Custodial Wallet
Non-fungible
Nonce
O
Off-Chain
On-Chain
On-Ramp/Off-Ramp
Optimism
Optimistic Rollups
Oracle
Orphan Block
P
P2E
- Acronym -
P2P
- Acronym -
Paper Hands
- Slang
Peer-To-Peer
Pending Transaction
PFP
- Acronym -
PoA
- Acronym -
PoAP
- Acronym -
PoH
- Acronym -
Polygon
PoS
- Acronym -
PoW
- Acronym -
Private Blockchain
Private Key
Proof of Attendance Protocol
Proof of Authority
Proof of History
Proof of Stake
Proof of Work
Protocol
Public Key
Public Key Encryption
Pump and Dump
Q
R
Rekt
Replacement Transaction
Rinkeby
Rollup
Ropsten
Rug/Rug pull
- Slang
S
Satoshi Nakamoto
Satoshis
Secret Recovery Phrase
Seed Phrase
Ser
- Slang
SHA
- Acronym -
SHA-256
Sharding
Shill
Shitcoin
Sidechain
Slashing
Slippage
Smart Contract
Smart Contract Wallet
Sock Puppet
- Slang
Soft Fork
SOL
- Ticker Symbol -
Solana
Solidity
Speed Up Transactions
SPL
- Acronym -
Stablecoin
Staking
Stale Block
Stuck Transactions
Subnet
Swap
T
Testnet
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
Tokenomics
Total Value Locked
TPS
- Acronym -
Transaction
Transaction Fee
Transaction Hash
Transaction Pool
Trilemma
TVL
- Acronym -
Txn
- Abbreviation -
U
Up Only
- Slang
Utility
UX
- Acronym -
V
Validator
Vaporware
- Slang
VR
- Acronym -
W
WAGMI
- Acronym -
Wallet
Wallet Address
Web1
Web2
Web3
Web3 Domains
Wei
Wen
- Slang
Whale
- Slang
Wrapped Ethereum
Wrapped Token
X
xDAI Chain
Y
Yuga Labs
Z
Zero-Knowledge Proof
ZK-Rollup
zk-SNARK
zkSync
ZRX
- Ticker Symbol -