Crypto & Web3
Glossary

The temporary loss of funds experienced by liquidity providers in automated market makers (AMMs) due to volatility in the paired assets. It occurs when the price ratio of deposited...

A distributed, decentralized digital ledger that records transactions across many computers in a way that makes it nearly impossible to alter retroactively.

The first and most well-known cryptocurrency, created in 2009 by an anonymous person or group using the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto.

Decentralized Finance - financial services built on blockchain technology that operate without traditional intermediaries like banks.

Non-Fungible Token - a unique digital asset that represents ownership of a specific item like art, music, or collectibles on a blockchain.

Decentralized Autonomous Organization - an organization represented by rules encoded as a computer program that is transparent and controlled by organization members.

A distribution of cryptocurrency tokens or coins to numerous wallet addresses, often used as a marketing strategy or to reward loyal users.

The process by which nodes in a blockchain network agree on the current state of the ledger, ensuring all copies are synchronized.

Self-executing contracts with the terms directly written into code, automatically enforcing and executing when predetermined conditions are met.

A shared database maintained across multiple computers, where every participant holds a copy and updates are confirmed by the network instead of a single authority.

A bundle of verified transactions added to a blockchain, including transaction data, a timestamp, and a cryptographic link to the previous block.

The total number of blocks added to a blockchain since it started, used to identify a block's position in the chain.

A tool that lets users view blockchain activity in real time, including wallet balances, transactions, fees, and confirmations.

A fixed-length output created from input data using a cryptographic function, used to secure blockchain data and detect tampering.

The use of mathematical techniques to secure information, sign messages, and verify ownership in blockchain systems.

A computer connected to a blockchain network that helps maintain or verify the ledger.

A network participant that verifies transactions and helps add new blocks, typically in proof of stake systems.

The process of using computational power to validate transactions and create new blocks, most commonly in proof of work systems.

A consensus mechanism where validators secure the network by staking digital assets as collateral.

A consensus mechanism where miners compete using computational power to validate blocks and secure the network.

The point at which a blockchain transaction is considered permanent and irreversible.

A change in a blockchain's protocol or transaction history that creates a split in network rules.

A blockchain upgrade that is not backward-compatible, potentially creating a permanent split between old and new chains.

A backward-compatible blockchain update where older nodes can still recognize the chain even without enforcing new features.

The very first block in a blockchain, serving as the starting point of the ledger.

The base blockchain network that processes transactions and maintains security through its native consensus and ledger.

A scaling solution built on top of a Layer 1 blockchain to improve speed and reduce fees while inheriting base-layer security.

A digital form of value that operates on blockchain networks rather than through banks, used for payments, investment, or network participation.

Any asset that exists in digital form and carries value or utility, including coins, tokens, stablecoins, and NFTs.

A digital asset created on top of an existing blockchain rather than running its own base chain, used for governance, utility, or rewards.

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, ranging from payment-focused coins to smart contract platforms and DeFi assets.

A digital asset designed to maintain stable value relative to a reference asset, usually a fiat currency like the US dollar.

The amount of a specific digital asset that exists or may eventually exist, including circulating, total, or maximum supply.

The process of creating new tokens on a blockchain, increasing supply.

The permanent removal of tokens from circulation, often used to reduce supply or control inflation.

The cost paid to process a transaction or execute an action on a blockchain, paid to validators or miners.

A public identifier used to send or receive digital assets on a blockchain, similar to an account number but decentralized.

A cryptographic key used to receive funds and verify digital signatures, mathematically linked to a private key.

A secret cryptographic key that gives full control over a wallet and its assets, used to sign transactions.

A backup phrase, usually a series of words, that can restore a wallet and its private keys if lost.

A wallet where a third party, like an exchange, controls the private keys on the user's behalf.

A wallet where the user holds their own private keys and has direct control over their assets.

A pool of tokens locked in a smart contract used to support trading or other DeFi activity, replacing traditional order books.

The practice of moving assets into DeFi protocols to earn rewards, interest, or fees, often by providing liquidity.

Locking digital assets into a network or protocol to support security or participation, often earning rewards in return.

A reward system that pays users for providing assets to a DeFi protocol, often used to bootstrap new pools.

A protocol that uses smart contracts and liquidity pools to price trades, allowing direct token swaps without an order book.

A decentralized exchange where users swap assets directly from their wallets, without a central platform custodying funds.

A tool that searches across multiple decentralized exchanges to find the best price and routing for a trade.

A DeFi platform where users deposit assets and earn yield by supplying liquidity to borrowers, managed by smart contracts.

A DeFi platform where users borrow digital assets by posting other assets as collateral, managed automatically by smart contracts.

An asset pledged to secure a loan or position, common in DeFi where crypto is locked before borrowing another token.

Depositing collateral worth more than the value of the asset being borrowed, common in DeFi to manage volatility risk.

The total value of a cryptocurrency, calculated by multiplying its price by circulating supply.

The number of tokens currently available in the market, excluding locked, burned, or unreleased tokens.

An estimate of a project's value if all possible tokens were already in circulation, calculated using current price and maximum supply.

The collection of digital assets an investor holds, which may include coins, tokens, stablecoins, or NFTs.

A period when prices trend upward and market sentiment becomes optimistic, often attracting new participants and rising liquidity.

A period of declining prices and weaker market sentiment, often following excess speculation.

The repeating pattern of expansion, peak, contraction, and recovery that financial markets move through over time.

How quickly and dramatically an asset's price changes over time, a defining feature of crypto markets.

The amount of an asset bought and sold during a given period, often used to gauge market activity and liquidity.

The study of price charts, patterns, and indicators to evaluate market behavior and predict short-term trends.

Evaluating a crypto project based on its technology, utility, adoption, and token design rather than price action.

How easily an asset can be bought or sold without causing a major price change.

Software that runs on blockchain networks using smart contracts instead of relying on centralized servers.

Short for decentralized application, software that connects users to blockchain-based services through smart contracts.

An internet model built on decentralized networks, digital ownership, and blockchain-based identity, giving users more control over their assets and data.

A wallet designed to connect directly to decentralized applications, storing private keys and signing onchain transactions.

A formal review of smart contract code to identify vulnerabilities, design flaws, and risks before deployment.

A service that brings external data, like prices or events, into a blockchain so smart contracts can use real-world information.

A system that allows assets or data to move between different blockchains, connecting otherwise isolated ecosystems.

Technical rules that define how tokens behave on a blockchain, ensuring compatibility across wallets, exchanges, and dApps.

Web3 systems that let users prove who they are or what they control online, often tied to wallets or decentralized credentials.

A platform where users can buy, sell, mint, or list non-fungible tokens, typically with wallet integration and metadata display.

The process of creating a new blockchain asset, often used in the context of generating a new NFT onchain.

Payments creators may receive when an NFT is resold, typically programmed into the token or marketplace.

Descriptive information attached to an NFT, including its name, image, traits, and file links.

The ability to prove control over an asset or record online, made possible by transparent blockchain records.

A digital asset that gives holders a role in voting on protocol upgrades, treasury decisions, or community direction.

Decision-making systems where votes are submitted and recorded directly on the blockchain through smart contracts.

Decision-making that happens outside the blockchain, usually in forums or communities before changes are implemented onchain.

A formal suggestion for changing a protocol, allocating treasury funds, or adjusting community rules, typically submitted for governance voting.

The process a DAO or protocol uses to collect and count governance decisions, often based on token ownership or delegated votes.

The practices, tools, and systems used to protect blockchain assets and activity, including wallets, smart contracts, and user awareness.

A scam where developers or insiders remove liquidity or abandon a project after attracting funds, leaving holders with worthless tokens.

A DeFi exploit where an attacker uses a large uncollateralized loan to manipulate a protocol's pricing or logic within a single transaction.

An attack where one participant or group controls most of a network's validation power and can censor or reorganize transactions.

A smart contract exploit where a function is repeatedly called before its first execution finishes, often used to drain funds.

Practices for protecting the secret key that controls a wallet's assets, since exposure usually means permanent loss of funds.

Keeping private keys offline rather than connected to the internet, reducing exposure to online threats.

A physical device that stores private keys in an isolated environment and signs transactions without exposing them online.

Assets whose ownership or access rights are represented as blockchain-based tokens.

Physical or traditional financial assets, like real estate or bonds, represented onchain as tokens.

Cryptographic methods that let one party prove something is true without revealing the underlying data, used in privacy and scaling.

Layer 2 scaling systems that bundle many transactions together and settle them on a base blockchain to reduce congestion and fees.

Separate blockchains connected to a main chain through bridges, processing transactions independently while interacting with the broader ecosystem.

The ability of different blockchains or systems to communicate and exchange data or assets across ecosystems.