Decentralised Storage

Blockchain

A distributed, immutable digital ledger that records transactions across a network of computers without a central authority.

Distributed Ledger Technology

A digital system for recording, sharing, and synchronising data across multiple sites without a central administrator.

Consensus Mechanism

The method by which a distributed network agrees on the current state of the ledger and validates transactions.

Proof of Work

A consensus mechanism requiring computational effort to validate transactions and create new blocks, used by Bitcoin.

Proof of Stake

A consensus mechanism where validators are selected based on the amount of cryptocurrency they hold and stake.

Delegated Proof of Stake

A consensus mechanism where token holders vote for delegates who validate transactions on their behalf.

Byzantine Fault Tolerance

The ability of a distributed system to reach consensus despite some nodes acting maliciously or failing.

Merkle Tree

A hash-based data structure that efficiently verifies the integrity and consistency of large sets of data.

Hash Function

A mathematical function that converts input data of any size into a fixed-size output, used extensively in blockchain security.

Cryptographic Hash

A one-way function producing a fixed-length output that is computationally infeasible to reverse or find collisions for.

Public Key Cryptography

An encryption system using mathematically linked key pairs — a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

Digital Signature

A cryptographic mechanism that verifies the authenticity and integrity of digital messages or documents.

A blockchain node that downloads and validates every block and transaction against the complete set of consensus rules.

The maximum profit that can be extracted from block production by reordering, inserting, or censoring transactions, a fundamental economic phenomenon in blockchain networks.

A blockchain token where each unit is identical and interchangeable with any other unit of the same token.

A Layer 2 scaling solution using zero-knowledge proofs to validate off-chain transactions on the main blockchain.

A Layer 2 scaling solution that executes transactions off-chain and posts compressed transaction data to the main chain.

Scaling solutions built on top of a base blockchain that process transactions off-chain while inheriting security from the main chain.

A cryptocurrency wallet connected to the internet for convenient but less secure asset management.

Physical or traditional financial assets such as real estate, commodities, and securities that are represented as digital tokens on a blockchain for improved liquidity and accessibility.