Hash Function

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.

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.

Decentralised Application

An application that runs on a decentralised peer-to-peer network rather than a single centralised server.

A collection of funds locked in a smart contract that provides liquidity for decentralised trading and lending.

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

A separate blockchain connected to a main chain through a two-way bridge, allowing assets to move between them.

The vision of a decentralised internet built on blockchain technology, giving users ownership and control of their data.

Financial services built on blockchain technology that operate without traditional intermediaries like banks or brokerages.

Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge — a compact zero-knowledge proof requiring no interaction between prover and verifier.

The runtime environment for executing smart contracts on the Ethereum blockchain network.

An offline cryptocurrency storage solution disconnected from the internet for maximum security.