Staking

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.

The process of using computational power to validate transactions and add new blocks to a proof-of-work blockchain.

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

A DeFi strategy where users provide liquidity to protocols in exchange for token rewards and interest.

Solutions built on top of a base blockchain that process transactions off the main chain to improve throughput and reduce fees while inheriting the security of the underlying network.

A blockchain interaction model where users specify desired outcomes rather than exact execution steps, with solvers competing to fulfil the intent optimally.

An uncollateralised loan in DeFi that must be borrowed and repaid within a single blockchain transaction.

The ability of different blockchain networks to communicate, share data, and transfer assets seamlessly, enabling cross-chain applications and unified digital asset ecosystems.

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