Algorithm
An unambiguous set of instructions used to solve a specified class of problems.
Crypto Glossary: 250+ Terms Explained
From Airdrops to Zero-Knowledge proofs, explore concise explanations and key insights for the terms that shape the digital asset economy.
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66 terms available
Topic Technical Concepts
A
5 definitionsAPI
Short for “Application Programming Interface.” It is a piece of code that enables interaction between software to enable various tasks…
APU
Accelerated Processing Unit. A term coined by the semiconductor manufacturer AMD, it offers a CPU and GPU integrated onto a…
ASIC
Application Specific integrated circuits. Computing units designed for use on a single algorithm providing high performance and power efficiency
Attack Surface
The entry points for unauthorized access into a system.
B
10 definitionsBEP-2
Short for “Binance Chain Evolution Proposal 2.” It defines a set of technical rules and specifications to create a new…
BEP-20
It is a token standard to use when transferring crypto assets from other chains to the Binance Smart Chain. It…
BEP-721
The technical standard to create non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Binance Smart Chain. It is an extension of Ethereum ERC-721,…
BEP-95
A Binance Evolution Proposal that introduces a real-time burning mechanism to Binance Smart Chain.
Beta
When used to indicate software status, it refers to an early test version of a program. Beta versions are released…
Block
Blocks are linearly arranged data structures that permanently record the transaction data on a blockchain.
Block Header
The section exists in each block that contains the information hashed when the block is mined. It is used to…
Blockchain
A system of recording information in chronological order on a decentralized distributed ledger.
Burned
A process where Cryptocurrencies remove stored tokens from the circulating supply.
Byzantine fault tolerance
A consensus mechanism that offers secure validation across a distributed set of data, stemming from information propagation theory labelled as…
C
4 definitionsCipher
An algorithm is used to encrypt and decrypt messages.
Consensus algorithm
Ensures that all users taking part in the minting process maintain the same version the chain, whilst preventing any single…
CPU
Central processing unit. A generalised processor used as the main ‘brains’ for a computer.
Cryptography
A science of using mathematical theories and computation to encrypt and decrypt information..
D
4 definitionsDAG
Directed Acyclical Graph. A data structure that flows in one direct, it allows for chains to sprawl out into multi-threaded…
Decryption
Reverting the encrypted data back to its readable version.
Digital Signature
A unique digital identifier that allows for a user to distinctly recognise and validate a file or transaction, usually through…
Distributed Ledger
A digital record of transactions that is maintained by a group of clients where changes and additions are verified across…
E
2 definitionsF
2 definitionsG
5 definitionsGeneral Public License
A type of license that allows users to copy and modify software.
Genesis Block
The first block of a blockchain, almost always hardcoded into the software clients — the only block in the chain…
GitHub
A website where teams can share their open-source codes.
Gossip Protocol
A procedure for peer-to-peer communication where nodes share the “gossip” of a transaction to their connected nodes.
GPU
Graphics Processing Unit. A specialized electronic circuit that utilizes a highly parallelized structure and high speed memory to rapidly process…
H
3 definitionsHard Fork
A software of protocol change that renders previous versions incompatible.
Hashing
The process of transforming data using a mathematical function into a value or key that is reprehensive of the original…
HTLC
Short for “Hashed TimeLock Contract.” A type of smart contract that reduces risk by creating a time-based escrow that unlocks…
I
1 definitionK
1 definitionL
4 definitionsLayer 0
The first layer of a blockchain which includes the necessary elements to build the chain itself, such as hardware for…
Layer 1
Refers to an operating blockchain.
Layer 2
Refers to a solution protocol built on the layer 1 blockchain. Layer 2 solutions usually aim at providing scalability and…
Ledger
A record-keeping system where the monetary and identity details of transactions are recorded anonymously.
M
5 definitionsMD5
A hashing function developed in 1992 due to known vulnerabilities predominately used for checksums and data validity.
Mempool
A node's mechanism for storing unconfirmed transactions.
Merkel Tree
Also known as a Hash Tree, is a data structure where every child node contains a hashing label of the…
Metadata
A data type that includes basic information about other data, such as its features or a transaction.
Moores law
An observational rule of thumb credited to Gordon Moore in 1965 stating that the density of integrated circuits will double…
N
1 definitionO
2 definitionsP
1 definitionQ
1 definitionR
1 definitionS
8 definitionsScrypt
A power efficient hashing algorithm that is more RAM intensive than SHA-256, it saw its debut in the cryptocurrency market…
SegWit
Short for “Segregated Witness.” This refers to separating transaction signatures from Bitcoin transactions to increase the number of transactions recorded…
SHA
Stands for Secure Hashing Algorithm: a standard of hashing algorithm developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the…
Sharding
A scalability solution for the Ethereum blockchain that validates the blockchain in a parallelised manner.
Skein
One of the five finalists of the NIST hash function competition, based on the Threefish tweakable block cypher. Skein allows…
Smart Contracts
A digital protocol used to facilitate and enforce the negotiation of a contract without use of a third party.
Soft fork
A change to the software or protocol that allows for backwards compatible with previous versions.
Solidity
A programming language based around EMCA Script and by extension JavaScript, created specifically for writing Smart contracts.
T
4 definitionsTangle
IOTA’s DAG based alternative to the blockchain data structure, aimed predominantly at the IoT sector. It provides high throughput and…
TestNet
An alternative blockchain running separate to the main chain used for developers to prototype software and updates to ensure stability…
Transaction ID (TXID)
A set of characters unique to each verified transaction on the blockchain.
Turing Complete
A system that can be used to solve any possible computational problem.
U
1 definitionZ
1 definitionNo matching terms
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