142 terms explained in plain language. No jargon overload — just the definitions you need to navigate crypto safely.
Last updated: Mar 5, 2026
A wallet design where smart contracts control accounts to enable better UX and security.
A distribution of tokens to users, often based on eligibility criteria.
A DEX mechanism that uses liquidity pools and formulas instead of order books.
A credential used to authenticate requests to an API service.
Profiting from price differences across venues or pools.
A visual model showing components and trust assumptions of a protocol.
All components that could be exploited or misconfigured.
A third-party review of smart contracts for vulnerabilities.
The exact code and components included in an audit.
Proving identity to access a system or API.
Permission rules determining what an authenticated actor can do.
The primary blockchain settlement layer (e.g., Ethereum).
Combining multiple actions into one transaction.
Ethereum’s consensus layer introduced for Proof of Stake.
An asset controlled solely by whoever holds the keys.
A bundle of transactions added to a blockchain.
A tool to view on-chain transactions, addresses, and contracts.
Average time between blocks on a chain.
Locking stake that can be slashed if rules are violated.
A system that transfers assets or messages between chains.
How confidently a cross-chain transfer is considered settled.
Available funds to fulfill transfers in a liquidity-based bridge.
A program that rewards reporting vulnerabilities.
Input data included in a transaction to call a contract function.
A bridge endorsed by a chain’s core team for moving assets to its L2 or sidechain.
Resistance to transaction filtering or blocking.
A blockchain network with its own rules, validators, and state.
A unique identifier for an EVM-compatible network.
A change to recent blocks when a longer chain becomes canonical.
A public reporting platform for scams and fraud in crypto.
An address format that includes case-based error detection.
A wallet that keeps keys offline.
A transaction being included in a block and followed by additional blocks.
Rules and mechanisms for agreeing on the blockchain state.
Publishing source code that matches deployed bytecode on an explorer.
A wallet where a provider controls keys on behalf of the user.
Who controls the private keys to assets.
A governance structure where token holders vote on protocol decisions.
Guarantee that transaction data is accessible to verify state transitions.
Financial services built on smart contracts without traditional intermediaries.
Assigning voting power to another address.
Risk introduced by relying on external systems like oracles, relayers, or bridges.
A token representing a claim on underlying assets or yield.
A tool that routes swaps across venues to find best execution.
Spending the same funds twice via reorgs or settlement failure.
Periods when a chain or service is unavailable or degraded.
A network plus its tools, apps, and infrastructure providers.
Ethereum Improvement Proposal—specification for protocol or token standard changes.
A fee mechanism introducing base fee burning and optional tips.
A naming system mapping human-readable names to addresses.
Externally Owned Account controlled by a private key on EVM chains.
A token standard supporting both fungible and non-fungible assets in one contract.
The standard interface for fungible tokens on Ethereum-compatible chains.
A standard enabling account abstraction without changing Ethereum consensus.
The standard interface for non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
When a team abandons a project after taking user funds or liquidity.
A successful attack that abuses a vulnerability to steal or manipulate funds.
A service that provides small amounts of testnet tokens.
The point after which a transaction is extremely unlikely to be reversed.
A loan borrowed and repaid within a single transaction.
A system that helps manage MEV and private transaction submission.
A divergence in blockchain rules or history.
A mechanism to challenge invalid rollup state transitions.
Placing a transaction ahead of another to profit from ordering.
Fees paid to execute transactions and computations on-chain.
Decision-making processes for protocol parameters and upgrades.
Malicious proposals or voting capture used to change protocol rules.
A token that provides voting rights in a protocol.
A common unit for expressing Ethereum gas prices.
A rule change that is not backward-compatible.
A keyed hash used to authenticate and integrity-check messages.
A wallet with keys on an internet-connected device.
Structured data describing step-by-step instructions for search engines.
A loss compared to holding assets when providing AMM liquidity.
A service that processes blockchain data into queryable formats.
A bridge design where solvers fulfill user intents rather than direct lock/mint transfers.
Instant Payment Notification sent by a payment provider to confirm status changes.
A base blockchain that provides consensus and settlement (e.g., Ethereum).
A network built on top of a base chain to improve scalability and lower fees.
How easily an asset can be traded or transferred without moving price.
A bridge that uses pooled liquidity on each chain rather than wrapping.
A smart contract holding pooled tokens used for swaps, lending, or bridging.
A user who deposits assets into a pool to enable trading or services.
A system’s ability to keep processing transactions and making progress.
Liquid Staking Token representing staked assets plus rewards.
Token price multiplied by circulating supply.
A queue of pending transactions not yet included in a block.
Maximal Extractable Value—profit from controlling transaction ordering.
A technique to bundle multiple contract calls into one transaction.
A wallet requiring multiple approvals to execute actions.
Risk that a pegged asset deviates from its intended value (e.g., stablecoins).
A signature-based approval mechanism to avoid separate approve transactions.
Tricking users into revealing keys or signing malicious transactions.
A secret used to control a blockchain account and sign transactions.
Consensus where validators stake assets to secure the network.
A governance item submitted for voting and execution.
A cap on how many requests a client can make in a time window.
An actor that submits messages or proofs to another chain.
Reusing a signed transaction across chains or contexts where it becomes valid again.
A gateway service that lets apps read and write to a blockchain.
A scam where liquidity or treasury funds are removed, collapsing value.
MEV attack that brackets a user swap to extract value via price movement.
A set of words that can restore a wallet’s private keys.
Users controlling their own keys without a custodian.
The point at which transfers and state changes are considered final.
A separate chain connected to another via a bridge, with its own security model.
Cryptographic proof that a wallet authorized a message or transaction.
Penalty that removes part of a validator’s stake for misbehavior.
Difference between expected and executed price due to liquidity and volatility.
A program deployed on-chain that can hold assets and execute logic.
A wallet implemented as a smart contract, enabling custom security and UX.
A recorded state used for voting or eligibility decisions.
A token designed to track a stable value (usually USD).
Locking tokens to support network security or protocol operations for rewards.
The current data of a blockchain including balances and contract storage.
An indexed dataset for querying blockchain events (commonly via The Graph).
Defenses against one actor controlling many identities to game systems.
A delay before governance actions execute.
A digital asset issued on a blockchain representing value or rights.
How token supply is allocated across teams, investors, and community.
A signed instruction that changes blockchain state.
Previewing what a transaction will do before signing.
Explicit statements about which parties or components must behave honestly.
Total Value Locked—capital deposited in a protocol.
Software or hardware that manages keys and signs transactions.
An HTTP callback triggered by an event, used for automation.
Moving assets back from an L2 or bridge destination to the source chain.
A token representing another chain’s asset, backed by custody or bridge mechanisms.