AddressFoundations+
A public blockchain destination used to receive assets or identify an account or contract.
In the fieldAlways verify the full address and network before sending.
Address PoisoningSecurity+
A scam that places a look-alike address in transaction history so a user may copy it instead of the intended destination.
In the fieldRetrieve addresses from trusted sources and verify the middle characters as well as the beginning and end.
AirdropWeb3+
A distribution of tokens or NFTs to wallet addresses, sometimes as a legitimate reward or promotion and sometimes as a scam lure.
In the fieldAn unsolicited airdrop should not be claimed, swapped or trusted without independent verification.
ATHAll-Time High+
The highest recorded market price of an asset up to that point.
In the fieldMarket commentary may say an asset is near or has broken its ATH.
APRAnnual Percentage Rate+
A yearly rate that generally does not include the effect of compounding.
In the fieldUsed when comparing borrowing, lending or staking rates.
APYAnnual Percentage Yield+
A yearly return estimate that includes an assumed compounding effect.
In the fieldA high advertised APY is not a guarantee and may involve material risk.
AMLAnti-Money Laundering+
Policies and controls intended to detect and prevent illicit movement of funds.
In the fieldRegulated services often combine AML checks with identity verification.
BlockchainFoundations+
A replicated ledger whose participants follow protocol rules to validate and order state changes.
In the fieldA blockchain explorer lets you independently inspect what the network recorded.
BridgeNetworks+
A protocol that moves or represents value or messages between separate blockchain networks.
In the fieldBridges add smart-contract, validator, liquidity and destination-asset risks.
CEXCentralised Exchange+
A company-operated trading platform that commonly holds customer assets and maintains internal account records.
In the fieldExamples of field questions include who has custody and whether withdrawals are enabled.
CoinFoundations+
A blockchain's native asset, typically used to pay network fees and help secure or operate that network.
In the fieldBNB is native to BNB Smart Chain; a BEP20 asset is a token on that network.
ConsensusNetworks+
The protocol process by which network participants agree on valid transactions and the accepted blockchain state.
In the fieldProof of Work and Proof of Stake are different consensus approaches.
DAppDecentralised Application+
An application whose functions interact with blockchain accounts or smart contracts.
In the fieldA DApp can still have centralised websites, operators or upgrade controls.
DAODecentralised Autonomous Organisation+
A coordination or governance structure that uses smart contracts and token or membership-based voting.
In the fieldDAO does not automatically mean fully decentralised or legally incorporated.
DEXDecentralised Exchange+
A smart-contract-based venue where users trade assets from connected wallets rather than a traditional order-taking intermediary.
In the fieldUsers must verify token contracts, slippage, approvals and pool liquidity.
DeFiDecentralised Finance+
Blockchain-based financial applications such as swaps, lending, borrowing and liquidity pools.
In the fieldDeFi adds smart-contract, oracle, liquidity and governance risks.
DLTDistributed Ledger Technology+
A broader category of systems that replicate and coordinate records across multiple participants.
In the fieldBlockchain is one form of DLT; not every distributed ledger uses blocks.
DYORDo Your Own Research+
A reminder to independently verify claims, contracts, teams, risks and primary sources.
In the fieldDYOR is not a substitute for evidence; document what you checked.
DustingSecurity+
Sending a very small amount of an asset to an address, sometimes for spam, wallet analysis or as part of a scam pattern.
In the fieldA dust transfer does not reveal the private key, but do not follow embedded links or copy unexplained addresses from history.
EVMEthereum Virtual Machine+
The deterministic execution environment that runs Ethereum smart-contract bytecode across network nodes.
In the fieldEVM-compatible chains can use much of the same Solidity tooling, but keep separate state, assets and chain IDs.
EOAExternally Owned Account+
An EVM account controlled by a private key rather than by deployed contract code.
In the fieldA normal wallet account is commonly an EOA; a contract account behaves differently.
FUDFear, Uncertainty and Doubt+
Market slang for negative claims or sentiment that may influence behaviour, whether justified or not.
In the fieldLabeling criticism as FUD does not disprove it; verify the underlying evidence.
FOMOFear of Missing Out+
Emotional pressure to act because others appear to be profiting or an opportunity seems temporary.
In the fieldFOMO is a common driver of rushed transfers, poor verification and scam losses.
Fiat CurrencyFoundations+
Government-issued money such as ZAR, USD or EUR that is not a blockchain-native asset.
In the fieldA fiat-referenced stablecoin aims to track a fiat value but is not physical cash.
GasNetworks+
The fee mechanism used to pay for blockchain computation and transaction processing.
In the fieldGas is normally paid in the network's native coin, not the token being transferred.
HashFoundations+
A fixed-size cryptographic output derived from input data, designed to change significantly if the input changes.
In the fieldHashes help link blocks, identify data and detect modification.
HODLHold On for Dear Life+
Crypto market slang for holding an asset through volatility rather than selling.
In the fieldIt describes a behaviour, not a risk-management strategy or guarantee of recovery.
InternetFoundations+
The global network infrastructure and protocols that allow connected computers and services to exchange data.
In the fieldThe Web, email and messaging are services that use the internet; they are not the internet itself.
KYCKnow Your Customer+
A process through which a service verifies a customer's identity and related information.
In the fieldCentralised exchanges and fiat on-ramps commonly require KYC.
L1Layer 1+
A base blockchain that provides its own consensus, security and transaction settlement.
In the fieldBitcoin, Ethereum, BNB Smart Chain, TRON and Solana are examples of L1 networks.
L2Layer 2+
A scaling network or protocol that processes activity above a base chain and settles or anchors results back to it.
In the fieldBase, Arbitrum One and OP Mainnet are Ethereum L2 examples.
LPLiquidity Pool+
Smart-contract-held asset reserves used to support swaps, lending or other DeFi activity.
In the fieldLP can also refer to the liquidity provider or the token representing a pool position.
MainnetNetworks+
A live production blockchain where transactions use assets with real-world value.
In the fieldTestnet assets normally have no market value and should not be bought.
Market capMarket Capitalisation+
A rough valuation calculated as current token price multiplied by circulating supply.
In the fieldMarket cap does not equal cash held, liquidity available or money invested.
MEVMaximal Extractable Value+
Value that block producers or specialised actors may extract by ordering, inserting or excluding transactions.
In the fieldMEV can affect swap execution through front-running or sandwich-style activity.
NFTNon-Fungible Token+
A token whose identity is distinct rather than interchangeable one-for-one like a fungible token.
In the fieldAn NFT can represent art, access, credentials or other unique records.
OracleWeb3+
A service or mechanism that supplies external data, such as prices, to blockchain applications.
In the fieldA lending protocol can fail if its oracle data is manipulated or unavailable.
P2PPeer-to-Peer+
Direct interaction between participants without a traditional central intermediary handling every step.
In the fieldP2P does not remove counterparty, payment or scam risk.
PhishingSecurity+
Impersonation or deceptive messaging designed to steal credentials or persuade a user to approve a harmful action.
In the fieldCrypto phishing may target a recovery phrase, login, token approval, permit or wallet signature.
PKPrivate Key+
Secret cryptographic material used to authorise actions for a blockchain account.
In the fieldNever share it; control of the private key generally means control of the account.
PoSProof of Stake+
A consensus model in which validators commit stake and participate in proposing or confirming blocks.
In the fieldPoS designs differ in validator selection, penalties and decentralisation.
PoWProof of Work+
A consensus model in which miners expend computation to compete in adding valid blocks.
In the fieldBitcoin uses PoW; energy and hardware secure the competition.
Seed phraseRecovery Phrase+
A human-readable backup from which a wallet can derive private keys and accounts.
In the fieldAnyone who obtains it may recreate and control the wallet; support never needs it.
RPCRemote Procedure Call+
An interface through which wallets and applications read blockchain data and submit transactions to a node.
In the fieldChanging an RPC changes the connection endpoint, not the underlying account keys.
RWAReal-World Asset+
A blockchain token or record linked to an off-chain asset, claim or right.
In the fieldRWA value depends on legal enforceability, custody and issuer structure as well as code.
SlippageMarkets+
The difference between an expected trade price and the price at which the trade actually executes.
In the fieldLow liquidity or large orders can increase slippage; high tolerance can increase risk.
Smart ContractWeb3+
Program code deployed at a blockchain address and executed according to network rules.
In the fieldVerify the contract address, permissions and transaction action before signing.
StablecoinFoundations+
A digital asset designed to track a reference value such as a fiat currency.
In the fieldStablecoins still carry issuer, reserve, liquidity, contract and network risks.
TickerFoundations+
The short name or abbreviation used to identify a cryptocurrency or digital asset, such as USDC for USD Coin or USDT for Tether.
In the fieldA ticker is a convenient label, but the contract or mint address identifies the exact token more reliably.
TokenFoundations+
A digital asset implemented by a smart contract or token program on an existing blockchain.
In the fieldIts contract or mint address identifies it more reliably than its ticker alone.
TVLTotal Value Locked+
An estimate of assets deposited in a DeFi protocol or group of protocols.
In the fieldTVL can be affected by token prices and does not measure safety or available liquidity.
TX / TXNTransaction+
A signed instruction submitted to a blockchain to transfer value or change network state.
In the fieldThe transaction hash is used to inspect status and details on an explorer.
UTXOUnspent Transaction Output+
The spendable output model used by Bitcoin, where transactions consume prior outputs and create new ones.
In the fieldA Bitcoin balance is assembled from spendable UTXOs rather than one EVM-style account balance.
ValidatorNetworks+
A network participant that checks protocol rules and helps propose or confirm blocks.
In the fieldValidator duties and security assumptions depend on the consensus design.
WalletSecurity+
Software or hardware that manages account credentials and signs blockchain actions.
In the fieldThe wallet displays data and signs; the blockchain records balances and transactions.
Web1Web3+
A broad label for the early, mainly read-focused Web where users mostly consumed static pages published by site owners.
In the fieldWeb1 is a historical simplification, not a strict technical protocol version.
Web2Web3+
The interactive read-write Web of platform accounts, user-generated content, cloud applications and company-controlled databases.
In the fieldOnline banking, social media and most modern web applications use Web2 patterns.
Web3Web3+
A broad model for web applications that use blockchains, wallet-based accounts, smart contracts or transferable digital assets.
In the fieldA Web3 product can still rely on centralised websites, APIs, operators and upgrade controls.
WWWWorld Wide Web+
A system of globally identified and linked resources accessed over internet protocols, commonly through a web browser.
In the fieldA website is part of the Web; the underlying internet also carries many non-Web services.