Bitcoin Vocabulary

A glossary of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency terms you need to know

Bitcoin Vocabulary

A variation on HD wallet extended keys where only the hardened extended private key can derive child keys. This prevents compromise of the chain code plus any private key from putting the whole wallet at risk. When several nodes (usually most nodes on the network) all have the same blocks in their locally-validated best block chain. One or more transactions prefaced by a block header and protected by proof of work.

Bitcoin Vocabulary

What is the hash rate?

Bitcoin Vocabulary

Based on a metaphor from the American highway system, “on-ramp” refers to a tool, or a service provider, or the action, of converting fiat currency into tokens on a blockchain. Conversely, “off-ramp” refers to exchanging on-chain assets for their value in a given fiat currency. There are many providers of such services, and MetaMask users have access to them through the “Buy Crypto” feature. MetaMask, either in its mobile app form on iOS and Bitcoin Vocabulary Android, or in its browser extension form, is a tool to access and interact with blockchains and the decentralized web. It allows users to manage their digital identity and the permission of others to interact with that identity; its functions include that of a wallet, a dapp permissions manager, and access to token swaps. It is an open-source project that encourages developers from other projects to build on top of it through MetaMask Snaps.

  • Dogecoin features the likeness of the Shiba Inu dog, which is popularized in the Doge meme.
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  • ATH is short for All Time High and one of the more common slang terms that you will hear in the bitcoin space.
  • The process of converting a data structure into a sequence of bytes.
  • A slot, under Ethereum Proof of Stake consensus, is a 12-second period of time during which a new block may (or may not) be proposed.

Algorithmic Market Operations (AMOs)

Bitcoin Vocabulary

You may often see it referred to as JSON-RPC, which is its full name; see ‘JSON-RPC’ for further details. A rollup that assumes the validity and good faith of transactions, and only runs a fraud proof in the case of fraud being alleged. Finalized in September 2022, https://www.tokenexus.com/ the Merge was the culmination of years of work involved in transitioning Ethereum from a Proof of Work consensus model, to Proof of Stake, all while keeping the network live. This was successful, and reduced the network’s carbon footprint by more than 99.9%.

BEP-2 (Binance Chain Tokenization Standard)

They are mathematically complex and can be daunting; this explanation from the Ethereum Foundation is a good primer. ‘Plasma’ is a term that is used to refer to one of the solutions being built and deployed in order to securely scale the Ethereum network. A Plasma network functions similarly to an optimistic rollup, inasmuch as it relies on Ethereum Mainnet to maintain the record of transactions, and as the source for arbitration or fraud resolution.

Bitcoin Vocabulary

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

Smart Treasury (Balancer)

  • A digital ledger comprised of unchangeable, digitally recorded data in packages called blocks.
  • A block chain reorganize (or reorg) happens when one chain becomes longer than the one you are currently working on.
  • An orphan block, also known as a stale block, is a valid block that is mined at almost the exact same time as another valid block which causes a short term split in the blockchain.
  • Even a single confirmation can be considered secure for low value transactions, although for larger amounts like $1000 USD, it makes sense to wait for 6 confirmations or more.
  • Typically, an oracle is any entity or person that is relied on to report the outcome of an event.
  • Most bitcoin wallets as well as the blockchain itself are zero knowledge software.