Web3 & Blockchain Glossary
Master the language of decentralized technology. Our comprehensive glossary covers essential blockchain, cryptocurrency, and Web3 terminology.
Aave
A decentralized lending and borrowing platform
ABI
Application Binary Interface for smart contracts
Account Abstraction
Making smart contracts act as user accounts
Across Protocol
An optimistic cross-chain bridge
Active Liquidity
Liquidity within the current price range
Actively Validated Services
Services secured by restaked ETH
Address
A unique identifier for receiving cryptocurrency
Airdrop
Free distribution of tokens to wallet addresses
Alchemy
A blockchain development platform
Algorithmic Stablecoin
A stablecoin using algorithms to maintain its peg
Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin
AML
Anti-Money Laundering regulations
Angel Investor
Individual providing early-stage funding
APR
Annual Percentage Rate - the yearly interest rate
APY
Annual Percentage Yield - the yearly return on an investment
Arbitrage
Profiting from price differences across markets
Arbitrum
An Ethereum Layer 2 scaling solution using optimistic rollups
Artificial Intelligence
Computer systems mimicking intelligence
Arweave
A permanent decentralized data storage protocol
Ask Price
The lowest price a seller is willing to accept
Asset-backed Token
A token representing ownership of real assets
Asymmetric Encryption
Encryption using different keys for encrypt/decrypt
ATH
All-Time High - highest price ever reached
ATL
All-Time Low - lowest price ever reached
Atomic Swap
Direct exchange between different blockchains
Automated Market Maker
A protocol that uses liquidity pools instead of order books
Avalanche
A Layer 1 blockchain platform with multiple subnets
AVS
Short for Actively Validated Services
AWS
Amazon Web Services cloud platform
Axie Infinity
A popular blockchain-based game
Backend
Server-side logic and data management
Balancer
An automated portfolio manager and trading platform
Base Fee
Minimum fee burned per transaction in EIP-1559
Beacon Chain
Ethereum's PoS consensus layer
Bear Market
A market with falling prices
BEP-20
Binance Smart Chain token standard
Bid Price
The highest price a buyer is willing to pay
Bidding
Offering to buy at a specific price