Trace how crypto systems move from base-layer consensus to app-specific scaling and security assumptions.
Browse all topic termsCrypto infrastructure terms describe how value and state move through base-layer chains, execution environments, validators, sequencers, rollups, and wallet abstractions. This hub is built to connect protocol language with product-level implications.
Concepts such as MEV, oracle design, proof systems, and blind signing matter because they change trust boundaries. A term may look purely technical while actually determining who can extract value, reorder transactions, or compromise a wallet flow.
Layer 2, appchains, Bitcoin Layer 2, and account abstraction are not interchangeable labels. This hub exists to prevent that flattening and to show where scaling, programmability, and user experience diverge.
Bitcoin.org
Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System
Original Bitcoin whitepaper for peer-to-peer cash, proof of work, transaction ordering, and settlement assumptions.
Ethereum.org
Ethereum Whitepaper
Ethereum source for smart contracts, programmable settlement, accounts, decentralized applications, and protocol design assumptions.
European Commission
European Commission: Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA)
Primary source for MiCA regulatory framing.
Blockchain
Distributed ledger technology recording transactions.
Bitcoin
First decentralized digital currency.
Ethereum
Blockchain platform enabling smart contracts.
Smart Contract
Self-executing contract with code.
Bitcoin Layer 2
A protocol built above Bitcoin to improve scalability, programmability, or settlement speed.
Cryptocurrency
Digital or virtual currency secured by cryptography.
Validator
Participant in PoS.
Layer 2
Protocol built on top of a blockchain.
zk-SNARK
Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge.
Oracle
Service sending real-world data to blockchain.
MEV
Maximal Extractable Value.
Account Abstraction
Smart contracts as wallets.
AppChain
A blockchain designed for a specific application or protocol rather than general-purpose usage.
BitVM
A proposed computation framework that expands what can be verified with Bitcoin scripts.
Public Key
Code used to receive cryptocurrency.
Staking
Locking crypto to support network and earn rewards.
Gas Fee
Transaction fee on Ethereum network.
DApp
Decentralized Application running on a blockchain.
Altcoin
Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin.
Tokenomics
Economic model of a cryptocurrency token.
Proof of Stake (PoS)
Consensus based on validators holding coins.
Airdrop
Free distribution of cryptocurrency.
Initial Coin Offering (ICO)
Crowdfunding via crypto.
ERC-20
Standard for fungible tokens on Ethereum.