Validator

Definition

A participant in the network who locks up their tokens in the system as collateral and runs software allowing them to certify transactions.  
Letter

51% Attack

A situation where more than half of the computing power on a network is operated by a single individual or concentrated group, which gives them complete and total control over a network.

 

ASIC Resistant

A term for a cryptocurrency’s resistance to Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) mining.

 

Atomic Swap

A technology that makes it possible to exchange cryptocurrencies directly and without intermediaries.

 

Block Reward

The reward given to a miner after they have successfully hashed a transaction block.

 

Chain Split

A chain split happens when a blockchain branches into two versions of transaction history. This can happen as a result of a ‘hard fork’ or a ‘soft fork’.

 

Circulating Supply

The best approximation of the number of coins that are circulating in the market and in the general public’s hands.

 

Confirmation

The act of hashing a transaction and adding it to the blockchain.

 

Consensus Mechanism

The process through which all the peers of the blockchain network reach a common agreement about the present state of the distributed ledger.

 

Cryptanalysis

The study of analyzing information systems in order to study the hidden aspects of the systems.