Cryptocurrency and Blockchain Dictionary

Terms commonly used in the world of blockchain and cryptocurrency

Quick Links

Tools

Mining Pool

Mining pool – a group of miners who combine their system resources, allowing them to generate a higher hash rate than it would be possible for any of them to generate individually. Higher hash rate = greater chance of mining a whole block. Mining reward gets split between mining pool members. Note: not every PoW cryptocurrency has mining pools. Some PoW cryptocurrencies accept transactions one by one, not by combining them into blocks, thus eliminating the point of having mining pools.

Other Important Terms

Transaction

Transaction – a recorded transfer of some amount of cryptocurrency from one wallet to another. Every transaction is recorded in a blockchain or DAG.

Node

Node – a device that is connected to the P2P network. Each node has a copy of all the previous transactions and supports the network by validating and relaying transactions.

Cryptocurrency Wallet

Cryptocurrency wallet – A medium of accessing and controlling user’s cryptocurrency. Contrary to a common misconception, cryptocurrency wallet does not store any cryptocurrency; it just grants user access to a certain amount of cryptocurrency associated with the wallet. A wallet stores user’s private keys. There are two types of cryptocurrency wallets: physical and virtual.

PoS

Proof-of-stake (PoS) protocols are a class of consensus mechanisms for blockchains that work by selecting validators in proportion to their quantity of holdings in the associated cryptocurrency. This is done to avoid the computational cost of proof-of-work schemes. PoS blockchains include Ethereum, Polkadot, Avalanche, and Cardano

Race Attack

Race attack – a double spend attack on the P2P network which is only possible if the recipient of the transaction accepts unconfirmed transactions as a payment. If this is true, the attacker broadcasts a conflicting transaction to the network at the same time; in case the conflicting transaction gets more confirmations, an attack is successful and the recipient does not get paid. It is easier to carry out such an attack if the attacker has a direct connection to the victim’s node, and perhaps deposits the conflicting transaction directly to miners

Cryptocurrency News

Read the Disclaimer : All content provided herein our website, hyperlinked sites, associated applications, forums, blogs, social media accounts and other platforms (“Site”) is for your general information only, procured from third party sources. We make no warranties of any kind in relation to our content, including but not limited to accuracy and updatedness. No part of the content that we provide constitutes financial advice, legal advice or any other form of advice meant for your specific reliance for any purpose. Any use or reliance on our content is solely at your own risk and discretion. You should conduct your own research, review, analyse and verify our content before relying on them. Trading is a highly risky activity that can lead to major losses, please therefore consult your financial advisor before making any decision. No content on our Site is meant to be a solicitation or offer