30 Days of Web3 Logo

Section 2 Resources & Glossary

Glossary

  • API: stands for "application programming interface" and is a software intermediary that allows two applications to communicate with each other.

  • Client/server architecture: a computing model in which the architecture describes how all web applications work and defines the rules for how they communicate.

  • dApp: a decentralized application is an application built on a decentralized network that combines a smart contract and a frontend user interface. On Ethereum, smart contracts are accessible and transparent – like open APIs – so your dApp can even include a smart contract that someone else has written. Introduction to dApps.

  • Ethereum: a decentralized global software platform for building apps and organizations, holding assets, transacting and communicating, powered by blockchain technology. Has its native cryptocurrency, Ether, or ETH, which is used to pay for certain activities on the Ethereum network.

  • HTTP: a protocol, or a definite set of rules, for accessing resources on the web. Resources could mean anything from HTML files to data from a database, photos, text, and so on. HTTP request methods with code examples.

  • L1 blockchain: refers to the main blockchain layer such as Ethereum. Layer-1 scaling solutions are implemented directly on the main blockchain, thus deriving the name on-chain solutions. Some examples of the on-chain scaling solution involve Consensus Protocol Switch and Sharding. Introduction to Ethereum.

  • L2 blockchains: layer-2 add-on solutions built on top of the base layer-1. Thus deriving the name off-chain scaling solution, since they intend to take away workload from the blockchain while utilizing its security.

  • Polygon: a layer-2 scaling solution that achieves scale by utilizing sidechains for off-chain computation and a decentralized network of Proof-of-Stake (PoS) validators. Polygon (MATIC) strives to solve the scalability and usability issues while not compromising on decentralization and leveraging the existing developer community and ecosystem.

  • Sidechains: Ethereum-compatible independent blockchains with their own consensus model. Sidechains achieve interoperability with Ethereum by the use of the same EVM. Since they are independent from the main-chain, sidechains are responsible for their own security. If a sidechain’s security is compromised, it will pose no impact to the mainchain.

  • Solidity: programming language used to build Ethereum smart contracts and can be used to deploy smart contracts on multiple chains such as Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, or Avalanche. Solidity code by example.

Resources

Writers: Krystal