A functional programming language with a focus on producing secure code. Haskell is well suited to Cardano's high-assurance code, and the need for greater formal verification in the blockchain. Core parts of Cardano are written in Haskell and extensive testing processes ensure Plutus Core smart contracts work properly.
A cryptocurrency wallet that can be accessed online to store currencies and make transactions. A hot wallet stores a collection of private keys and needs to be connected to the internet to process cryptocurrency operations.
A family of protocols that overlay the layer 1 Cardano blockchain to process transactions off the main chain. Hydra uses the main ledger as the secure settlement layer, boosts throughput, minimizes the delay in starting to process transactions, incurs low to no costs, and greatly reduces storage requirements.
The first of several Hydra protocols, and the basis of improving Cardano's scalability. Each Hydra Head works as an off-chain mini ledger, similar but faster than the main on-chain ledger, shared between small groups of participants. Many complex protocols can be added as layers on top of Cardano.
Input Output Global. The new name for IOHK, the company that developed the Cardano blockchain. IOG was registered in the US state of Wyoming in 2018, along with an office in Singapore.
A way to raise funds for DApps or projects on Cardano. A project offers its users tokens usable within its DApp in exchange for these users delegating their stake to the project’s pool. This increases the pool’s margin and helps it gain more rewards. Users receive staking rewards and benefit by getting utility tokens. There is no risk of losing funds because...
A way to encourage participants in the system to engage in the network by rewarding them with a return that is proportional to their efforts. Incentives aim to ensure equality and fairness in a distributed network of participants by encouraging consistent, active, and strong participation. Cardano's incentives model uses game theory to calculate the incentiv...
Aims to enable interconnection between blockchains. Cross-chain transfers and the ‘internet of blockchains’ will grant enhanced user experience and functionality. Sidechains and the AGIX ERC20 converter support Cardano's interoperability.
K Ethereum Virtual Machine. It allows developers to experiment with any smart contract that can be run on the EVM, and offers improved security and performance.
The main blockchain ledger that operates on the underlying consensus protocol. This layer includes protocol parameters that control capabilities such as scalability and throughput.
An additional, off-chain protocol that works on top of the layer 1 blockchain. Parties can securely transfer funds from the blockchain into an off-chain protocol, settle transactions in this protocol independently of the underlying chain, and safely transfer funds back to the underlying chain as needed. Layer 2 protocols improve overall throughput and scalab...
A cryptocurrency wallet that does not need to download the full history of blockchain records. Instead, the wallet links into a website where the full blockchain is accessed. This makes a light wallet faster and easier to use.
A hybrid of direct and representative democracy to be used in Voltaire. Liquid democracy enables the treasury system to take advantage of expert knowledge in a voting process, as well as ensure that all ada holders are granted an opportunity to vote. For each project, a voter can either vote directly or delegate their voting power to a member of the communit...
Cardano’s delegation mechanism is based on liquid staking, meaning that staked funds are never locked and can be spent at any time. Other platforms use a third-party protocol to make staked tokens liquid, which has the potential to introduce security problems.
The process of creating or adding new coins or tokens to support the demand for transactions on a DEX. Liquidity miners (providers) usually get rewards that incentivize them to support the user base and grow liquidity pools with deposited cryptocurrencies.