Blockchain Glossary
Plain-English definitions of the blockchain terms you will encounter while using a block explorer.
- Block explorer
- A web tool that lets anyone search and read data recorded on a blockchain, such as addresses, transactions, and blocks.
- Multichain explorer
- A block explorer that covers several blockchains at once, so the same wallet or token can be looked up across networks from one interface.
- Address
- A unique public identifier for a wallet or smart contract on a blockchain, used to send and receive assets. On EVM chains it starts with 0x.
- Transaction
- A signed, recorded action on a blockchain, such as transferring a token or calling a smart contract.
- Transaction hash
- A unique fingerprint (a long 0x string) that identifies a single transaction and can be used to look it up.
- Block
- A batch of transactions confirmed together and linked to the previous block, forming the chain.
- Gas
- The unit that measures the computational work a transaction requires on an EVM blockchain.
- Gas fee
- The amount paid to validators to include a transaction in a block, calculated from gas used and the gas price.
- Native token
- The main coin used to pay gas on a chain — for example ETH on Ethereum, BNB on BNB Smart Chain, or USDC on ZKFair.
- Wallet
- Software or hardware that stores the keys controlling a blockchain address and lets a user sign transactions.
- Token
- A digital asset issued on a blockchain by a smart contract, distinct from the chain’s native coin.
- ERC-20
- The standard interface for fungible tokens on Ethereum and other EVM chains.
- BEP-20
- The token standard for fungible tokens on BNB Smart Chain, equivalent to ERC-20.
- Smart contract
- A program stored on a blockchain that runs automatically when its conditions are met.
- EVM
- The Ethereum Virtual Machine — the runtime that executes smart contracts, used by Ethereum and many compatible chains.
- Layer 2
- A network built on top of a base chain (like Ethereum) to process transactions more cheaply while settling back to it for security.
- RPC
- Remote Procedure Call — the endpoint an application uses to read from or send transactions to a blockchain node.
- Mainnet
- The live, production blockchain where real assets are transacted, as opposed to a testnet.
- Nonce
- A per-address counter that orders an account’s transactions and prevents replay.
- Confirmation
- A measure of how many blocks have been added after the one containing a transaction, indicating how settled it is.