A W3C standard for self-sovereign digital identifiers created, owned, and controlled by the individual rather than a centralized authority. DIDs use public-key cryptography for verification without traditional identity providers. In blockchain contexts, DIDs map to on-chain addresses and enable verifiable authentication across protocols.
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A W3C standard for self-sovereign digital identifiers created, owned, and controlled by the individual rather than a centralized authority. DIDs use public-key cryptography for verification without traditional identity providers. In blockchain contexts, DIDs map to on-chain addresses and enable verifiable authentication across protocols.
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Decentralized Identity (DID) (decentralized-identity) Category: Web3 Definition: A W3C standard for self-sovereign digital identifiers created, owned, and controlled by the individual rather than a centralized authority. DIDs use public-key cryptography for verification without traditional identity providers. In blockchain contexts, DIDs map to on-chain addresses and enable verifiable authentication across protocols. Aliases: DID, Self-Sovereign Identity Related: Verifiable Credentials, SocialFi
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Cryptographically signed digital attestations representing identity claims (age, KYC status, certification) that can be selectively disclosed and independently verified without contacting the issuer. VCs follow W3C standards and enable privacy-preserving compliance workflows in DeFi. Combined with zero-knowledge proofs, they enable proving credential properties without revealing the credential itself.
The intersection of social media and decentralized finance, where social interactions, content creation, and community engagement are tokenized and governed by blockchain protocols. SocialFi platforms give users ownership of their social graph, content, and reputation as portable digital assets. Led by Farcaster (social graph on Optimism) and Lens Protocol (social data as NFTs on zkSync).
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An application with its backend logic running on a blockchain as smart contracts rather than centralized servers. dApps typically have a traditional web frontend that interacts with on-chain programs via RPC. Users authenticate with wallets instead of username/password. Examples: Uniswap (Ethereum DEX), Jupiter (Solana DEX), Magic Eden (NFT marketplace).
The practice of personally controlling your cryptographic private keys rather than entrusting them to a third party (exchange, custodian). Self-custody follows the principle 'not your keys, not your coins.' Hardware wallets and properly secured seed phrases enable self-custody. Risks include key loss (no recovery) and social engineering attacks.
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Cryptographically signed digital attestations representing identity claims (age, KYC status, certification) that can be selectively disclosed and independently verified without contacting the issuer. VCs follow W3C standards and enable privacy-preserving compliance workflows in DeFi. Combined with zero-knowledge proofs, they enable proving credential properties without revealing the credential itself.
The intersection of social media and decentralized finance, where social interactions, content creation, and community engagement are tokenized and governed by blockchain protocols. SocialFi platforms give users ownership of their social graph, content, and reputation as portable digital assets. Led by Farcaster (social graph on Optimism) and Lens Protocol (social data as NFTs on zkSync).
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The vision of a decentralized internet built on blockchain technology, where users own their data, identity, and digital assets. Web1 was read-only (static pages), Web2 is read-write (platforms like social media), Web3 is read-write-own (permissionless, user-sovereign). Web3 applications use wallets instead of logins and smart contracts instead of centralized servers.
An application with its backend logic running on a blockchain as smart contracts rather than centralized servers. dApps typically have a traditional web frontend that interacts with on-chain programs via RPC. Users authenticate with wallets instead of username/password. Examples: Uniswap (Ethereum DEX), Jupiter (Solana DEX), Magic Eden (NFT marketplace).
Software or hardware that manages cryptographic keys and enables users to sign transactions, view balances, and interact with dApps. Hot wallets (Phantom, Solflare, Backpack) are internet-connected for convenience. Cold wallets (Ledger, Trezor) store keys offline for security. Wallets don't actually 'hold' tokens—they hold the private keys that control on-chain accounts.
A 12 or 24-word human-readable backup of a wallet's master private key, generated using BIP-39 standard. The seed phrase can deterministically regenerate all derived keypairs (BIP-44 derivation paths). Losing the seed phrase means permanently losing access to all associated accounts. Never share, photograph, or store seed phrases digitally in plain text.