A decentralized exchange allowing peer-to-peer token trading without a centralized order book or custodian. Users trade directly from their wallets. DEXs use automated market makers (AMMs) or on-chain order books. Advantages: no KYC, self-custody, censorship-resistant. Disadvantages: potential for higher slippage, smart contract risk, and MEV extraction.
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A decentralized exchange allowing peer-to-peer token trading without a centralized order book or custodian. Users trade directly from their wallets. DEXs use automated market makers (AMMs) or on-chain order books. Advantages: no KYC, self-custody, censorship-resistant. Disadvantages: potential for higher slippage, smart contract risk, and MEV extraction.
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Wallets, signing flows, dApps, and key management concepts.
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DEX (General Concept) (dex-general) Category: Web3 Definition: A decentralized exchange allowing peer-to-peer token trading without a centralized order book or custodian. Users trade directly from their wallets. DEXs use automated market makers (AMMs) or on-chain order books. Advantages: no KYC, self-custody, censorship-resistant. Disadvantages: potential for higher slippage, smart contract risk, and MEV extraction. Related: DEX (Decentralized Exchange), AMM (Automated Market Maker), CEX (Centralized Exchange)
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A protocol for trading tokens directly on-chain without a centralized intermediary. Solana DEXs use either AMM pools (Raydium, Orca, Meteora) or on-chain order books (Phoenix, OpenBook). DEXs are composable—aggregators like Jupiter route through multiple DEXs for optimal pricing.
A protocol that enables token swaps using algorithmic pricing against pooled liquidity instead of matching individual buyers and sellers. AMMs use mathematical formulas (typically constant product x*y=k) to determine prices based on the ratio of tokens in a liquidity pool. On Solana, major AMMs include Raydium, Orca, and Meteora.
A traditional cryptocurrency exchange operated by a company that custodies user funds and matches orders on internal systems. Examples: Coinbase, Binance, Kraken. CEXs offer fiat on/off ramps, high liquidity, and familiar UX but require KYC and trust in the operator. Users deposit crypto and trade against the exchange's internal ledger, not directly on-chain.
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A unique, non-interchangeable digital token representing ownership of a specific asset—artwork, collectibles, music, game items, domain names, or real-world assets. NFTs are verified on-chain and can be traded on marketplaces. Unlike fungible tokens (where each unit is identical), each NFT has distinct properties. Major Solana NFT marketplaces: Magic Eden, Tensor.
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A protocol for trading tokens directly on-chain without a centralized intermediary. Solana DEXs use either AMM pools (Raydium, Orca, Meteora) or on-chain order books (Phoenix, OpenBook). DEXs are composable—aggregators like Jupiter route through multiple DEXs for optimal pricing.
A protocol that enables token swaps using algorithmic pricing against pooled liquidity instead of matching individual buyers and sellers. AMMs use mathematical formulas (typically constant product x*y=k) to determine prices based on the ratio of tokens in a liquidity pool. On Solana, major AMMs include Raydium, Orca, and Meteora.
A traditional cryptocurrency exchange operated by a company that custodies user funds and matches orders on internal systems. Examples: Coinbase, Binance, Kraken. CEXs offer fiat on/off ramps, high liquidity, and familiar UX but require KYC and trust in the operator. Users deposit crypto and trade against the exchange's internal ledger, not directly on-chain.
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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.