Web3

TVL (Total Value Locked)

The total value of cryptocurrency deposited in a DeFi protocol's smart contracts, measured in USD. TVL indicates a protocol's scale and user trust. Calculated by summing all tokens in the protocol's accounts at current market prices. TVL can be inflated by recursive deposits (depositing receipt tokens) and double-counting across protocols.

IDtvlAliasTVL

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The total value of cryptocurrency deposited in a DeFi protocol's smart contracts, measured in USD. TVL indicates a protocol's scale and user trust. Calculated by summing all tokens in the protocol's accounts at current market prices. TVL can be inflated by recursive deposits (depositing receipt tokens) and double-counting across protocols.

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TVL (Total Value Locked) (tvl)
Category: Web3
Definition: The total value of cryptocurrency deposited in a DeFi protocol's smart contracts, measured in USD. TVL indicates a protocol's scale and user trust. Calculated by summing all tokens in the protocol's accounts at current market prices. TVL can be inflated by recursive deposits (depositing receipt tokens) and double-counting across protocols.
Aliases: TVL
Related: DeFi (Decentralized Finance), Liquidity Pool
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Branch

DeFi (Decentralized Finance)

Financial services built on blockchain smart contracts that operate without traditional intermediaries (banks, brokers). DeFi includes lending, borrowing, trading, insurance, and derivatives. Key properties: permissionless (anyone can participate), composable (protocols can be combined), transparent (open-source, auditable). Solana DeFi TVL has exceeded $5B, led by Jupiter, Raydium, Marinade, and Kamino.

Branch

Liquidity Pool

A smart-contract-held reserve of two or more tokens that enables trading via an AMM. Users deposit token pairs in specified ratios to become liquidity providers and earn trading fees. Pools are identified by their token pair and fee tier. Pool depth (total value locked) determines price impact for trades.

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Web3

DeFi (Decentralized Finance)

Financial services built on blockchain smart contracts that operate without traditional intermediaries (banks, brokers). DeFi includes lending, borrowing, trading, insurance, and derivatives. Key properties: permissionless (anyone can participate), composable (protocols can be combined), transparent (open-source, auditable). Solana DeFi TVL has exceeded $5B, led by Jupiter, Raydium, Marinade, and Kamino.

DeFi

Liquidity Pool

A smart-contract-held reserve of two or more tokens that enables trading via an AMM. Users deposit token pairs in specified ratios to become liquidity providers and earn trading fees. Pools are identified by their token pair and fee tier. Pool depth (total value locked) determines price impact for trades.

Web3

Verifiable Credentials

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.

Web3

Trustless

A system where participants don't need to trust each other or a central authority because rules are enforced by code and cryptographic proofs. Smart contracts execute deterministically—the outcome is guaranteed by the protocol, not by any party's goodwill. 'Trust-minimized' is often more accurate, as users still trust the code, validators, and protocol design.

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Web3defi-general

DeFi (Decentralized Finance)

Financial services built on blockchain smart contracts that operate without traditional intermediaries (banks, brokers). DeFi includes lending, borrowing, trading, insurance, and derivatives. Key properties: permissionless (anyone can participate), composable (protocols can be combined), transparent (open-source, auditable). Solana DeFi TVL has exceeded $5B, led by Jupiter, Raydium, Marinade, and Kamino.

DeFiliquidity-pool

Liquidity Pool

A smart-contract-held reserve of two or more tokens that enables trading via an AMM. Users deposit token pairs in specified ratios to become liquidity providers and earn trading fees. Pools are identified by their token pair and fee tier. Pool depth (total value locked) determines price impact for trades.

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Web3

Web3

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.

Web3

dApp (Decentralized Application)

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).

Web3

Wallet

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.

Web3

Seed Phrase (Mnemonic)

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.