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This glossary collects professional terms and abbreviations commonly used in ChainStream documentation to help developers quickly understand concepts in Web3 data and blockchain.

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Blockchain Terms

Basic blockchain concepts and general terminology.

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A

A unique identifier on the blockchain used to send and receive assets. Ethereum addresses start with 0x and are 42 characters long.Example: 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045
The interface definition of a smart contract, describing functions and data structures for interacting with the contract.

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B

The basic unit storing transaction data in a blockchain. Each block contains a set of transactions, timestamp, and the hash of the previous block.
The number of subsequent blocks produced after a transaction is included in a block. More confirmations mean the transaction is more irreversible.
A protocol that allows assets and data to transfer between different blockchains. Common bridges include LayerZero, Wormhole, etc.

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C

A blockchain network. ChainStream supports multiple chains including Ethereum, BSC, Polygon, Arbitrum, Solana, etc.Chain identifier examples:
  • ethereum - Ethereum Mainnet
  • bsc - BNB Chain
  • arbitrum - Arbitrum One
  • solana - Solana
The unique address where a smart contract is deployed on the blockchain. Unlike regular addresses (EOA), contract addresses are controlled by code.

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E

An account controlled by a private key, as opposed to a smart contract address.
Ethereum token standard. Defines basic token function interfaces like transfer, approve, balanceOf, etc.
Ethereum NFT standard. Defines the interface specification for non-fungible tokens.
The runtime environment for executing smart contract code. Polygon, Arbitrum, Base are all EVM-compatible chains.

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G

The fee unit required to execute blockchain transactions. Gas Fee = Gas Used × Gas Price.

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H

A cryptographic function that converts arbitrary length data to a fixed-length string. Commonly used for transaction hashes, block hashes in blockchain.Example: 0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef

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L

First layer blockchain. Independent main chains like Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin.
Second layer scaling solutions. Scaling solutions built on top of L1, like Arbitrum, Optimism, Base, zkSync.

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M

Staging area for pending transactions. Transactions wait in the mempool before being included in a block.

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N

Unique digital assets, commonly used for digital art, gaming items, etc.
A computer running blockchain software, participating in network validation and data storage.
Transaction sequence number. An incrementing counter for each address sending transactions, preventing replay attacks.

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R

Protocol for interacting with blockchain nodes, used to send transactions, query data, etc.

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S

Program code that automatically executes on the blockchain. Once deployed, code logic cannot be changed (unless upgrade mechanism is designed).

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T

Digital assets on the blockchain. Includes native tokens (like ETH) and contract tokens (like USDC).
State change operations on the blockchain, such as transfers, contract calls, etc.
The unique identifier of a transaction. Can be used to query transaction details on block explorers.

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W

A tool for storing and managing crypto assets. Can be software (like MetaMask) or hardware (like Ledger).

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DeFi Terms

Decentralized finance related concepts.

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A

Algorithm mechanism for providing liquidity and pricing in DEXes, like Uniswap’s constant product formula x * y = k.
Annual interest rate without considering compounding.
Annual yield percentage considering compounding.Formula: APY = (1 + APR/n)^n - 1, where n is the number of compounding periods.
The highest price a token or asset has ever reached.
The lowest price a token or asset has ever reached.

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C

Cryptocurrency trading platforms operated by centralized institutions.Examples: Binance, Coinbase, OKX, Bybit
Assets used to secure loans in lending protocols. Collateral ratio typically needs to exceed 100%.

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D

Trading platforms that don’t require centralized institutions, automatically executing trades through smart contracts.Examples: Uniswap, SushiSwap, Raydium, Jupiter
Applications running on the blockchain.
Blockchain-based financial services and applications, including trading, lending, derivatives, etc.

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F

The practice of earning token rewards by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols.
Total market value assuming all tokens are issued.Formula: FDV = Token Price × Total Supply
Instant uncollateralized loans that must be repaid within the same block/transaction. Commonly used for arbitrage, liquidation, etc.

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H

A metric measuring position safety in lending protocols. Position may be liquidated when health factor < 1.

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I

Loss incurred by liquidity providers relative to simply holding assets due to price volatility.

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L

The process where protocols automatically sell collateral to repay debt when lending position collateral ratio falls below threshold.
The amount of assets available for trading in a market. High liquidity means large trades won’t significantly affect price.
Smart contracts in DEXes that store trading pair assets, providing liquidity for trades.
Users who provide assets to DEX pools and earn trading fees as rewards.
Tokens representing a user’s share in a liquidity pool, can be used to redeem assets or stake for mining.

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M

Total market value of a token.Formula: Market Cap = Token Price × Circulating Supply
Extra value miners or validators extract through transaction ordering, insertion, or censorship.Common MEV types:
  • Sandwich Attack
  • Front-running
  • Back-running
  • Liquidation

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O

Services providing off-chain data to smart contracts, like Chainlink, Pyth. Commonly used for price data.

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S

The difference between expected trade price and actual execution price. Can be larger in pools with lower liquidity.
Locking tokens in protocols to earn rewards or participate in governance.
Token exchange operations on DEXes.

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T

Total value of assets locked in DeFi protocols, an important metric for measuring protocol scale.

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W

Addresses or investors holding large amounts of crypto assets. Typically refers to addresses holding more than 1% of a token’s supply.

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Y

Returns from investing in DeFi protocols, including trading fee shares, token rewards, interest, etc.

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ChainStream Terms

ChainStream product and service related concepts.

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A

A JWT (JSON Web Token) used to authenticate API requests.How to obtain:
  1. Create an App in Dashboard to get Client ID and Client Secret
  2. Use Client ID and Client Secret to call the auth service to generate an Access Token
  3. Use Authorization: Bearer <Access Token> in API request headers
Auth domain: dex.asia.auth.chainstream.ioScopes:Security tips:
  • Don’t expose Client Secret in client-side code
  • Don’t commit credentials to version control
  • Store sensitive information in environment variables
  • Access Tokens expire, refresh them periodically
See Authentication Documentation

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C

Unit for measuring API request complexity in ChainStream. Different endpoints consume different CUs.

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K

ChainStream’s address risk assessment service, analyzing address historical behavior and associated risks.
ChainStream’s transaction risk control service, assessing transaction fund sources and risk levels.Risk Levels:

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R

API request frequency limits. ChainStream provides different rate limits based on subscription tier.Response headers:
  • X-RateLimit-Limit - Total limit
  • X-RateLimit-Remaining - Remaining count
  • X-RateLimit-Reset - Reset time

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S

Addresses identified by ChainStream that consistently achieve above-market returns.Types:
  • Top Traders
  • Early Investors
  • Institutional Wallets
  • KOL Wallets
See Smart Money Methodology
ChainStream’s comprehensive score for wallet addresses, reflecting trading ability and historical performance.

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W

A mechanism for sending notifications to specified URLs when events trigger.Supported event types:
More event types are under development.
Management endpoints:
  • POST /v1/webhook/endpoint - Create Webhook
  • GET /v1/webhook/endpoint - List Webhooks
  • DELETE /v1/webhook/endpoint/{id} - Delete Webhook
See Webhook Fundamentals
A network protocol supporting real-time bidirectional communication. ChainStream provides real-time data streams via WebSocket.Endpoint: wss://realtime-dex.chainstream.io/connection/websocketConnection format:
Supported subscription types:
  • Token candles (dex-token-candles)
  • Token stats (dex-token-stats)
  • Token holders (token-holders)
  • New tokens (dex-new-token)
  • Wallet balance (wallet-balance)
  • Wallet trades (wallet-trade)
When using SDKs, authentication is handled automatically.
See WebSocket API

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AI Terms

AI and MCP related concepts.

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A

An AI system capable of autonomously executing tasks. AI Agents can use tools, access external data, and make decisions.
Structured instruction packages (SKILL.md files) that teach AI coding assistants how to use specific capabilities. ChainStream provides two skills: chainstream-data (read-only data queries) and chainstream-defi (DeFi execution). Skills include decision trees, workflows, safety rules, and error recovery — everything an AI agent needs to operate autonomously.See Agent Skills Introduction

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C

Information the AI model references when generating responses, including conversation history, system prompts, external data, etc.
The maximum number of tokens an AI model can process at once. Larger context windows allow processing more information.

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L

AI models trained on large amounts of text data, such as Claude, GPT, etc.

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M

An open protocol developed by Anthropic that allows AI models to interact with external data sources and tools.ChainStream MCP Server implements this protocol, enabling AI to directly query on-chain data.See MCP Introduction
Server implementing MCP protocol, providing tools and data. ChainStream MCP Server provides on-chain data query capabilities.
Applications using MCP protocol to call tools, such as Claude Desktop, Cursor.
A payment protocol using the Tempo network (chain ID 4217) for USDC.e payments. An alternative to x402 for AI agents that prefer paying on Tempo. Gas is paid in USDC.e directly — no ETH needed.See x402 Payment

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P

Input text given to AI models to guide the model to generate expected output.

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T

The standard file format for Agent Skills. Contains YAML frontmatter (name, description) and structured markdown with decision trees, workflows, safety rules, and references. Used by AI coding assistants like Cursor, Claude Code, and Codex.
Computing environment providing hardware-level security protection, ensuring confidentiality and integrity of code and data. ChainStream CLI uses a TEE for wallet key management — private keys never leave the secure enclave.See CLI Authentication
The basic unit AI models use to process text. One token is approximately 4 English characters or 1-2 Chinese characters.
This Token refers to AI tokens, which is different from blockchain tokens.
Functions defined in MCP that can be called by AI. Tools provided by ChainStream include get_token_balance, analyze_wallet, etc.

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X

An open payment protocol built on HTTP 402 (Payment Required) by Coinbase. Enables AI Agents to pay per API call using USDC stablecoins on Base network. ChainStream supports x402 as an authentication scheme — agents without an API key can pay for each tool invocation via signed on-chain authorization (EIP-3009 or Permit2), verified through a Facilitator service. No account registration required.

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Quick Reference

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By Letter

Product Overview

Learn about ChainStream products

API Reference

API documentation

Smart Money Methodology

Deep dive into Smart Money

MCP Introduction

Learn about MCP protocol