This glossary collects professional terms and abbreviations commonly used in ChainStream documentation to help developers quickly understand concepts in Web3 data and blockchain.
Blockchain Terms
Basic blockchain concepts and general terminology.
A unique identifier on the blockchain used to send and receive assets. Ethereum addresses start with 0x and are 42 characters long. Example: 0xd8dA6BF26964aF9D7eEd9e03E53415D37aA96045
ABI (Application Binary Interface)
The interface definition of a smart contract, describing functions and data structures for interacting with the contract.
The basic unit storing transaction data in a blockchain. Each block contains a set of transactions, timestamp, and the hash of the previous block. Field Description Block Number Block height Block Hash Block hash Timestamp Block time Transactions Included transactions
The number of subsequent blocks produced after a transaction is included in a block. More confirmations mean the transaction is more irreversible. Chain Recommended Confirmations Ethereum 12-32 BSC 15 Solana 32
A protocol that allows assets and data to transfer between different blockchains. Common bridges include LayerZero, Wormhole, etc.
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.
EOA (Externally Owned Account)
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.
EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)
The runtime environment for executing smart contract code. Polygon, Arbitrum, Base are all EVM-compatible chains.
The fee unit required to execute blockchain transactions. Gas Fee = Gas Used × Gas Price. Term Description Gas Limit Maximum gas consumption for transaction Gas Used Actual gas consumed Gas Price Price per gas unit Gwei Gas Price unit, 1 Gwei = 10⁻⁹ ETH
A cryptographic function that converts arbitrary length data to a fixed-length string. Commonly used for transaction hashes, block hashes in blockchain. Example: 0x1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef1234567890abcdef
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.
Staging area for pending transactions. Transactions wait in the mempool before being included in a block.
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.
RPC (Remote Procedure Call)
Protocol for interacting with blockchain nodes, used to send transactions, query data, etc.
Program code that automatically executes on the blockchain. Once deployed, code logic cannot be changed (unless upgrade mechanism is designed).
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. Field Description TxHash Transaction hash, unique identifier From Sender address To Receiver address Value Transfer amount Input Data Contract call data
Transaction Hash / TxHash
The unique identifier of a transaction. Can be used to query transaction details on block explorers.
A tool for storing and managing crypto assets. Can be software (like MetaMask) or hardware (like Ledger).
DeFi Terms
Decentralized finance related concepts.
AMM (Automated Market Maker)
Algorithm mechanism for providing liquidity and pricing in DEXes, like Uniswap’s constant product formula x * y = k.
APR (Annual Percentage Rate)
Annual interest rate without considering compounding.
APY (Annual Percentage Yield)
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.
CEX (Centralized Exchange)
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%.
DEX (Decentralized Exchange)
Trading platforms that don’t require centralized institutions, automatically executing trades through smart contracts. Examples: Uniswap, SushiSwap, Raydium, Jupiter
dApp (Decentralized Application)
Applications running on the blockchain.
DeFi (Decentralized Finance)
Blockchain-based financial services and applications, including trading, lending, derivatives, etc.
The practice of earning token rewards by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols.
FDV (Fully Diluted Valuation)
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.
A metric measuring position safety in lending protocols. Position may be liquidated when health factor < 1.
Loss incurred by liquidity providers relative to simply holding assets due to price volatility. Price Change Impermanent Loss ±25% -0.6% ±50% -2.0% ±100% -5.7%
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.
Total market value of a token. Formula: Market Cap = Token Price × Circulating Supply
MEV (Maximal Extractable Value)
Services providing off-chain data to smart contracts, like Chainlink, Pyth. Commonly used for price data.
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.
Total value of assets locked in DeFi protocols, an important metric for measuring protocol scale.
Addresses or investors holding large amounts of crypto assets. Typically refers to addresses holding more than 1% of a token’s supply.
Returns from investing in DeFi protocols, including trading fee shares, token rewards, interest, etc.
ChainStream Terms
ChainStream product and service related concepts.
A JWT (JSON Web Token) used to authenticate API requests. How to obtain :
Create an App in Dashboard to get Client ID and Client Secret
Use Client ID and Client Secret to call the auth service to generate an Access Token
Use Authorization: Bearer <Access Token> in API request headers
Auth domain : dex.asia.auth.chainstream.ioScopes :Scope Description webhook.readWebhook API read permission webhook.writeWebhook API write permission kyt.readKYT API read permission kyt.writeKYT API write permission
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
Unit for measuring API request complexity in ChainStream. Different endpoints consume different CUs.
ChainStream’s address risk assessment service, analyzing address historical behavior and associated risks.
KYT (Know Your Transaction)
ChainStream’s transaction risk control service, assessing transaction fund sources and risk levels. Risk Levels: Level Description Low Low risk, can process automatically Medium Medium risk, recommend manual review High High risk, recommend blocking Severe Severe risk, must block
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
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. Score Range Level 90-100 Top Smart Money 75-89 Quality Trader 60-74 Good Trader < 60 Average Trader
A mechanism for sending notifications to specified URLs when events trigger. Supported event types :Event Description sol.token.createdNew token created on Solana sol.token.migratedToken graduated (migrated from Bonding Curve to DEX) on Solana
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 :wss://realtime-dex.chainstream.io/connection/websocket?token=YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN
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
AI Terms
AI and MCP related concepts.
An AI system capable of autonomously executing tasks. AI Agents can use tools, access external data, and make decisions.
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.
LLM (Large Language Model)
AI models trained on large amounts of text data, such as Claude, GPT, etc.
MCP (Model Context Protocol)
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.
Input text given to AI models to guide the model to generate expected output.
TEE (Trusted Execution Environment)
Computing environment providing hardware-level security protection, ensuring confidentiality and integrity of code and data.
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.
A payment protocol specification based on HTTP 402 status code, used for implementing automatic micropayments for AI Agents.
Quick Reference
By Letter
Letter Terms A Address, ABI, AMM, Access Token, APR, APY, ATH, Agent B Block, Bridge C CEX, Chain, CU, Context D DEX, DeFi, dApp E EOA, ERC-20, EVM F FDV, Flash Loan, Farming G Gas H Hash, Health Factor I Impermanent Loss K KYA, KYT L L1, L2, Liquidity, LP, LLM M Market Cap, MCP, MEV, Mempool N NFT, Node, Nonce O Oracle P Prompt R Rate Limit, RPC S Slippage, Smart Contract, Smart Money, Staking, Swap T Token, TVL, TxHash, TEE, Tool W Wallet, Webhook, WebSocket, Whale X x402 Y Yield