Altcoin

A cryptocurrency that is not Bitcoin.

AMM (Automated Market Maker)

A DEX mechanism that uses liquidity pools instead of order books.

Application Programming Interface (API)

A set of rules and protocols that allows different software applications to communicate and exchange data with each other.

APR (Annual Percentage Rate)

Interest earned without compounding.

APY (Annual Percentage Yield)

Interest earned, including compounding interest.

Arbitrage

A method to take advantage of different prices of an asset by buying and selling it in other markets.

Asynchronous

Events that do not happen at the same time.

Asset

A digital token with value, e.g., ETH or USDC.

Atomic Swap

A trustless, peer-to-peer token exchange between chains.

Attack surface

An area where an attacker can attempt to enter or extract information from the protocol/dApp.

Audit

Security review of smart contracts by the experts in that field.

Airdrop

The distribution of digital assets to selected wallets.

Address

A unique identifier where crypto is stored and received. It is a string of characters and numbers.

Alpha

Alpha refers to early information or an early preview of a new product. It is often shared privately before a public release.

All-Time High (ATH)

The all-time high is the highest price an asset has ever reached. Traders use it as a reference point for market strength.