Last updated 2026-11-05

Glossary¶

The words used across this site, in one line each. Follow the linked guide when a term needs more than a definition.

A–C¶

Address: A public identifier for an account on Bitgold, usually written as 0x followed by 40 hexadecimal characters. Safe to share when you want to receive funds.
Airdrop: Free tokens sent to many addresses, often used as bait. See Fake Airdrop/Giveaway Scam.
Approval: Permission a token holder grants to a contract to spend tokens on their behalf. See About Approve.
Block: A batch of transactions added to the chain, linked to the previous block by a hash.
Block explorer: A website that reads the public chain and shows addresses, transactions, and blocks. Bitgold mainnet: www.bitgold.live.
Blockchain: A ledger replicated across independent nodes, with blocks linked by hashes. See What Is Blockchain?.
BTG: The native coin of Bitgold mainnet, used to pay gas. Testnet uses tBTG.
Chain ID: The number that identifies a network. Bitgold mainnet is 618; testnet is 617. A wallet must use the chain ID of the network where the funds live.
Cold wallet: A wallet whose key is kept offline and is not available to an internet-connected device. See What Is a Cold Wallet?.
Console: The web app at app.bitgold.network for migrating, staking, and (later) minting. See Using the Console.
Custodial wallet: A wallet where a company holds the keys and controls the funds. You log in; you do not sign. See Decentralized vs Centralized.

DApp: A web application that asks your wallet to sign transactions or messages. See Notes on Using Third-Party DApps.
DeFi: Financial services built from smart contracts instead of institutions. See What Is DeFi?.
DEX: A decentralized exchange that swaps tokens through contracts, from your own wallet. See What Is DEX?.
EIP-7702: An Ethereum feature that lets an account delegate its behavior to a contract. Bitgold does not document support for it. See How to Use EIP-7702 Safely.
EVM: Ethereum Virtual Machine, the execution environment Bitgold is compatible with. EVM-compatible wallets can use Bitgold once the network is added.
Faucet: A testnet service that sends small amounts of tBTG for testing. Bitgold testnet: faucet.bitgold.network.
Gas: The fee paid in BTG to execute a transaction. Receiving BTG does not cost gas. See What Is the Gas Fee?.

Hardware wallet: A device that stores the key and signs inside the device. See What Is a Hardware Wallet?.
Hash: A fixed-length fingerprint of data. Changing the data changes the hash, which is how blocks are linked.
Hot wallet: A wallet whose key is available to an internet-connected device. Convenient for spending, exposed to malware. See What Is a Hot Wallet?.
Keystore: An encrypted JSON file containing a private key, unlocked with a password. Not a replacement for the recovery phrase. See What Is Keystore?.
Mainnet: The production Bitgold network, chain ID 618, where BTG has real value.
MEV: Maximal extractable value — profit that block builders or bots can take by reordering transactions. See MEV Protection Tutorial.
Mnemonic: The recovery phrase, usually 12 or 24 words, that regenerates a wallet. Also called a seed phrase. See Private Key, Mnemonic and Wallet Password.
Multi-sig: A wallet that requires more than one signature (m-of-n) before funds move. See What Is a Multi-Sig Wallet?.

Node: A computer that keeps a copy of the chain and answers requests. A wallet usually talks to one through an RPC endpoint.
Nonce: A counter that orders transactions from one address. A stuck transaction is often a nonce problem, not a network problem.
Openverse: The network from which existing coin and USD balances can be migrated to Bitgold through the Console. See Migrate.
Passphrase: An optional extra word added to a recovery phrase to create a different wallet (the "25th word"). See What Is a Passphrase?.
Private key: The secret that signs transactions. Anyone with it controls the address. Never share it.
Public key: The key derived from the private key; used to derive the address. Safe to share in the form of an address.
Recovery phrase: The human-readable backup of a wallet, usually 12 or 24 words. It is the wallet. See Keep Your Keys Safe.
RPC endpoint: The URL a wallet uses to read the chain and broadcast transactions. Bitgold mainnet: https://mainnet1.bitgold.network.

Self-custody: Holding the key yourself, so no company can move or freeze your funds — and no company can recover them for you.
Signature: A cryptographic proof that the key holder approved a transaction or message. A signature can authorize spending without a visible transfer.
Slashing: A penalty that removes part of a validator's stake for rule-breaking. Delegators can share in the loss depending on the network's rules.
Smart contract: Code deployed to the chain that executes automatically when called.
Stablecoin: A token designed to track a currency. It is usually issued by a company that can freeze balances. See Stablecoin Freezing Risks.
Staking: Locking BTG with a validator to help secure the network and earn rewards. See Staking.
Testnet: A separate Bitgold network (chain ID 617, tBTG) for testing. It has no real value.
Token: An asset issued on top of Bitgold by a contract, distinct from the native BTG coin.
Transaction hash: The unique ID of a transaction, used to look it up in a block explorer.
Validator: An operator that proposes and validates blocks. Delegators stake BTG with validators.
VRC-10: The token standard the Console's Mint VRC10 module will use. Minting is not live yet. See Mint VRC10.
Wallet: Software or hardware that holds keys and signs transactions. It does not hold coins; the chain does.
Watch-only wallet: A wallet that can see an address but cannot sign for it. See What Is a Watch Wallet?.

If a term is missing, the Blockchain Basics chapter probably covers it. For protocol-level terms, use the developer documentation.