Below is our a list of terms, definitions, and links to pages on the wiki for more info. Feel free to reach out to us if you find a term missing that you think we should add! (This is a work in progress.)

The public address associated with every Qortal account that is used to send and receive coins, and the association with registered names for the receiving of QORT, messages, and various other transactions within Qortal.

An encrypted copy of your private account information for Qortal, which can be used to recover your account. This is an extremely important aspect to Qortal that you'll want to be aware of! See the Account Setup & Recovery page for more info.

Also known as 'Qortal Backup File' or sometimes called 'Wallet Backup File', it is encrypted with the password utilized to create it. NOTE - A backup file is specific to an account on Qortal. An account may have multiple backup files with DIFFERING passwords, so keeping track of the password utilized to encrypt the backup file at the time it was created, and/or removing old backups if wishing to create a new password for the file, is highly recommended.

Blockchains process one block at a time. The 'current' block height' of the chain would refer to the latest block processed by the chain. Your node's block height would indicate how far off your node is from being 100% synced with the current block height of the chain.

The Block Signer in any blockchain-based system, refers to the account which 'signed' (or created and added the block into the chain) the block. A blockchain is a cryptographic database, each block, along with the transactions inside of it, is 'signed' by an account that has the rights to do so. This signer account says 'I approve this block is following the rules of this system', and it is then verified by every other node on the network.

The block signer of Qortal, does not get anything 'special' for being the signer. Any level 5+ minter on the Qortal Network could potentially be the signer of any given block. On Qortal, signing the block itself isn't treated with any special circumstance, unlike most chains wherein being the signer is the only way to obtain the block reward.

Qortal aims to provide completely fair distribution, so the signer is not the only one rewarded every payout block. Instead, any signer creates the block, and during the reward distribution block every minter is rewarded regardless of who signed it. Bringing about a completely fair method of coin creation and distribution. All newly minted QORT for that payout period, and transaction fees from created transactions within the last x number of blocks for the payout period, are paid out to every minter based on the distribution. See more - Block Rewards & Distribution

The UI doesn't sync, it just shows what your Core is doing. The Core is what syncs. Bootstrapping is when you download a compressed archive of the block database. It will be much faster to get that all at once, than to sync one block at a time from peers. Refer to the How To Bootstrap & Delete The DB page for more info.

A term as 'peers' which is the number of other nodes connected to your node. You can see this number by hovering over the Qortal core icon in your system's taskbar next to the clock. FYI: Raspberry Pi/QORTector devices often do not display this core icon until you stop and start the core one time.

Not to be confused with the user interface (UI), the core supports the Network and immutable ledger. It processes transactions and blocks of data. Ideally, the core should be left running 24/7 while the UI can be closed without interrupting Minting.

Also referred to as ‘db auto trimming’ is an automatic feature that trims the size of your node’s database (db) to prevent it from growing too large unnecessarily. Average size is between 20-30gb. This is set to randomly occur between every 3-14 day period, and is reset if your node is restarted for whatever reason. Information on how to manually trim your db can be found in the Core FAQ page if desired.

Qortal’s development group. This group is responsible for the GROUP_APPROVAL controlled Auto-Update transaction signatures. These signatures via the accounts in the dev-group, are what control the 'Auto-Updates' of the Qortal Core.

Anyone is able to become a developer admin, by simply proving their skills and willingness to assist over time to the existing developer admins. A subsequent GROUP_APPROVAL controlled GROUP_INVITE (similar to the GROUP_INVITE transactions involving becoming a member of the MINTER group) is signed by the Dev Admins, allowing the new account to become a Dev Admin.

The existing members of the developer group and the subsequent Dev Admins, are dedicated to the development of the Qortal project, and have been passionately working on such development for many years. They are always open to assisting new developers in learning how to build Q-Apps, and having new users join them in their development-related testing, etc.

One may reach out to the Developer Group on Q-Chat by joining the 'Core Development' on-chain Qortal Group.

A node setup to provide a ‘gateway’ or portal for traditional internet traffic to access QDN sites on Qortal. Meaning someone can access a website on Qortal without having to run a node - such as this: https://qortal.link/crowetic

Refer to the How to Setup A Gateway Node guide.

With the development of Qortal Chromium Extension (more info - https://qortal.dev), gateway nodes may now be leveraged in combination with the Qortal Chromium Extension, to actually USE Q-Apps and authenticate with Qortal Hosted apps and websites, via gateway nodes.

Gateway nodes may be PUBLIC or PRIVATE. Public gateways, such as https://qortal.link and https://qortal.name allow access to ANYTHING published on QDN, publicly. PRIVATE gateways, are gateways specifically established to allow access to ONE resource, such as a single Q-App or Website. A private gateway can be setup on a domain for a user, specifically mapping a single domain to a single QDN resource. For example, qortal.org could be setup with a private gateway that would point to a Qortal Website published on the name 'Qortal', utilizing a private gateway. Then users would be able to access the QDN published website via the gateway, but would not have the ability to access 'all' QDN published resources with that gateway. This allows things like a company to allow a QDN published website to be accessible via the current internet without worrying about people leveraging their gateway for other QDN resources without their knowledge.

The term 'Genesis' refers to the initial launch date of a blockchain. Every blockchain has a 'Genesis' along with a 'Genesis Block'. Genesis is the initiation of the blockchain, and the Genesis Block is the first block of that chain.

Specifically in regard to Qortal, the Genesis Block is configured with the initial consensus information, and initial details of the system. The Genesis Block information can be found in the core codebase on https://github.com/Qortal/qortal main repository.

A Device image refers to a 'drive image' of a fully complete installation of an Operating System (OS) and installed software (applications). A device image is something that allows someone to 'image a disk' with a pre-installed version of the entire device configuration in software.

Examples of a Device Image include the images provided for the Raspberry Pi 4 by Crowetic Hardware Development. Containing a pre-installed version of the Operating System, and pre-configured Qortal installation and automation scripts.

The 'core' of an operating system (OS). The kernel is the 'lowest level' of an OS. It allows the hardware to communicate to the software, and is always run in memory. The kernel facilitates communication between the CPU, cache, network sockets, and other hardware drivers to the software (OS). It is the first thing loaded, and facilitates the loading of the rest of the software.

Customized Raspberry Pi 4 kernels have been released by Qortal in the past.

The term ledger should be understood by most. It is a database to keep track of information. Most of the time a ledger refers to financial ledgers that keep track of financial information.

However, the term 'ledger' in regard to Qortal generally refers to the blockchain itself, which is a publicly available ledger of all transactions on the network. Qortal has MANY (43+) transaction types, not just sending coin, like Bitcoin and many other blockchains. Qortal has ARBITRARY transactions for publishing QDN data, POLL transactions for creation of polls, AT transactions for publishing Automated Transaction on-chain virtual CPUs, and much more. All of this is kept track of on the Qortal Blockchain, which is a public, distributed and decentralized ledger system.

Minting is the terminology utilized when discussing the Qortal Consensus Mechanism. Qortal has a custom Consensus mechanism unlike any other blockchain. Developed from scratch to address all issues in the blockchain space. Qortal's minting system utilizes a Memory-based proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm as part of its consensus, along with Proof of Contribution Over Time. However, the PoW algo that Qortal uses is not like other PoW algos like Bitcoin and a plethora of additional blockchain-based systems, those system utilize a CPU-based PoW that uses 100% of the CPU 24/7.

Qortal, on the other hand, can be utilized on 'any' computer, down to even a Raspberry Pi 4, palm-sized computer. Qortal is meant to allow anyone to take part in the process of creating new blocks, and to be rewarded for doing so. See the Minting Overview page for more info.

There is no such thing as 'mining' on Qortal. Our blockchain moves by 'minting'. This is NOT the minting you've heard of with ETH and other such nonsense with 'tokens' that are on another chain. Minting on Qortal is actually the Proof of Contribution Over Time and Memory Proof of Work, consensus mechanism that actually moves the layer 1 chain of Qortal. Minting allows each new block to be added to the chain once this consensus' rules have been met. Any node that has a valid minting key assigned to it, with an account attached to that key that is level 5 or higher, could potentially sign a block on the Qortal Blockchain, and help move the chain forward.

Your computer running the Qortal core and UI is a node/peer/connection for the chain. It is most beneficial to have a dedicated minting machine that can be left on 24/7 because 1) more nodes help the network and 2) turning your node off will require having to sync the blocks missed while the node was down. After all, we are running a node to support the Qortal Network and sovereign infrastructure to empower lives.

Meaning ‘on the Qortal blockchain’

The system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs such as Windows, Linux, and Mac.

A Raspberry Pi computer. See the Raspberry Pi 4 page for building your own or you can buy one pre-configured from www.crowetic.com

Abbreviated as P2P, it means the action is solely between two parties in a peer-to-peer fashion. In other words, no middle men, no centralization.

Same term as 'connections' above.

“Plugins” or "plug-ins" are the preinstalled apps that ship with the UI, and "apps" are the ones that will be in the app store that anyone can publish. Plugins shouldn't really be using any resources unless they are open.

A key that is not usually seen by the typical user, this key is derived from the seed phrase and stored privately and encrypted in the UI for you automatically. This is the key that is used to sign transactions before they are broadcasted to the Qortal Network and secured on-chain.

A key that is the public pairing to the private key. This key is publicly available/viewable on-chain (once the account has had an outgoing transaction and is 'activated'). This key is used for the encryption of Private Messages (PMs) in Q-Chat, as well as the creation of 'Minting Keys' and 'Sponsorship Keys' within Qortal.

A plugin within the UI. Just type your guess. It will turn blue if the entry is valid, or red if invalid. The goal is to enter the private key of the puzzle account and it will send you its balance. A clever design by Catbref (the original lead core dev). The plugin checks for members of a private group he used. The puzzle clues are in the "description" field when registering the name. If we don't share the answers publicly, QORT can be sent back to the address and "recharge" the puzzle.

Q-Apps are applications published on QDN (Qortal Data Network). These applications are unlike the applications of the centralized world, as they require NO SERVER, NO DNS, NO DOMAIN, and NO CENTRALIZED DATABASE of any kind!

Q-Apps are simply published to QDN just like Qortal Websites, however, they also allow interactivity with the Qortal API. The 'qortalRequest' function, which is injected automatically to any QDN-published website or application, facilitates assistance with the API communication, but direct API calls (see API Documentation - https://api.qortal.org) are also possible from any Q-App or Qortal Website.

Within the new 'Qortal Hub' (https://qortal.dev) application, Q-Apps are going to be taking a more 'front and center' role overall, facilitating more of the 'core functionality' required. An example of this is the new 'wallets' Q-App utilized in Qortal Hub. This application is not part of the Hub interface, it is actually a Q-App. Much more of this type of 'delegation of function' to Q-Apps will be taking place over time. Allowing the development of the interactive features of the Qortal Network, to take place in a more 'modular' fashion, and allowing more developers to potentially contribute to the overall development, without requiring that they work directly on the interface code itself. This has always been the planned mmethod forward, and now it is being implemented.

Qortal's blockchain-based chat system. See the Q-Chat page for more info.

Abbreviation for Qortal Data Network. With core version 3.0 we will begin to rebuild the Internet in a sovereign and unhackable fashion with free public website and data hosting. You can host your own content on your computer without any third-party reliance or hinderance. Another important tool for mankind to regain control over our digital lives, our free speech, and free trade of information. QDN will allow for Web Hosting, Application Hosting, GitHub Replacement, enhanced features with Communications, and so much more. See the Qortal Data Network (QDN) page for more info.

Qortal’s native coin - NOT A TOKEN. It powers on-chain functionality with transactions and can also be used as a digital form of payment on the Qortal Network. See The QORT Coin page for more info.

The blockchain itself. Focused on true decentralization to empower lives with sovereign infrastructure. Qortal is the blockchain, QORT is the coin. See the Qortal 101 page for more info.

USB flash drives with software that allows you to run the Qortal Core and UI without having to install anything on your computer. QORTable has not yet been launched.

NOTE - This concept is deprecated and did not ever actually get released. Now, with the invention of Qortal Hub, and the availability of things like https://hub.qortal.link and https://go.qortal.link, a mobile node like the QORTable concept isn't nearly as important.

That being said, if the developer that was working on the scripts required for QORTable decided that they wanted to continue the work, the concept may be developed again in the future.

A cost-effective node alternative to running your Linux/Windows/Mac computer as a node 24/7. These are custom kernels known as 'Brooklyn' which are built specifically for the Qortal Network with added security known as 'Auto Threat Mitigation' to prevent back door risks. Build your own or buy one pre-configured at www.crowetic.com! See the QORTector & QORTable Overview page for more info.

The virtual land of Qortia. Where we regain control over digital lives.

We call ourselves Qortians in the virtual land of Qortia!

Think of it as a master password; a string of words that can be used to gain access to the associated account.

A sell order is a listing in Qortal’s Trade Portal, where the seller has listed a coin to be traded with a different coin. Such as trading QORT-LTC. These orders are simple contracts that allow two parties to exchange coins 100% peer-to-peer (p2p) without any reliance on third-parties (middle man).

A level 0 account who will require sponsorship from a level 5+ account in order to become a Minter. Please note: you do not have to be a Minter to use all of the other features of Qortal (excluding minting for block reward, account leveling, future sponsorship ability, and voting which requires level 1 or higher).

A level 5 account or higher, including Founders, who are able to sponsor level 0 accounts. Originally, any level 5 or higher account could sponsor up to 5 accounts at a time, this has recently changed, to a limit of 2 accounts at a time for level 5+ accounts - and Founder accounts remain at a limit of 5 accounts at a time. See theMinting Overview page for more info.

Solid-State Drive which is used with the Raspberry Pi to create a node device. The SSD has the custom kernel stored in it, which makes the operating system for the Raspberry Pi board. The larger your SSD, the more data you will be able to store on your device, which will be important for those who want to run redundant copies of data on the Qortal Network.

Crowetic's way of writing 'synced'. He likes to be 'different'.

Your node has to be fully synced to Mint and send any other type of transaction such as sending a message on Q-Chat. This means your node is caught up to the current block height.

Qortal has its very own decentralized exchange (DEX) which we call the Trade Portal. Learn more on the Trade Portal Overview page.

The graphical user interface (GUI) let’s users easily navigate the core features without having to run terminal commands. This is the same situation as your cell phone, what you are actually looking at when you use your phone is the GUI, while not seeing what is happening in the background with lines of code.

Leveled accounts will be able to cast their vote in various situations. See the Updated Information About 'Voting' on Qortal page for more info.