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Glossary

A​

Airdrop​

An airdrop is a pre-allocated percentage of the project’s official token distributed to early supporters and community contributors.

API​

An API key is a secret token that identifies and authorizes your app when communicating with a service.

It’s like a password for programs, not people.

The key is used to verify your account and enable access to the data and services you are authorized for.

How your service provider handles your data determines whether using that API key exposes the data.

If someone else obtains your key (for example, you shared it inadvertently), they could use your account, possibly racking up usage and/or costs or triggering rate limits.

Learn more from the Academy item on API key usage.

AVS​

Autonomous Verifiable Services; the Protocol responsible for validation of tasks related to Node deployment and operations.

B​

Bond​

Providers must bond $NODE tokens to register a machine with the Protocol. The reason NodeOps Network uses the term "bonding" rather than staking to describe the collateral Compute Providers lock into the Protocol is that the tokens are not used in the same way as they are in a Proof of Stake (POS) mechanism.

Bonding provides economic alignment between providers that contribute Compute to NodeOps Network's decentralized physical infrastructure (DePIN) and the Protocol. The bond will be slashed (forefit) if the Compute provider fails to maintain the SLA agreed.

Bots​

A bot is a software agent. In Web3, bots are often employed by people attempting to creating multiple instances of wallets to airdrop hunt. Therefore, the concept is linked to Sybils.

C​

Console​

NodeOps Console is the user interface which Node Runners use to deploy and manage their Nodes.

Compute Unit​

The unit of measurement for the Compute provider machine's capacity and unit of consumption by a Compute consumer on NodeOps Cloud.

1CU = 1 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 30GB NVMe Disk

CPU architecture​

ARM64 vs AMD64​

ARM64 refers to 64-bit processors based on the ARM architecture (RISC — Reduced Instruction Set Computing). It has a relatively simple design, power-efficient instructions, and is optimized for low energy use.

Common uses:

  • Smartphones, tablets, IoT devices
  • Increasingly in laptops and servers (Apple M-series chips, AWS Graviton)

Strengths:

  • High energy efficiency (better battery life, less heat)
  • Great performance per watt
  • Scales well for Cloud and edge computing

Limitations:

  • Some older software isn’t built for ARM (requires emulation or recompilation)
  • Historically weaker in raw desktop/server performance (though this is changing fast)

AMD64 is the 64-bit extension of the x86 architecture, originally designed by AMD and used by Intel (also called x86-64). AMD64 supports Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) allowing richer, more complex instructions.

Common uses:

  • Desktop PCs and laptops (Windows, Linux)
  • Data center servers
  • High-performance computing (HPC)

Strengths:

  • Wide software compatibility (decades of x86 support)
  • Strong single-thread performance
  • Broad ecosystem for gaming, enterprise, and workstation software

Limitations:

  • Less power-efficient compared to ARM
  • Generates more heat at scale

D​

DAO​

A DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization) is an governance mechanism that operates without a central authority or rigid management structure. A DAO governs collectively through members who make decisions through voting. Typically DAO members hold tokens that represent ownership or voting power.

Learn more about NodeOps Protocol governance

DePIN​

Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Networks: leveraging blockchain and decentralized technologies to power and govern real-world physical infrastructure. This approach supports systems where infrastructure —such as telecommunications, energy grids, transportation networks, or IoT devices— is owned, operated, and maintained by decentralized participants rather than centralized entities.

Learn more about DePIN from our blog.

Docker image​

A Docker image is a pre-packaged environment containing everything needed to run an application, including code, dependencies, and system libraries.

Using Docker in NodeOps Cloud?

When specifying a Docker image in your template, ensure:

• The image is public so that it can be pulled during deployment

• You provide the correct image version using a digest (SHA256) or tag

Example:

image: jupyter/base-notebook@sha256:8c903974902b0e9d45d9823c2234411de0614c5c98c4bb782b3d4f55b3e435e6

Having a Docker image that's private is a common reason that Templates are rejected on NodeOps Cloud Marketplace. Tagging a Docker image for the incorrect CPU architecture is another common mistake.

E​

Encryption​

Encryption is the process of converting information or data into a code; it's essential to prevent unauthorized access. Encryption is fundamental to securing data in transit and at rest across networks and systems.

Learn more about encryption best practices from security-focused foundations such as OWASP.

Environment variables​

Environment variables are secure placeholders used to store sensitive information, like API keys, outside of your code. Applications access them at runtime through the system environment, so the secret values never need to be written directly into the source code. This keeps credentials hidden and makes apps safer to share or deploy.

F​

Federation​

Federation is the process of linking identity information across multiple systems or organizations, enabling secure collaboration and single sign-on across domains.

Learn more about federation

Failover​

Failover is the capability to automatically switch to a redundant or standby system in the event of a failure, ensuring high availability and business continuity.

Learn more about failover

Federated Identity Management​

Federated Identity Management (FIM) is a system that allows the sharing of identity information across trusted domains, enabling users to access multiple applications with a single set of credentials.

Learn more about FIM

Full Disk Encryption​

Full Disk Encryption (FDE) is a best-practice security measure that encrypts all data on a disk drive, protecting information even if the physical device is lost or stolen.

Learn more about disk encryption

Federated learning​

Federated learning is a Machine Learning (ML) technique whereby models are trained across multiple decentralized devices or servers holding local data samples, without exchanging them, enhancing both privacy and security.

G​

Gas sponsorships​

Gas sponsorships will be enabled with EIP-7702, allowing services to be accessed and claims to be made without the connected wallet paying the gas fee for writing data onchain.

L​

localhost​

Localhost refers to the current device used to access a network service. It's often associated with the IP address 127.0.0.1 and the hostname localhost.

It's used for:

  • Testing web applications locally
  • Accessing services running on the same machine
  • Loopback communication

M​

Machine​

Machines are individual Compute infrastructure units that a provider wants to add to NodeOps Cloud. Machines have to added to the NodeOps Network under each provider using the "Add Machine" process which is part of the provider onboarding process.

N​

NaaS​

Node as a Service: a simplified way for anyone to run Web3 Protocol or blockchain Nodes.

Node Operators​

Node Operators are end users, the Node Runners who deploy the Nodes that they own using partner service provider front ends.

tip

The NodeOps team is the team behind the NodeOps Network, which is why we are our own favored partner! Run a Node from the NodeOps Console.

O​

Operator​

Operators are individuals or groups interested in participating in the validation of tasks related to Node deployment through the NodeOps Network Autonomous Verifiable Services (AVS).

Operator Onboarding​

Operator onboarding refers to a series of steps a restaking operator must perform to opt into supporting the NodeOps Network AVS.

P​

Private template​

A private template is one that can only be viewed, modified, or deployed by anyone other than its owner.

  • User can create a private template
  • User can view / edit their private template
  • User can deploy their private template
  • No one else can view another's private template
  • User can change template visibility away from private

Provider​

A provider is an individual or group interested in lending their underutilized or un-utilized hardware infrastructure(machines) for workloads deployed using NodeOps Network.

Provider Onboarding​

Provider onboarding is a collection of steps that a provider must perform to join the NodeOps Network's pool of providers.

Provider Pool​

A collection of Compute providers registered with the NodeOps Network to lend their Compute resources for any workloads deployed using the console.

S​

Software Bill of Materials​

Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) is a security and compliance audit that analyzes the full list of components used in a software application. This audit includes code auditing, configuration scanning, and vulnerability testing to ensure that the application is secure and capable of protecting sensitive data from attackers.

SBOM is a component of compliance to allow applications to meet standards such as Executive Order 14028 (U.S. government) or ISO/IEC 5230.

Users may compile an SBOM report from NodeOps Marketplace using the code vulnerability scanner.

Security​

The rapid growth of Cloud-native and containerized deployments has increased security risks, making continuous, automated vulnerability scanning essential for anyone managing modern infrastructure. When setting up infrastructure on NodeOps Compute Marketplace, consider using the code vulnerability scanner and following the best practices for handling secrets.

Scheduling​

Scheduling means the process of finding the right machine for a Node deployment request.

Secrets​

Secrets such as API keys are sensitive data. Storing such data on disk can pose security risks.

Secrets best practices

Here are some best practices for handling secrets:

  1. Use environment variables for sensitive configuration.
  2. Implement secret management systems (e.g. Kubernetes Secrets, HashiCorp Vault).
  3. Encrypt data at rest if disk storage is necessary.
  4. Use temporary in-memory storage for short-lived sensitive data.

Browse the OWASP secret management cheat sheet to learn more.

Staking​

Under Poof-of-Stake blockchains (POS), staking is the locking of a token to support the blockchain operations. In return for staking your crypto, you may earn more cryptocurrency.

To validate POS blockchains, validator Nodes must first “stake” set amounts of the native token for the chain to be in a position to validate new transactions and add new blocks.

The stake will be slashed (forefit) if the validator fails to build legitimate blocks. This ensures that only valid data and transactions are added to a blockchain. Validators are rewarded with the native token when they successfully add new blocks.

Supply​

Some sources confuse the definitions of token supply, we will apply a modern approach:

  • Circulating Supply = # of coins that are circulating in the market and, potentially, in the general public's hands
  • Total Supply = # of coins in existence right now (minus any coins that have been verifiably burned)
  • Max Supply = theoretical maximum # of coins that could exist in the forthcoming lifespan of the cryptocurrency given its tokenomics

Sybils​

A Sybil is essentially a copy. While each human individual is unique, Sybils are attempts to create multiple identities. This strategy is often employed by airdrop hunters in an attempt to capture an unfair share of the available rewards.

T​

Template​

A template is Infrastructure as configuration playbook: a YAML file that defines how an application should run within our marketplace. It specifies:

• The public Docker image to be used

• Resource allocation (CPU, memory)

• Environment variables (with placeholders for user input)

• Whether the application should be exposed to the internet

It acts as a blueprint, ensuring consistent deployment configurations for users. Templates may be private or public.

W​

Workload​

A Node deployed on a Provider machine is called the Workload.