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Blockchain & Crypto vocabulary · Smart Contracts & dApps

dApp

Meaning in blockchain & crypto, with examples

nounCommon term

In blockchain & crypto, dApp means: Short for decentralized application: an app whose main logic runs on smart contracts on a blockchain instead of on a company's own servers. Users usually open it in a browser and connect a wallet.

In Turkish: merkeziyetsiz uygulama

How it is used

Written dApp, dapp or DApp and pronounced 'dee-app' or 'dap'. Developers build and launch dApps; users connect to them, sign transactions and grant approvals. Many dApps still use a normal website as their front end.

Example sentences

  1. Open the dApp in your browser and connect your wallet to see your balance.

  2. We are hiring a front-end developer to build our first dApp.

Common collocations

  • build a dApp
  • connect to a dApp
  • dApp front end
  • launch a dApp
  • smart contractA program stored on a blockchain that runs automatically when certain conditions are met. Once deployed it usually cannot be changed, and it can hold and move funds without a middleman.
  • decentralizedNot controlled by one company, server or person. In a decentralized system, many independent participants share control and keep the network running together.
  • walletAn app or device that stores the keys you need to access and move your crypto. The coins themselves stay on the blockchain; the wallet only holds the keys that control them.
  • EthereumA blockchain launched in 2015 that can run smart contracts and applications, not just payments. Its own currency is called ether (ETH), and it has used proof of stake since 2022.
  • protocolThe set of rules and code that defines how a blockchain or crypto service works. In DeFi, the word often means the whole system of smart contracts behind an app.

More terms: Smart Contracts & dApps

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