Glossary

This glossary defines the terms used across Canopy protocol, node, Terminal, and builder documentation. It uses “Canopy Template” as the reader-facing term. The repository may use plugin for the same language-specific implementation in source code, configuration, and build commands.

A

Account A state record that represents a token holder’s balance and related account data. Canopy addresses identify accounts.

Address A 20-byte identifier used to refer to an account, validator, recipient, or other participant. Addresses are represented as hexadecimal strings in APIs and tooling.

Admin RPC The node-operator RPC surface. It provides local capabilities such as keystore access, diagnostics, configuration, logs, and administrative transaction helpers. It must remain private to the node host.

Application A product built on Canopy, such as a marketplace, game, registry, social application, or financial service. An application defines its own transactions, state, and user experience through a Canopy Template.

Application state The records that define an application’s current onchain state, such as posts, orders, balances, counters, permissions, or configuration. State changes only through deterministic Template logic.

B

Block An ordered set of transactions and resulting state changes agreed by the network. Canopy processes a Template at defined points during each block.

Block height The sequential number of a block. Heights let applications make deterministic time-like rules, such as an expiry after a fixed number of blocks.

Bonding curve The automated market mechanism used during a Canopy Terminal launch. The token price changes as participants buy or sell the project token.

BFT, Byzantine Fault Tolerance A consensus property that allows a validator network to reach agreement even when some participants are unavailable or act maliciously.

C

Canopy The protocol and development stack for building and operating onchain applications and networks.

Canopy Stack The set of Canopy components that provide node operation, consensus, peer-to-peer networking, state processing, tooling, and Templates for application logic.

Canopy Template The application-specific implementation that defines a chain’s transactions, validation rules, state transitions, and optional custom query endpoints. See the Canopy Template Runtime Reference.

Canopy Terminal Canopy’s product for launching an application and its token through a bonding curve. Terminal has its own launch mechanics and fees. It does not define all Canopy applications or chains.

Chain ID The identifier for a specific chain within a network. A transaction includes a chain ID so it can be routed and validated in the correct chain context.

Committee A set of validators participating in consensus for a particular chain or security context. Committees can receive and distribute rewards according to active protocol rules.

Consensus The process by which validators agree on the next valid block and its resulting state.

Creator fee The current 0.5% Terminal fee share accrued for a project creator from trading volume during a bonding-curve launch. Under the current Terminal model, it is held until Terminal graduation.

Custom RPC An application-specific query interface implemented by a Template. It should expose stable application concepts, such as retrieving a post or listing orders, rather than raw storage keys.

Custom state prefix A declared prefix that identifies application-owned records in the shared Canopy state keyspace. Core single-byte prefixes 1 through 15 are reserved. Application prefixes must be declared outside that range, such as 100 or 101.

D

Delegator A participant who delegates stake to a validator rather than operating a validator directly. Delegators can be eligible for rewards according to the active network rules.

Deterministic execution The requirement that every validator reaches the same result when given the same transaction and state. Template logic must not depend on local time, local files, external network calls, or nondeterministic randomness.

DEX, decentralized exchange An exchange mechanism for token trading without a conventional centralized intermediary. A Terminal-graduated project receives DEX liquidity under the current launch model.

Dual-asset rewards A reward model in which eligible participants can receive rewards connected to both an application’s native token and CNPY.

E

Event A structured record emitted by a Template during block processing or transaction delivery. Events make meaningful application changes easier for indexers and clients to observe.

Explorer A user interface for viewing blocks, transactions, accounts, and other chain data.

F

Fee An amount included with a transaction to compensate the network and prevent spam. Active fee requirements are protocol parameters and can change through the applicable governance process.

Fee pool A protocol-controlled pool that collects transaction fees according to Canopy’s state-transition rules.

Finite State Machine, FSM The component that applies valid transactions and maintains the chain’s persistent state. A Template communicates with the FSM to read and write application state.

Founder allocation Tokens reserved for a creator, team, contributors, or another defined group. Terminal does not automatically create these allocations. They must be acquired at launch or implemented through application logic.

G

Genesis The initial state of a chain. A Template can use genesis data to create application records required before the first transaction.

Governance The process and rules through which protocol or application decisions are made. Governance can control parameters, treasuries, upgrades, and other defined powers.

K

Key-value state The persistent state model used by the Canopy FSM. Every record is stored under a byte key with a serialized byte value.

Keystore A local node component that manages key material for accounts and validators. Keystore access belongs on the private admin surface, not in a browser-facing application.

M

Mempool The set of transactions a node has received and validated for possible inclusion in a future block.

Minting authority The application rule or authority that can create additional native tokens. If an application supports minting, it should document who controls it, its limits, and whether those rules can change.

N

Native token The token associated with a specific application or chain. It is distinct from CNPY, the native token of the Canopy network.

Nested Chain A chain operating within Canopy’s recursive architecture. Its security and relationship to a Root Chain are protocol architecture questions, separate from Terminal launch graduation.

Network ID The identifier for the wider Canopy network environment. Transactions include a network ID alongside their chain ID.

Node Software that runs the Canopy protocol, participates in network communication, validates data, and can participate in consensus when configured as a validator.

P

Peer Another node connected through Canopy’s peer-to-peer network.

Peer-to-peer, P2P The direct networking layer used by Canopy nodes to discover peers, exchange messages, and participate in distributed operation.

Plugin A repository and configuration term for a language-specific Canopy Template implementation. It does not mean a generic third-party integration or an external API.

PluginConfig The Go Template configuration object sent during the startup handshake. It declares the Template’s supported transaction types, protobuf descriptors, event types, and custom state prefixes.

Pool A protocol-controlled balance or record that is not controlled by an individual private key. Pools are used for functions such as fee collection and other protocol-defined accounting.

Protobuf Protocol Buffers, the schema and serialization system used for Canopy messages, transactions, state records, and runtime communication.

Public RPC The application-facing node interface for reading chain data and submitting already signed transactions. See the RPC Reference.

Q

Query ID A caller-assigned identifier used to match a state-read response to its original key or range request. Query IDs are especially useful when a Template batches multiple reads.

QueryState The Go Template runtime’s detached, read-only state-query path for custom RPC handlers. It is intended for application queries that are not part of transaction or block processing.

R

Root Chain A chain that serves as a root of security within Canopy’s recursive architecture. A Root Chain relationship is distinct from a Terminal launch or Terminal graduation.

Root of security A chain or network layer that provides security support to another chain in the recursive Canopy architecture.

RPC, Remote Procedure Call An interface that lets an application or operator request data or actions from a node over HTTP.

S

Security Root A chain that functions as a root of security for other chains. Becoming a Security Root is an architectural and operational process. It is not automatic when a Terminal project graduates.

Serialization The process of converting a message or state record into bytes for storage or transmission. The Go Template uses protobuf serialization for runtime messages and state records.

StateRead The Go Template runtime helper for reading exact state keys or scanning records by prefix. It returns results matched by query ID.

StateWrite The Go Template runtime helper for writing or deleting state records as part of an application state transition.

Staking Committing tokens to participate in network security and reward distribution, directly as a validator or indirectly through delegation. Staking conditions, rewards, and withdrawal rules depend on active network configuration.

Sovereignty A chain’s degree of independence in its security and operational model. It is not the same as Terminal graduation.

T

Template runtime The protocol boundary between Canopy’s node and a Template. It includes lifecycle calls, transaction validation and delivery, state reads and writes, configuration, and runtime error handling.

Terminal fee The current 1.0% fee charged by Canopy Terminal on bonding-curve trading volume. It belongs to Terminal, not to the launched application or its creator.

Terminal graduation The completion of a Terminal bonding-curve launch after the configured threshold is reached. The current threshold is 50,000 CNPY. This is a Terminal-specific launch milestone, not a Canopy-wide chain requirement.

Token lockup A rule that restricts when tokens can be transferred or used. Lockups must be implemented and documented by the application when applicable.

Token vesting A rule that releases an allocation gradually according to a schedule or conditions. Vesting should be implemented deterministically and disclosed before launch.

Transaction A signed instruction that requests a state change. A transaction contains an application message, authorization data, fee, network context, chain context, and other protocol fields.

Transaction type The named application action carried by a transaction, such as a token transfer, post creation, marketplace order, or application-specific update.

Type URL A protobuf identifier that tells the runtime which concrete message type is contained inside a transaction or event payload.

U

Unix socket A local operating-system communication channel. The Go Template uses a Unix socket to exchange runtime messages with the Canopy FSM.

V

Validator A participant that runs node software and participates in consensus. Validators can be eligible for rewards and subject to protocol rules governing availability and behavior.

VDF, Verifiable Delay Function A cryptographic mechanism used by Canopy as part of its security design. It produces a result that takes time to compute but can be verified efficiently.

W

Wallet Software or an interface used to manage accounts, sign transactions, and view token balances. A wallet should sign transactions in a user-controlled environment rather than sending private keys to an application backend.