This glossary contains terms and definitions for the entities and concepts in the Orcfax domain.
A decentralized digital archives management platform and permanent storage solution.
A decentralized (layer-zero) storage network that provides replication of data over hundreds of Arweave nodes and is funded by the Ar token.
The network provides a one-time endowment model that claims to fund the storage of a minimum 40 copies of each user file.
Describes a currency exchange rate.
In forex, currencies are traded in pairs. The first in the pair is referred to as the base currency while the second is referred to as the quote currency.
For one $BASE a user needs n-$QUOTE.
The feed type representing Current Exchange Rate feeds. This includes feeds such as ADA-USD and FACT-ADA.
For a feed of CER type, the naming convention is
{{base-currency}}-{{quote-currency}} and ordering
follows forex convention (see
base-quote).
Fiat currency names follow ISO 4217.
Currency names are stripped of / and any
non-standard characters.
For crypto base currencies, ordering defers to how the pairs appear on CEXs.
For cardano native tokens, ordering defers to how pairs appear on DEXs.
Examples
ADA-USDADA-iUSDFACT-ADABeyond this, there is not yet precedence. Additional conventions regarding ordering will be fleshed out as the need arises.
Custodial platforms which grant users the ability to buy, sell, and swap assets.
As private companies, CEXs manage all transactions, set exchange rules and fees, and are subject to the laws and regulations of every jurisdiction within which they operate.
A hosted set of scripts that aggregates and signs the CER output of an Orcfax CEX or CNT collector.
A state which can be understood differently depending on context:
When a task performed by an actor is verified as having being performed, according set principles, by multiple other actors.
When the properties of an output can be verified as accurate by n- actors.
When the result of an output has been independently observed by n- independent actors.
A participant, either directly or indirectly, in a transaction within which orcfax data is used.
Example: the user of a lending platform which has integrated Orcfax feeds is a consumer.
A person or entity that provides access to data for use by others.
Optional data that can be associated to a UTXO when it is created.
There are several ways this can be done. The full datum must be available when spending a utxo. This is automatic in the case that the datum was inlined when the UTXO was created.
Non-custodial platforms built on blockchain networks which allow peer-to-peer transactions between users, enabling them to buy, sell, and swap assets without a intermediary.
The targeted subject area for a software-intensive system. It is the sphere of knowledge and activity around which the software's processes, rules, and data revolves.
The early Orcfax network that decentralized collecting of CER data and published validated collector data through a central validator and publisher hosted by Orcfax.
A data pipeline handling time series data.
The term is also used to refer to the output of a feed.
The unique ID of a feed which is constructed as
{{feed-type}}/{{feed-name}}/
Example: CER/ADA-USD/
The ID can also be extended to a versioned feed ID.
Note that a feed id includes the terminating /.
The identifier of a feed within a feed type which is selected to globally unique.
Together with the feed type, the feed name determines the feed
ID. A short uppercase list of ASCII characters is preferred, for
example ADA-USD.
Each feed type will have its own naming convention.
Each feed has exactly one feed type, which are used to group feeds into semantically similar sets.
Two feeds of the same type will share statement body datatypes, and have the same visualisations etc.
For example, the feed type CER (Currency Exchange
Rate feeds) includes the feeds ADA-USD and FACT-ADA.
Each feed type has short, uppercased, label (eg
CER). This appears as the first part of the feed
ID.
The domain from which terminology about trading, and information pertaining to trading mechanisms for currencies, is adopted.
A distinct and self-contained unit of code that accomplishes a specific task using given inputs to generate a predictable output.
A QoL improvement brought in with CIP-32. Together with CIP-31, allowing for reference inputs, it has made it easier to use on-chain data in a plutus script.
An entity which builds the use of Orcfax datum into their smart contract and transactions.
A phased program of iterative design and ground-truthing using the resources of licensed Orcfax validators.
An NFT that allows individuals to trustlessly verify their right to participate in the Orcfax network and which is used to verify the authenticity of a participant on the Orcfax network by Orcfax tooling.
The challenge of providing security, authenticity, and trust, to information brought onto a blockchain in a decentralized manner.
Code executed by Cardano nodes when accepting txs. A plutus script, or simply script when the context is clear, governs: the spending from the associated payment address; the minting (and burning) of associated tokens; withdrawals from the associiated staking account etc. A tx will be rejected from the ledger if the script errors. The hash (blake2b_256) of the script determines the associated tokens and credentials.
Data collected firsthand by a person or entity during the course of regular activity and made available for use by others.
Example: A CEX can be considered a primary data source when the price data it provides is derived from the its own order books and not from external data.
Data that was received by an Orcfax validator but rejected as it did not have all of the properties required to satisfy the consensus algorithm, e.g. its content signature did not match what was received, the median could not be accurately re-calculated, or its timestamp was > 80 seconds.
A blockchain oracle feed designed to demonstrate or highlight specific capabilities in a way which allows integrators to perform tests on mainnet.
Orcfax makes no guarantees as to how long these feeds will be offered in this capacity; they can be removed/changed at any time and without warning.
The value of a data source, or primary data source, query which is embedded in that data source's response to a given query.
The fundamental operation for evolving the state of a blockchain.
The determination of a single data point from a minimum of three sources.
Example
A description given to a non-excludable system which does not require its users to rely upon or trust an intermediary.
Short for unspent transaction output, it is a fundamental entity in UTXO accounting blockchains such as Cardano. In such blockchains, a transaction specifies which UTXOs are input (ie spent) and defines new output UTXOs.
To be a legitimate transaction all input UTXOs must have not been spent by another transaction.
Apart from the genesis UTXO, all UTXOs are the output of previous transactions.
Short for Orcfax validator node. A validator is a member of the consensus mechanism for Orcfax. Not to be confused with a Plutus validation script which, when the context is sufficiently clear, may also be referred to as a validator.
The extension of the feed ID to contain version information.
It is constructed as {{feed-id}}/{{feed-version}}
or equivalently
{{feed-type}}/{{feed-name}}/{{feed-version}}.