Glossary of Terms

A symmetric encryption algorithm (Advanced Encryption Standard, 256-bit key, Galois/Counter Mode) used in Netfory for end-to-end encrypted messaging. Provides both confidentiality and authenticity in a single pass.

A mechanism (roadmap) whereby seeders lock STH as collateral to guarantee uptime. Downtime or invalid heartbeats result in partial or full slashing of the staked amount.

Bitcoin Improvement Proposals defining mnemonic seed phrases (BIP-39), hierarchical deterministic key derivation (BIP-32), and multi-account path structure (BIP-44). Netfory uses these standards for Self-Decentralized Identity (SDI) key management.

A cryptographic hash function (2020) producing 256-bit digests. Used throughout Netfory for content-addressed blob verification, dApp integrity checks, and Merkle tree construction. Significantly faster than SHA-256 while maintaining equivalent security.

A per-application STH pool (sth_boost:<app_id>) where developers or users stake tokens to incentivize seeders to prioritize distribution of a specific dApp. Higher boost → higher priority_weight in tracker recommendations.

The unit of measurement for seeder contribution: gigabytes stored × hours of continuous availability. Tracked via the 288-slot sliding window and visualized in the Network Map leaderboard.

A self-describing, content-addressed hash that uniquely identifies a blob in the Netfory network. Two identical files always produce the same CID; any modification produces a different one.

A storage paradigm where data is identified and retrieved by its cryptographic hash (BLAKE3 CID) rather than by location (URL or IP). Guarantees immutability: any modification produces a different address.

A browser security mechanism that restricts web pages from making requests to a different origin. SmartNet dApps (origin sth://<app_id>/) require backends to return compatible CORS headers.

A relay protocol for forwarding encrypted traffic between peers that cannot establish a direct connection (e.g., behind symmetric NAT). Implemented in Netfory as the decentralized n1-relay mesh.

A decentralized key-value lookup system spread across all participating nodes. Netfory uses the BitTorrent Mainline DHT for trackerless peer discovery, eliminating the HTTP tracker as a single point of failure.

The consensus mechanism of the SmartHoldem blockchain, on which STH transactions are settled. Provides fast, low-fee finality with secp256k1 (legacy bip-schnorr) signatures.

An elliptic-curve digital signature algorithm used by Iroh for node identity and by netfory-provider for signing API responses. Provides fast verification and small signature sizes.

The 32-byte public key identity of an Iroh node. Unlike IP addresses, EndpointIds are cryptographically stable and do not change when a node's network location changes.

A statistical smoothing technique used in the Multi-Armed Bandit algorithm (α = 0.2) to track seeder download speed. Recent measurements receive higher weight while preserving historical context.

The on-chain STH pool (SappsPqDQXCRvoi1V2Hs9xycQeT1ptJWV1) that accumulates dApp publication fees and distributes rewards to active seeders based on their Proof-of-Utility scores.

An iroh collection format for per-file chunked distribution. Intentionally deferred in the current Netfory architecture; the built-in torrent engine handles chunk-level parallelism at the blob level.

A minimal, GUI-less Netfory node (smartnet-seeder) that runs on VPS or dedicated hardware, providing 24/7 storage and bandwidth without user interaction. Compensated via the Global Seeding Pool.

A lightweight UDP listener (1 RTT) that bridges the gap between DHT-discovered IP:port pairs and Iroh EndpointIds. Responses are signed with the seeder's Iroh secret key to prevent DHT poisoning.

A peer-to-peer networking library (Rust) built on QUIC. Provides encrypted, NAT-traversing connections identified by cryptographic EndpointIds rather than IP addresses. The foundational transport layer of Netfory.

A non-linear multiplier (range: 0 to 2.5) applied to seeder rewards based on their 24-hour uptime percentage. 100% uptime → ×2.5 (MAX_K_UP); lower uptime scales linearly downward.

A local-only HTTP channel (127.0.0.1) used for inter-process communication between git-remote-dev and the SmartNet client. Authenticated via a random token in devhub-ipc.json.

A zero-configuration LAN discovery protocol. Used by Netfory as a fallback peer discovery mechanism when DHT and HTTP trackers are unreachable.

A strictly incrementing counter signed into every DHT branch pointer during git push operations. Prevents repository rollback attacks — the network rejects any publication with a lower sequence number.

An algorithm for balancing exploration (probing unknown peers) and exploitation (using known-fast peers) during swarm downloads. Default ε = 0.15 (15% exploration probability).

A global peer discovery service operated by the Iroh project. Used as a fallback in Netfory's discovery chain when DHT, tracker, and mDNS are all unavailable.

A lightweight Rust service implementing the decentralized DERP relay mesh. Forwards encrypted QUIC packets between peers that cannot establish direct connections. Never sees plaintext traffic.

A P2P-to-clearnet API gateway that translates api:// requests into standard HTTPS calls and signs responses with an Ed25519 key. Enables dApps to interact with external services while preserving the zero-trust model.

A 3D globe visualization in the SmartNet client showing all known seeders, their geographic distribution, transport types, and the user's personal download speed to each. Includes the "MY SPEED" column and Byte-Hours leaderboard.

The 64-character hexadecimal representation of an Iroh node's public key. Used as the host component in WebSocket URLs (ws://<64-hex-nodeId>/...) and api:// requests.

A browser security policy requiring explicit server consent (Access-Control-Allow-Private-Network: true) before allowing requests from public origins to private IP addresses.

A storage verification mechanism where seeders prove they hold a unique, sealed copy of data (not a symlink or deduplicated reference). Implemented via Merkle spot-checking with blockchain-derived entropy.

The economic consensus mechanism of Netfory: seeders earn STH proportional to their measured contribution (Byte-Hours × K_up), verified via signed heartbeats and the 288-slot sliding window.

A cryptographic verification layer where the tracker periodically challenges seeders to produce Merkle proofs for random byte ranges of stored blobs. Invalid proofs result in slashing (roadmap).

A transport protocol (RFC 9000) providing encrypted, multiplexed, connection-oriented communication over UDP. The foundation of the Iroh transport layer, offering lower latency than TCP+TLS.

A client-side safety mechanism (≥ v1.55.35) that recovers a provider's NodeID from the internal provider map when a dApp uses a malformed WebSocket URL. A safety net, not a contract.

Netfory's identity system where users generate and control their own cryptographic keypairs (BIP-39 mnemonic → BIP-32 tree → BIP-44 paths). No central authority issues or revokes identities.

The elliptic curve used by SmartHoldem DPoS for transaction signatures (legacy bip-schnorr scheme). Distinct from Ed25519 (used by Iroh) and X25519 (used for E2EE key exchange).

A high-performance embedded key-value database written in Rust. Used by the Netfory tracker and client for persistent storage of heartbeats, bandit weights (swarm:weights), DHT caches, and application state.

The smallest indivisible unit of STH (1 STH = 10⁸ smarthoshi, analogous to satoshi in Bitcoin). All internal amounts are stored as integers in smarthoshi.

The native utility token of the SmartHoldem / Netfory ecosystem. Used for network fees, identity registration, dApp publication, paid messaging, seeder rewards, and governance. Total supply capped at ~249.7M (post-emission halt).

A multi-peer download strategy where the client simultaneously probes multiple seeders and uses the Multi-Armed Bandit algorithm to select the fastest provider. Includes 8-second failover timeouts.

A framework for building cross-platform desktop applications (Windows, macOS, Linux) using a native WebView for the frontend and Rust for the backend. The foundation of the SmartNet client.

A lightweight coordination server (not a content server) that maintains the registry of dApps, seeder heartbeats, uptime scores, and boost-pool weights. Multiple trackers operate in parallel; failure of one does not break the network.

The ability to find dApp seeders without contacting any HTTP tracker, using Mainline DHT announcements and signed identity-beacons. The tracker becomes a bootstrap accelerator, not a gatekeeper.

The five URI schemes of the Netfory ecosystem: u:// (user identity), .sth (human-readable domain), sn:// (internal service routing), dev:// (source code repositories), sth:// (dApp WebView origin).

The evolutionary stage of the internet where AI agents, IoT devices, and decentralized infrastructure converge into an autonomous, self-sustaining ecosystem. Netfory is a foundational infrastructure layer for Web 4.0.

A full-duplex communication protocol over a single TCP connection. In Netfory, tunneled through Iroh/QUIC to netfory-provider nodes, enabling real-time dApp features (poker, chat) without public domains.

An elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm used in Netfory's end-to-end encrypted messaging for deriving shared secrets between communicating parties.