Glossary

A comprehensive reference of technical terms, concepts, and acronyms used in the Ixian ecosystem.

A

Address

A cryptographic identifier derived from a public key that serves as a unique account identifier on the Ixian blockchain. All current address versions (v0, v1, v2) are derived from RSA-4096 public keys and encoded in Base58.

AES-256-GCM

Advanced Encryption Standard with 256-bit keys using Galois/Counter Mode. One of the symmetric encryption algorithms used in Ixian for encrypting data streams and messages.

API (Application Programming Interface)

A set of protocols and tools for building software applications. Ixian provides JSON-RPC APIs for DLT nodes, S2 nodes, and QuIXI bridges.

App Protocol

A custom communication protocol defined by Spixi Mini Apps that enables structured data exchange between peers over the S2 network. Used for IoT control, streaming, and custom application logic.

Argon2id

A memory-hard key derivation function used for password hashing and proof-of-work calculations in Ixian. Provides resistance against GPU and ASIC attacks.

B

Base58

An encoding scheme similar to Base64 but designed to avoid ambiguous characters (0, O, I, l). Used throughout Ixian for encoding addresses, public keys, and transaction IDs.

Block

A data structure containing a set of transactions, signatures from Master Nodes, and metadata. Blocks are linked cryptographically to form the blockchain.

Block Height

The sequential number of a block in the blockchain, starting from 1 (genesis block). Used to identify specific points in blockchain history.

Block Signature

A cryptographic signature from a Master Node attesting to the validity of a block. Multiple signatures from different Master Nodes are required to finalize a block under the PoCW consensus.

Blockchain

A distributed ledger of transactions organized into blocks and cryptographically linked. Ixian's blockchain maintains wallet balances, IXI Names, and consensus state.

C

ChaCha20-Poly1305

A high-performance authenticated encryption algorithm used in Ixian for secure data transmission. Particularly efficient on mobile devices.

Client Node

A lightweight node that connects to the Ixian network without maintaining the full blockchain. Can send transactions, query data, and communicate via S2 without consensus participation.

Consensus

The process by which nodes in a distributed network agree on the state of the blockchain. Ixian uses Proof of Collaborative Work (PoCW).

Cryptographic Agility

The ability to support multiple cryptographic algorithms and upgrade them without breaking backward compatibility. Ixian's address versioning system enables crypto-agility.

D

DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology)

The blockchain layer of Ixian responsible for maintaining transaction history, wallet balances, IXI Names registry, and consensus operations.

DLT Node

A node that participates in the Ixian blockchain network by validating transactions, maintaining ledger state, and potentially signing blocks.

E

ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman)

A key agreement protocol used in Ixian for establishing shared secrets between peers. Part of the hybrid key exchange scheme.

Encryption

The process of converting plaintext into ciphertext to protect confidentiality. Ixian uses dual encryption combining AES and ChaCha20.

F

FIPS 203

Federal Information Processing Standard 203, which defines ML-KEM (Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism). Ixian implements FIPS 203 for post-quantum security.

Fork

A divergence in the blockchain where different nodes have different views of the chain. Ixian's consensus mechanism is designed to minimize and resolve forks quickly.

G

Genesis Block

The first block in the blockchain (block height 1). Contains initial network parameters and the foundation of the chain.

H

Handshake

The process of establishing a secure, authenticated connection between two Ixian addresses. Involves key exchange, verification, and session establishment.

Hash

The output of a cryptographic hash function. Ixian uses SHA-3 (Keccak) for most hashing operations including block hashes and transaction IDs.

History Node

A Master Node that maintains the complete blockchain history. Currently all Master Nodes are also full History Nodes (distinction planned for future).

I

IXI

The native cryptocurrency token of the Ixian Platform. Used for transaction fees, staking, and rewarding Master Nodes.

IXI Names

A decentralized naming system that provides human-readable identities mapped to Ixian addresses. Similar to DNS but fully decentralized on the blockchain.

Ixiac

The name of Ixian's consensus algorithm: Proof of Collaborative Work (PoCW). Combines proof-of-work eligibility with multi-signature validation.

Ixian-Core

The foundational C# SDK library that implements all core protocol logic, cryptography, and networking for the Ixian Platform.

IxiNumber

A variable-length binary integer encoding used in Ixian protocol messages to minimize bandwidth usage.

IxiVarInt

A variable-length integer encoding that uses fewer bytes for smaller numbers. Similar to Bitcoin's VarInt but optimized for Ixian's use cases.

J

JSON-RPC

A remote procedure call protocol encoded in JSON. Used for all Ixian node APIs (DLT, S2, QuIXI).

K

Keep-Alive

A periodic message broadcast by clients to announce their continued online presence. Required to maintain visibility in the Starling presence system.

Keccak

The SHA-3 cryptographic hash function used throughout Ixian for generating block hashes, transaction IDs, and address derivation.

L

Ledger

The complete record of all transactions and account balances on the Ixian blockchain.

LM Studio

A desktop application for running large language models locally. Used in Ixian examples to demonstrate decentralized AI chatbots.

M

Master Node

A full node that participates in consensus by signing blocks and earning IXI rewards. Must maintain the complete blockchain and meet minimum stake requirements.

ML-KEM (Module-Lattice-Based Key-Encapsulation Mechanism)

A post-quantum cryptographic algorithm standardized in FIPS 203. Ixian uses ML-KEM-768 for quantum-resistant key exchange.

MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport)

A lightweight publish-subscribe messaging protocol. QuIXI supports MQTT bridges for IoT integration.

Multi-signature (Multisig)

A wallet that requires multiple private keys to authorize transactions. Ixian supports arbitrary M-of-N multisig configurations.

N

Nonce

A number used once in cryptographic operations. In Ixian, used in proof-of-work calculations and transaction construction.

Node

Any software instance that participates in the Ixian network. Types include Master Nodes, Client Nodes, S2 Nodes, and Relay Nodes.

P

P2P (Peer-to-Peer)

A network architecture where participants communicate directly without central servers. Ixian's S2 network enables true P2P messaging and streaming.

PoCW (Proof of Collaborative Work)

Ixian's consensus algorithm. Combines proof-of-work eligibility (miners solve SHA-3 puzzles) with collaborative multi-signature validation by Master Nodes.

Presence

Information about an address's online status, network endpoints, and Starling sector assignments. Maintained by the S2 network with TTL expiration.

Private Key

The secret cryptographic key that authorizes transactions and signs messages. Must be kept secure and never shared.

Public Key

The cryptographic key that can be shared publicly. Used to derive addresses and verify signatures. Ixian uses RSA-4096 public keys.

Q

QuIXI

A gateway/bridge application that exposes Ixian functionality via REST APIs, MQTT, and RabbitMQ. Enables integration without running a full node.

Quorum

The minimum number of signatures required to finalize a block. Ixian uses an adaptive quorum that adjusts based on network conditions.

R

Relay Node

An S2 node that forwards messages between clients. Acts as a routing intermediary for peers that cannot connect directly.

RSA-4096

An asymmetric encryption algorithm using 4096-bit keys. Used throughout Ixian for address generation, signatures, and hybrid key exchange.

S

S2 (Secure Streaming and Signaling)

The decentralized communication layer of Ixian that handles real-time messaging, presence management, and peer-to-peer streaming.

S2 Node

A node that participates in the S2 network by relaying messages, maintaining presence information, and routing data between peers.

Sector (Starling)

A region of the address space in the Starling routing system. Addresses are grouped into sectors for efficient peer discovery.

SHA-3

The third generation Secure Hash Algorithm, also known as Keccak. Ixian's primary hash function for blocks, transactions, and addresses.

Signature

A cryptographic proof that a message was created by the holder of a specific private key. Used for transaction authorization, block validation and handshakes.

Spixi

The flagship mobile messenger application built on Ixian. Supports end-to-end encrypted messaging, payments, and Mini Apps.

Spixi Mini App

A lightweight web application (HTML/CSS/JavaScript) that runs inside the Spixi messenger with P2P capabilities and no backend required.

Starling

Ixian's trustless client discovery system. Uses sector-based routing to enable clients to find each other using only their addresses, without centralized directories.

T

Testnet

A separate blockchain network used for testing and development. Allows developers to experiment without risking real IXI tokens.

Transaction

A signed message that transfers IXI tokens, registers names, or performs other blockchain operations. Must be included in a block to take effect.

Transaction Fee

The amount of IXI paid to Master Nodes for processing a transaction. Fees are dynamic and based on transaction size and network congestion.

TTL (Time To Live)

The duration for which presence information remains valid. Clients must send keep-alive messages before their TTL expires to remain visible.

U

UTXO (Unspent Transaction Output)

While Ixian doesn't currently use a UTXO model like Bitcoin, the term sometimes appears when discussing transaction inputs and change addresses.

V

Validation

The process of verifying that transactions and blocks follow consensus rules before accepting them into the blockchain.

VarInt

See IxiVarInt.

W

Wallet

A collection of private keys and associated addresses. Can store IXI tokens and sign transactions. Ixian supports multi-address wallets.

Wallet State

The snapshot of all addresses and their balances at a specific block height. Used for fast synchronization and balance queries.

Additional Resources

Spixi Mini Apps Quickstart

Node Operator Guides