Core Concepts
Foundational concepts of Terp Network — cryptography, software, hardware, networks, markets, tokens, privacy, trustlessness, and governance
Core Concepts
Terp Network is built on a set of foundational concepts that span cryptography, software, hardware, network topology, market design, and governance. Understanding these primitives helps you reason about the system's properties and design applications that use them effectively.
Cryptography
Hash functions, elliptic curves, key-pairs, Merkle trees, post-quantum readiness
Software
Open source, smart contracts, CosmWasm, compilers, reproducible builds
Hardware
Physical infrastructure — nodes, validators, sensors, relayers, HSM
Networks
Mainnet, testnet, localnet — how they connect and differ
Markets
Verifiable, open, and closed markets on Terp Network
Tokens
Native tokens, CW20, CW721, IBC tokens, Tokenfactory
Tax & Fees
Gas, minimum fees, thiol, economic sustainability
Privacy
Selective disclosure, storage access patterns, zero-knowledge
Trustlessness
Manifesto, verification pipelines, certified deployments
Permissionlessness
Opt-out access, open participation, censorship resistance
IBC & Interoperability
Inter-Blockchain Communication, hooks, PFM, ICA, ICS
Decentralization
Distribution, resilience, verifiability, trade-offs
Governance
On-chain voting, DAOs, parameter changes, upgrades
P2P Networking
CometBFT, peer discovery, gossip protocol, topology
AI & ML
QMD semantic analysis, LLM integration, indexing
Genesis
Network genesis, airdrop, headstash, OG challenge
How These Concepts Fit Together
Terp Network is a decentralized operating system for trustless, interoperable, free markets. Each concept layer builds on the one below it:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Markets & Governance │ ← economic coordination
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Trustlessness · Permissionlessness │ ← security properties
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ IBC · Privacy · Tokens · Tax/Fees │ ← protocol features
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Software · Hardware · Networks │ ← infrastructure
├─────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ Cryptography · P2P · Decentralization │ ← foundations
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘Diagram scaffold — the layer diagram above is text-based. A rendered SVG or interactive architecture diagram will replace it. If you have a design direction, open an issue or submit a PR.
Each concept page includes:
- Definition — what the concept means in the context of Terp Network
- How Terp Network uses it — specific modules, parameters, or code references
- Practical implications — what it means for developers, validators, and users
- Scaffolding — marker sections where diagrams, visualizers, or interactive demos will be placed
Contributing to Concepts
These pages are a living reference. If you find an inaccuracy, missing concept, or want to contribute a diagram or interactive demo, see contributing or open a PR against content/docs/overview/concepts/.