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.
Hash functions, elliptic curves, key-pairs, Merkle trees, post-quantum readiness
Open source, smart contracts, CosmWasm, compilers, reproducible builds
Physical infrastructure — nodes, validators, sensors, relayers, HSM
Mainnet, testnet, localnet — how they connect and differ
Verifiable, open, and closed markets on Terp Network
Native tokens, CW20, CW721, IBC tokens, Tokenfactory
Gas, minimum fees, thiol, economic sustainability
Selective disclosure, storage access patterns, zero-knowledge
Manifesto, verification pipelines, certified deployments
Opt-out access, open participation, censorship resistance
Inter-Blockchain Communication, hooks, PFM, ICA, ICS
Distribution, resilience, verifiability, trade-offs
On-chain voting, DAOs, parameter changes, upgrades
CometBFT, peer discovery, gossip protocol, topology
QMD semantic analysis, LLM integration, indexing
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/overview/concepts/.