Digital infrastructure glossary

This glossary gives readers a shared vocabulary for Pequet's coverage of mining hardware, node operations, and decentralized staking. Definitions are intentionally practical and should be read alongside the technical documentation of the relevant system.

Compute terms

Hashrate: A measure of attempted computation over time in a defined workload.
Efficiency: A comparison between useful output and consumed resources under stated conditions.
Firmware: Low-level software that controls or configures a hardware device.

Protocol terms

Validator: A participant that performs duties defined by a network's consensus rules.
Delegation: An arrangement where a participant assigns a protocol role or voting relationship under defined rules.
Finality: A property describing when a network treats a state as settled according to its rules.

Terms in context

Term	Plain-language use	Context to check
Latency	Time between an event and a response	Measurement point and network conditions
Uptime	Time a service is available under a defined test	Monitoring method and exclusions
Slashing	A protocol-defined consequence for certain validator behavior	Exact rule, evidence, and appeal process
Node	A computer running software that participates in a network	Role, version, synchronization, and storage

How to use a definition

Read the short definition without assuming it covers every protocol.
Locate the term in the relevant specification or operator guide.
Check whether the meaning changes across software versions.
Write down the practical consequence for the role being studied.

Ask what is measured.
Ask who is responsible.
Ask which rule or document supports the statement.

Key idea

“A shared vocabulary does not eliminate technical complexity, but it makes careful questions possible.”

Readers can use these terms to navigate the learning center and research desk.

Common reading mistakes

One number

A single figure can hide conditions, measurement boundaries, and revision dates.

One role

A network term may affect an operator, delegate, developer, and reader differently.

One version

Definitions should be checked against the version and jurisdiction relevant to the article.