D
DAC
Stands for Decentralized Autonomous Cooperative – an organization that is governed by its members and is not influenced by any centralized entity.
DAO
Stands for Decentralized Autonomous Organization – a system that was made popular due to Ethereum, which is controlled by hard-coded rules dictating what actions a decentralized organization should take next.
DApp
Stands for Decentralized Applications - applications that run in decentralized networks and are not controlled by any centralized entity.
Dash
Dash is an open source cryptocurrency that forked from Bitcoin and launched in 2014. It was originally known as "Darkcoin" and was designed to ensure user privacy and anonymity by permitting untraceable transactions. It is also a decentralized autonomous organization run by a subset of its users, which are called "masternodes".
Dashboard
The interface which provides users with private and advanced access and control over their Crypto APIs subscriptions.
Database
An organized collection of data, usually stored and accessed electronically from a computer system. Databases keep information on software/API details starting anywhere from user data, transactions, to addresses, access and history of actions.
DCA
Stands for Dollar Cost Averaging - investing fixed amounts of e.g. USD at regular intervals of time.
Dead Cat bounce
A brief interruption in the downtrend of an asset by a slight increase.
Decentralized
A concept of data and network distribution where these are not governed by a single (centralized) entity (server, computer, etc.), instead there are identical copies of the information on multiple servers/computers. There is no supervisory entity in this case.
Decryption
The process of turning indiscernible information into readable (human- or computer-) information.
DeFi
Stands for Decentralized Finance - a group of decentralized financial applications created on top of the blockchain networks.
Deflationary currency/coin
Refers to a currency or crypto coin which follows a “deflation model”. This means that less of it is available over time, hence it becomes more rare and its value increases. Bitcoin (BTC) is a deflationary coin. That is why if you buy it you should not spend it, as it will be worth more later.
Delisting
When an asset is removed from an exchange. This can be done either by an external request or a decision made by the exchange.
Design Flow Attack
An attack in which a user maliciously creates smart contracts, a decentralized market, etc., which usually have apparent high incentives so that users would be tricked to lock their funds there. These usually result in unfair settlements or the release of funds.
DEX
Stands for Decentralized Exchange – exchange systems where people can legitimately access trading from their wallets without having to initially store or hold their assets.
Difficulty
Refers to the difficulty level of verifying blocks in the blockchain network in Proof of Work mining.
Difficulty bomb
An expression referring to the increased difficulty in mining in Ethereum during its migration to Proof of Stake.
Digital Signature
An identifier code that derives from encrypting a public key and goes along with the verification document of the sender.
Distributed Ledger
Ledgers that hold data across the blockchain without the need to contain its dedicated currency. They are decentralized and don't have a central administrator.
Distributed Network
A network where the components of the program and data depend on multiple sources, i.e. are distributed over blocks (nodes). A decentralized network.
Diversification
Generally means the distribution of assets across different financial instruments. In cryptocurrency it's achieved when an investor holds a vast variety of coins and tokens.
DKG (Distributed Key Generation)
Represents a complex cryptographic process which distributes a single key as shares among the parties involved. It does not rely on Trusted Third Parties. Through DKG single parties are prevented from having a private key.
Do Your Own Research (DYOR)
A common expression among people knowledgeable in cryptocurrency. Reminds to always research various coins and currencies before investing. This phrase strives to counter the spreading of Internet misinformation.
Dogecoin/ Doge
It is an altcoin and the most sarcastic meme coin/cryptocurrency, which has the image of a Shiba Inu dog as its logo. It was launched in Dec. 2013. Its underlying technology is derived from Litecoin.
DoS Attack
Stands for Denial of Service attack. It is a cyber attack in which the perpetrator seeks to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting services of a host connected to the Internet.
Double spending
Refers to when a specific amount of coins is in reality spent more than once. This usually occurs due to a Race attack or 51% attack.
Dust/ Bitcoin dust
Bitcoin dust is the small amount of bitcoin that remains in a particular wallet or address because the monetary value is so tiny that it is below the amount of the fee required to spend the bitcoin. It makes the transaction impossible to process.