Glossary of Terms

BigchaindB client. A computer that can communicate with a BigchainDB cluster via the BigchainDB client-server API.

BigchainDB cluster. A collection of servers running BigchainDB Server software and communicating with each other via RethinkDB protocols. a BigchainDB cluster contains one logical RethinkDB datastore.

Block. A collection of up to 1000 transactions, plus other things. They get chained together by votes. See the section on the block model.

Federation. 1. An organization with members and some kind of governance structure. 2. The BigchainDB cluster owned and operated by a Federation’s members.

Federation node. A server running BigchainDB Server software, with permission to communicate with other nodes in a federation.

Node. See Federation node.

Transaction. The basic informational unit. A transaction can represent the creation or transfer of a digital asset. See the section on the transaction model.

Vote. Each federation node in a federation is required to vote on the validity of every block (i.e. whether the block valid or not). A node’s vote on a block also includes the id of the block it considers to be the previous block. See the section on the vote model.