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Glossary of Gno Terms

A reference guide to common terminology used throughout the Gno.land ecosystem. Terms are listed in alphabetical order.

A​

ABCI​

Application Blockchain Interface - the interface that connects the Tendermint consensus engine with the Gno application logic.

ABCI Queries​

A set of queries that can be executed to retrieve data from the Gno.land blockchain without changing state. See Querying a network.

Account Number​

A unique number given to each address on a given network, used for transaction processing and authentication.

Address​

A unique identifier derived from a public key, prefixed with 'g1' on Gno.land networks, representing an account that can own assets and interact with the blockchain.

Adena​

A browser extension wallet designed specifically for interacting with Gno.land networks. See Third-party wallets.

AVL Tree​

Data structure commonly used instead of the native map for key-value storage. It is efficient in both gas cost and runtime performance, particularly suited for large or growing datasets. Deployed under gno.land/p/nt/avl/v0.

See Effective Gno for usage guidance and the package README for technical details.

B​

Banker​

A Tendermint2 module that is natively embedded into the Gno language, via the chain/banker package. Used for manipulating Coins within Gno.

Block​

A fundamental unit in a blockchain that contains a collection of validated transactions, a timestamp, and a cryptographic hash referencing the previous block. This structure ensures the integrity and immutability of the blockchain.

Blockchain​

A distributed ledger that records totally ordered transactions, linking the records together via cryptographic hashes. Each block contains transaction data, a timestamp, and a hash of the previous block, forming a continuous chain of immutable records.

Boards​

A popular on-chain forum application on Gno.land that demonstrates social functionality. See Example Boards.

C​

Chain ID​

A unique identifier for a blockchain network (e.g., "staging" for the main Gno.land testnet).

Coins vs Tokens​

In Gno.land, coins are native assets created by the Banker, such as ugnot. On the other hand, tokens are created with packages such as GRC20, GRC721, etc.

Contract​

See Realm.

Crossing​

Refers to the way context is switched during interrealm interactions. Check out the Interrealm Specification.

D​

dApp​

Decentralized Application - an application built on blockchain technology, typically consisting of smart contracts (realms in Gno.land) and a frontend interface.

Deploy​

The process of uploading code to the blockchain. On Gno.land, this is done using the gnokey maketx addpkg command or through compatible wallets.

E​

Ephemeral Package​

A temporary, user-executed code package created when using gnokey maketx run. Ephemeral packages are stored under the /e/ path with the pattern domain/e/{user-address}/run. They execute in the user's realm context and allow complex interactions that aren't possible with simple function calls. Unlike realms and pure packages, ephemeral packages are not permanently stored on-chain.

EOA​

See Externally Owned Account.

Externally Owned Account (EOA)​

A user account controlled by a private key, as opposed to a smart contract account. EOAs can initiate transactions and are the only accounts that can sign transactions on Gno.land.

F​

Faucet Hub​

A web service that provides test tokens for Gno.land testnets, allowing developers to try out realms and test transactions. Visit the Gno Faucet Hub.

G​

Gas​

A unit that measures the computational and storage resources required to execute operations on the blockchain. Used to calculate transaction fees and prevent spam. See Gas Fees for detailed information.

Gas Fee​

The amount paid per unit of gas, denominated in ugnot. For example, "1000000ugnot" means 1 GNOT per unit of gas.

Gas Wanted​

The maximum amount of gas a transaction is allowed to consume. If a transaction exceeds this limit, it fails without changing state.

Gno​

  1. The programming language used for writing smart contracts on Gno.land.
  2. The broader platform and ecosystem built around the language.

Gno Debugger​

A tool that helps developers test and debug Gno smart contracts by allowing them to step through code execution. It lets you pause, inspect variables, and see how your contract behaves before deployment.

gno-js​

A JavaScript/TypeScript client implementation that allows developers to interact with Gno chains. This client library serves as the primary tool for JavaScript applications to communicate with and build on top of the Gno blockchain.

Gno Playground​

A simple web interface that lets you write, test, and experiment with your Gno code to improve your understanding of the Gno language. You can share your code, run unit tests, deploy your realms and packages, and execute functions. Try out Gno Playground.

Gno Studio Connect​

A tool that provides seamless access to realms, making it simple to explore, interact, and engage with Gno.land's smart contracts through function calls. Try out Gno Studio Connect.

Gno Test​

Gno.land's built-in testing framework that enables developers to write and execute unit tests for their Gno smart contracts (realms). It provides a structured way to verify contract logic and simulate on-chain execution.

Gno.land​

The blockchain platform and ecosystem built on the Gno language and GnoVM.

GnoConnect​

A protocol that allows external wallets and applications to interact with Gno.land networks, similar to WalletConnect in Ethereum.

gnodev​

A development tool which provides a local Gno.land node with hot-reloading, state preservation, and a gnoweb interface for testing. See Local Development with gnodev.

gnokey​

The official command-line keychain and client for Gno.land, allowing keypair management, transaction signing and sending queries to Gno.land chains. See Interacting with gnokey.

GnoVM​

The virtual machine that interprets Gno, a custom version of Go optimized for blockchains, featuring automatic state management, full determinism, and idiomatic Go. Unlike traditional VMs, it interprets the abstract syntax tree directly rather than using bytecode.

gnoweb​

The web interface component of the Gno ecosystem that allows users to browse Gno source code, realms, and packages deployed to a Gno.land chain using ABCI queries. See Exploring with gnoweb.

GNOT​

The native token of Gno.land networks, used for paying transaction fees and other on-chain operations.

GRC20​

A token standard in Gno.land that defines rules for creating and managing fungible tokens. It ensures compatibility for transfers, approvals, and interactions within Gno.land realms.

K​

Key Pair​

A combination of a private key (for signing transactions) and a public key (from which the address is derived) that represents an account on Gno.land.

M​

Map​

A native Gno data structure for storing key-value pairs, identical to Go maps. Maps provide O(1) lookup time and type safety, but store all entries in a single object which can be inefficient for large datasets. For scalable storage in realms, consider using avl.Tree instead. See Data Structures and Effective Gno.

Merkleization​

The process of organizing data into a Merkle tree structure, allowing efficient and secure verification of large data sets.

Mnemonic Phrase​

A series of words (usually 12 or 24) that can regenerate a private key. Also known as a seed phrase or recovery phrase.

N​

Namespace​

A unique identifier that allows users to exclusively deploy contracts under their own name, similar to usernames on GitHub. See Users and Teams.

P​

Package​

A collection of related code that provides specific functionality, similar to libraries in other languages. Pure packages don't maintain state. See Gno Packages.

Package Path​

A unique identifier of code on the Gno.land blockchain, following the format: gno.land/[r|p|e]/[namespace]/[name]. The package path determines where the code is stored and how it can be imported or accessed. The first component indicates the package type: r for realms, p for pure packages, and e for ephemeral packages.

Portal Loop​

Former testing network that was replaced by the Staging network.

Pure Package​

A stateless, importable, and reusable code (library) on the Gno.land blockchain. Pure packages are stored under the /p/ path and don't maintain state.

R​

Realm​

A stateful application or smart contract on the Gno.land blockchain. Realms are stored under the /r/ path and can maintain state across transactions.

Render Function​

A special function in Gno with the signature func Render(path string) string that returns HTML-like or Markdown content for displaying in web browsers when the realm is viewed through gnoweb. The path parameter enables different pages to be returned based on the path.

S​

Sequence Number​

Number of transactions executed previously by a specific account, also known as nonce. Used to protect against replay attacks.

Smart Contract​

See Realm.

Staging network​

The main Gno.land chain for testing, accessible at staging.gno.land.

Standard Library​

Built-in packages that provide core functionality to Gno programs without requiring imports from the blockchain. See Standard Libraries.

State​

The persistent data stored by a realm. Each realm has its own isolated state that can only be modified by functions within that realm.

T​

Tendermint​

The consensus engine used by Gno.land to secure the network and validate transactions.

Tendermint 2​

Minimalistic version of Tendermint created by Jae Kwon, used as the consensus layer for Gno.land.

Testnet​

A blockchain network used for testing purposes, where tokens have no real-world value. Gno.land currently operates several testnets.

Transaction​

A state-changing action on the Gno.land blockchain, such as transferring tokens or calling a realm function.

U​

ugnot​

The smallest unit of GNOT. 1 GNOT = 1,000,000 ugnot (micro-GNOT).

wugnot​

Wrapped version of ugnot, following the GRC20 standard.