Glossary
Domain
A distinct blockchain or a rollup: an isolated environment with its own execution layer, by default not interoperable with other environments. Examples include Layer 1 chains (Ethereum, Avalanche, Solana...), L2 rollups (e.g., Arbitrum, Optimism, Starknet, ZKsync), modular rollups/chains (e.g., leveraging Celestia DA) and app-specific rollups (e.g., Cosmos-based chains).
Cross Domain
A term describing a solution that enables interactions/communication between distinct domains facilitating seamless exchange of data, assets, and value. It allows for increased collaboration, innovation, and network effects by overcoming the inherent limitations of operating within a single domain.
Modular blockchains
A design approach for creating blockchain networks with a focus on flexibility, customizability, and scalability. In a modular blockchain, the various components and functions of the network (execution, consensus, data availability, settlement...) are designed as separate, interchangeable modules, allowing for easy upgrades, modifications, and adaptations to meet specific requirements or address evolving needs.
Execution Environment
A virtual machine within which smart contracts and decentralized applications are executed, processed, and managed. The execution environment handles processing transactions, smart contract execution, state management, consensus and security, and resource management. It's designed to provide a secure, efficient, and deterministic context for the execution of smart contracts and dApps, ensuring consistent behavior and compliance with the underlying blockchain's rules and protocols.
EVM
Ethereum Virtual Machine is the most widely used blockchain execution environment. It's a Turing-complete, sandboxed virtual machine designed to execute smart contracts and process transactions within the Ethereum blockchain network. It serves as the execution environment for Ethereum-based decentralized applications (dApps) and smart contracts, providing a secure, isolated, and consistent context for running code on the Ethereum network.
Rollup
A Layer 2 scaling solution designed to increase the transaction throughput and efficiency of a base layer blockchain (Layer 1) by aggregating multiple transactions off-chain and then submitting a single proof or commitment to the underlying blockchain. Rollups come in two main flavors: Optimistic and ZK.
Finality
The point at which a transaction or a block of transactions becomes irreversible and permanently recorded on the blockchain. It is a measure of the certainty that a transaction, once confirmed, cannot be altered or removed from the blockchain's history.
Staking
The process of participating in the proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism of a blockchain network by locking up a certain amount of a cryptocurrency in a wallet to support the network's security and operations. Participants may receive rewards in the form of additional tokens or transaction fees.
Restaking
Restaking functions as a set of smart contracts in which users that stake the asset (in Omni's case $ETH) can repurpose their locked asset to extend cryptoeconomic security to other applications built on the network. EigenLayer supports restaking $ETH, creating an opt-in middle layer where users agree to grant EigenLayer additional enforcement rights on their staked $ETH, enabling it to be effectively restaked onto other applications.