Glossary - deCDN

Term	Definition
Blob	A content-addressed byte sequence. Every blob is identified by its hash; clients verify received bytes against the known hash.
Bond (capacity)	TOKEN locked in `CapacityBond` proportional to a node’s declared bandwidth (`bond = k × Mbps^α`) — the only TOKEN-side requirement to join the mesh; the bond scales with declared capacity rather than a flat minimum. Returned on deregistration after an unbonding period.
Channel (payment)	On-chain escrow between client and node that backs off-chain vouchers. Opens with a deposit; settles with the highest-nonce voucher after a dispute window.
Client	A lightweight QUIC endpoint that streams content and pays per MB. No stake, no gossip publish.
DHT	Kademlia-subset content discovery. Nodes self-publish records when caching a blob.
Gossip	Epidemic broadcast over topic channels for node metadata and rate updates.
Hash sequence	An ordered collection of blob hashes (a directory or manifest equivalent).
Node	A bonded QUIC endpoint that caches and delivers blobs. Some are origin-backed; others are pure caches.
Origin-backed node	A node configured with an S3-compatible store, NFS mount, or local disk — the canonical source for specific blobs. Never experiences a true cache miss.
Origin backend	The opaque storage behind an origin-backed node (S3, R2, B2, MinIO, NFS, local disk). Never exposed to the network.
Peer mesh	The flat set of all bonded nodes. Discovery via gossip; content location via DHT.
Probe	Parallel latency + availability check that runs before any delivery commitment.
Selection score	A combined ranking over advertised price, observed latency, and reputation. Lower is better.
TOKEN	The deCDN bonding/governance token: locked as a node’s capacity bond and burned by the buyback sink. Not used for payments; governance weight comes from delivered bytes, not TOKEN balance.
USDC	The payment currency for all delivery. Fixed at deployment; channels deposit, voucher, and settle in USDC.
Voucher	A signed off-chain payment message. The primary payment instrument between client and node.