This glossary defines common terms used throughout I2P documentation and discussions.
B
Blockchain A distributed ledger that can record transactions between multiple parties efficiently and in a verifiable and permanent way.
D
Decentralization Network architecture that avoids reliance on a single party. Encompasses peer-to-peer, blockchain, federated, and distributed technologies.
Destination The cryptographic identity of a tunnel. These are the identities of clients and servers within the I2P network.
DHT (Distributed Hash Table) Used in some projects to connect peers to each other by storing information in the form of key-value pairs in a distributed manner.
Distributed Systems Academic topic within Computer Science concerned with the design of computer systems that consist of many individual computers connected over a network.
F
Federated Federation allows separate deployments of a service to communicate with each other through a common protocol.
H
Hash A number, usually displayed as a string of letters and numbers. It can serve as a “fingerprint” uniquely identifying data.
I
I2P Invisible Internet Project: a project meant to provide an anonymity layer, so users can communicate anonymously using a range of applications.
IP Address A number of a computer or network which is unique and thus can be used to address it.
L
LeaseSet A collection of information required to communicate with a client or server at a particular Destination.
P
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Peers make a portion of their resources directly available to other network participants, without the need for central coordination by servers or stable hosts.
R
Router The core I2P software, which routes encrypted packets on the I2P network.
RouterIdentity A collection of information required to communicate directly with a router.
T
TCP/UDP The two foundational transport protocols used on the Internet.
Tunnel An anonymous communication pathway between a client or server and the I2P network.
U
UX User experience, the overall experience of a person using a product or service.
W
WebRTC A protocol standard for establishing connections in a web browser where data passes directly between users.