Every technical term you'll find on Latin Link, explained in plain language.
From blockchain basics to DeFi security, this glossary gathers every concept mentioned across the app in one place — so you never have to guess what a word means before making a swap.
Both let you buy or swap crypto, but they work differently. The main difference is who controls the funds during the transaction.
CEX
It is a platform run by a company. You deposit funds into an account, and the platform keeps them and processes transactions.
Examples: Binance, Bitso
DEX
It is a platform that lets you swap assets directly from a wallet. You authorize each transaction without depositing funds into a platform account first.
Example: Uniswap
Latin Link is neither a CEX nor a traditional DEX. It is a self-custody platform: you connect your wallet, keep control of your funds, and authorize every transaction. Latin Link looks for the best available route among the integrated sources it consults.
Blockchain
A blockchain is a digital ledger that records every transaction across a network of computers instead of a single server. Once a transaction is confirmed, it can't be altered — that's what makes crypto assets verifiable without needing a central authority.
Token
A token is a digital asset that lives on a blockchain — it can represent a currency, a share in a protocol, or access to a service. USDC, UNI, and ETH are all tokens, even though only ETH is the native currency of its network.
Cryptocurrency
A cryptocurrency is a digital currency secured by cryptography and issued natively on a blockchain, with no bank or government controlling it. Bitcoin and Ether are the two best-known examples.
Wallet Address
A wallet address is the public string of letters and numbers that identifies your wallet on a blockchain — like an account number anyone can send funds to, but that only you can spend from.
Hash
A hash is a unique digital fingerprint generated from a piece of data, like a transaction. Changing even one character of the original data produces a completely different hash, which is what lets a blockchain detect tampering.
Gas Fee
Gas fee is the cost paid to the network to process a transaction, collected by the validators who secure the blockchain — not by Latin Link. It varies with network congestion and is separate from Latin Link's own commission.
Network
A network (or chain) is a separate blockchain with its own validators, tokens, and fees — Ethereum, Base, and Arbitrum are all different networks. Latin Link operates across several EVM networks, so it matters which one your tokens live on.
Node
A node is a computer that stores a copy of the blockchain and helps validate new transactions. Thousands of independent nodes running the same rules are what make a blockchain resistant to a single point of failure.
Smart Contract
A smart contract is self-executing code deployed on a blockchain that runs exactly as written, with no company able to change it after deployment. Latin Link's swaps are routed through smart contracts, which is why an independent audit matters.
Decentralization
Decentralization means no single company, server, or person controls the system — decisions and validation are spread across many independent participants. It's the property that lets you use Latin Link without trusting a central custodian.
Wallet
A wallet is the app or device that stores your private keys and lets you sign transactions — it's your identity and your access point on a blockchain, not a place where your crypto is physically stored.
Non-Custodial
Non-custodial means a platform never takes possession of your funds — you keep your private keys and authorize every transaction yourself. Latin Link is non-custodial: it can never move your assets on its own.
Seed Phrase
A seed phrase is a sequence of 12–24 words that can restore full access to your wallet and every asset in it. Anyone who has it can move your funds, which is why it should never be shared, typed into a website, or shown to anyone — including Latin Link support.
Private Key
A private key is the secret code that proves ownership of a wallet and authorizes its transactions. Whoever holds it controls the funds — Latin Link never sees or stores yours.
Public Key
A public key is the counterpart to your private key, used to derive your wallet address — it's safe to share and is how others send you funds.
MetaMask
MetaMask is one of the most widely used wallets for EVM networks, available as a browser extension and mobile app. You can connect it to Latin Link through the Reown AppKit selector.
WalletConnect
WalletConnect is a protocol that links a mobile wallet app to a website by scanning a QR code, so you can approve transactions from your phone without installing a browser extension.
Transaction Signature
A transaction signature is the cryptographic proof, generated with your private key, that authorizes a specific transaction. Every swap or approval on Latin Link requires one, produced and confirmed inside your own wallet.
Cold Wallet
A cold wallet keeps its private keys offline, on a device disconnected from the internet — like a hardware wallet. It's the safest option for storing larger amounts long-term.
Hot Wallet
A hot wallet stays connected to the internet, like a browser extension or mobile app — convenient for everyday swaps, but more exposed than a cold wallet if your device is compromised.
KYC
KYC (Know Your Customer) is the identity-verification process centralized platforms require before you can trade. Latin Link never requires KYC — you only need a compatible wallet.
Phishing
Phishing is a scam that impersonates a legitimate site, wallet, or support channel to trick you into revealing your seed phrase or approving a malicious transaction. Always double-check the domain before connecting your wallet.
Scam
A scam is any deliberate attempt to trick you into giving up your funds, keys, or seed phrase — fake giveaways, cloned websites, and impersonated support are the most common forms in crypto. No legitimate platform, including Latin Link, will ever ask for your seed phrase.
Audit
An audit is an independent review of a protocol's smart contracts to find vulnerabilities before they can be exploited. Latin Link's architecture has been reviewed through an independent audit by Metlabs.
Verified Contract
A verified contract has its source code published and matched to what's actually deployed on-chain, so anyone can inspect exactly what it does before interacting with it.
Token Approval
A token approval authorizes a smart contract to move a specific amount of a token from your wallet — required before swapping an ERC-20 token. Latin Link requests an approval for the exact amount you're swapping, never an unlimited allowance by default.
Rug Pull
A rug pull is when a project's creators drain its liquidity or abandon it after attracting deposits, leaving holders with a worthless token. Checking a token's liquidity and contract history before trading helps avoid them.
Honeypot
A honeypot is a token designed so anyone can buy it but only its creator can sell — a scam that traps buyers' funds. Reviewing a token's contract or using a scanner before swapping an unfamiliar token can reveal one.
Best Practices
Security best practices include never sharing your seed phrase, using a hardware wallet for larger amounts, verifying the domain before connecting, and checking the token, amount, and network on every transaction before confirming — since a sent transaction can't be reversed.
Custody
Custody means holding someone else's assets on their behalf, the way a bank or centralized exchange does. Latin Link never takes custody of your funds — they stay in your own wallet the entire time.
DeFi
DeFi (Decentralized Finance) is the ecosystem of financial applications — exchanges, lending, savings — built on public blockchains and operated by smart contracts instead of banks or brokers. Latin Link is a DeFi application focused on swaps.
Web3
Web3 refers to the generation of internet applications built on blockchains, where users hold their own assets and identity in a wallet instead of an account controlled by a company.
Layer 2
A Layer 2 is a network built on top of a base blockchain (like Ethereum) to process transactions faster and cheaper, while still inheriting its security. Arbitrum, Base, and Optimism are Layer 2 networks Latin Link supports.
Mainnet
Mainnet is a blockchain's live, production network, where transactions use real assets with real value — as opposed to a testnet. Every swap on Latin Link happens on mainnet.
Testnet
A testnet is a separate copy of a network used to test applications with worthless practice tokens before anything touches mainnet, so bugs don't put real funds at risk.
Bridge
A bridge moves an asset's value from one blockchain to another, since tokens don't natively exist on more than one network at once. Bridging carries its own risks and is different from simply switching the network your wallet is connected to.
Yield Farming
Yield farming is depositing crypto into a DeFi protocol — usually a liquidity pool or lending market — to earn a return, paid in fees or additional tokens. It carries risks like impermanent loss and smart contract failure that are separate from swapping.
Oracle
An oracle feeds real-world data, like asset prices, into a blockchain so smart contracts can use it — since a blockchain can't access outside information on its own.
TVL (Total Value Locked)
TVL (Total Value Locked) is the total value of assets deposited in a protocol's smart contracts — a common way to gauge how much a DeFi protocol is trusted and used.
EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine)
The EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) is the software environment that runs smart contracts, originally built for Ethereum and now shared by many other networks. Latin Link operates across several EVM networks, which is why the same wallet works on all of them.
Now that you know the vocabulary, there's just one thing left: connect your wallet and make your first swap with total confidence.