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Introduction

This glossary defines official terminology used throughout Cowboy documentation. Use these terms consistently when contributing documentation or writing about Cowboy.
Canonical Reference: This glossary is the authoritative source for Cowboy terminology.

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Core Concepts

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Actor

Definition: A stateful program that processes messages and stores data on-chain. The fundamental compute unit in Cowboy. Related: Handler, Message

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Handler

Definition: A Python method within an Actor that processes incoming messages. Related: Actor, Message

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Message

Definition: The unit of communication between Actors or from users to Actors (external, internal, or callback). Related: Actor, Handler

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Gas & Fees

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Cycles

Definition: Compute metering unit; every bytecode instruction consumes Cycles.

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Cells

Definition: Data/storage metering unit; 1 Cell = 1 byte.

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Basefee

Definition: Algorithmic minimum fee per Cycle or Cell (dual EIP-1559 style).

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Tip

Definition: Priority fee paid to block proposer; determines inclusion priority.

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Timers & Scheduling

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Timer

Definition: Scheduled execution of an Actor handler at a future block; set via set_timeout(...).

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Scheduler

Definition: Protocol component managing timer queues and executing expired timers under a per-block budget.

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GBA (Gas Bidding Agent)

Definition: Contract designated by the Actor to return dynamic fee bids for timer execution, given protocol-supplied context.

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Off-Chain Compute

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Runner

Definition: Off-chain compute node that executes tasks and submits results on-chain.

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Task

Definition: Off-chain computation request with a definition and result schema.

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Dispatcher

Definition: On-chain contract managing task submission and result consumption.

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Callback

Definition: Message delivering results back to the Actor; the Actor finalizes via consume_result().

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Consensus

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Validator

Definition: Node that participates in consensus, proposes blocks, and validates state transitions.

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Consensus

Definition: BFT-style Proof-of-Stake (HotStuff-based) agreement on the canonical chain.

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Finality

Definition: Point at which a transaction becomes irreversible (fast finality; exact parameters governance-defined).

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Economics

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CBY

Definition: Native token used to pay fees, stake, and compensate Runners.

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Burn

Definition: Permanent removal of CBY (e.g., basefee burn).
This v0.1 glossary intentionally focuses on core terms to reduce cognitive load. Additional entries will return in later milestones.

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Contributing to Glossary

To Add Term:
  1. Check it’s not already defined
  2. Follow format: Definition → Characteristics → Example → Related terms
  3. Submit PR to docs/style/glossary.mdx
To Request Clarification:
  • Open issue on GitHub
  • Ask in Discord