# Glossary

## A

### AEAD

**Authenticated Encryption with Associated Data** - Encryption that provides both confidentiality and integrity. KayakNet uses ChaCha20-Poly1305.

### Anti-Sybil

Protection mechanisms against Sybil attacks where an attacker creates many fake identities.

## B

### Bootstrap Node

A well-known node that helps new nodes join the network and discover peers.

### BLAKE2b

A fast cryptographic hash function used in KayakNet for various operations.

## C

### ChaCha20-Poly1305

A modern symmetric encryption algorithm providing both encryption and authentication.

### Circuit

A path through multiple nodes used for onion routing. KayakNet uses 3-hop circuits.

## D

### DHT

**Distributed Hash Table** - A decentralized key-value store used for peer discovery and data storage. KayakNet uses a Kademlia-based DHT.

### DM

**Direct Message** - A private message between two users.

## E

### E2E

**End-to-End Encryption** - Encryption where only the communicating parties can read the messages.

### Ed25519

A digital signature algorithm used for identity and message signing.

### Escrow

A financial arrangement where a third party holds funds until conditions are met.

## F

### Forward Secrecy

A property ensuring that past communications cannot be decrypted even if long-term keys are compromised.

## G

### Gossip Protocol

A communication protocol where nodes share information with random peers, eventually reaching all nodes.

## H

### HKDF

**HMAC-based Key Derivation Function** - Used to derive encryption keys from shared secrets.

### Hop

One node in an onion routing circuit. KayakNet uses 3 hops by default.

## I

### Identity Key

The Ed25519 key pair that identifies a node. The public key derives the Node ID.

## K

### Kademlia

A DHT protocol that provides efficient peer lookup using XOR distance metric.

### KNS

**KayakNet Naming System** - The decentralized domain system for .kyk domains.

### KNT

**KayakNet Token** - The planned native cryptocurrency for KayakNet (not yet implemented).

## M

### Monero (XMR)

A privacy-focused cryptocurrency supported for marketplace payments.

### Mixing

The process of combining messages from multiple sources to obscure their origins.

## N

### Node

A computer running KayakNet software, participating in the network.

### Node ID

A unique identifier derived from the node's public key, used for routing and identification.

## O

### Onion Routing

A technique for anonymous communication where messages are encrypted in layers, like an onion.

## P

### Padding

Adding random data to messages to make them uniform size, preventing size-based traffic analysis.

### Peer

Another node that your node is directly connected to.

### PubSub

**Publish-Subscribe** - A messaging pattern where messages are published to topics and delivered to subscribers.

### PoW

**Proof-of-Work** - A computational challenge that must be solved to perform certain actions, used for anti-Sybil protection.

## R

### Ring Signature

A signature that could have been created by any member of a group, providing anonymity. Used in Monero.

## S

### Shielded Address

A Zcash address that hides sender, receiver, and amount using zero-knowledge proofs.

### SOCKS5

A proxy protocol supported by KayakNet for browser connections.

### Sybil Attack

An attack where a malicious actor creates many fake identities to gain disproportionate influence.

## T

### TLS 1.3

**Transport Layer Security** - The protocol used to encrypt connections between nodes.

### Traffic Analysis

Techniques to learn about communications by analyzing metadata like timing, size, and patterns.

## W

### Wallet

Software or hardware that manages cryptocurrency keys and transactions.

## X

### X25519

An elliptic curve Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm used for establishing shared secrets.

### XMR

The ticker symbol for Monero cryptocurrency.

## Z

### ZEC

The ticker symbol for Zcash cryptocurrency.

### Zero-Knowledge Proof

A cryptographic method to prove knowledge of something without revealing it. Used in Zcash.

### .kyk

The domain extension for KayakNet's naming system (e.g., `example.kyk`).


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