Glossary
Glossary
Authorization Code
A second factor provided to the invited member by the inviter to verify their identity when joining a space.
Client
A running instance of DXOS such a command line program or a browser tab.
There can be multiple clients per device. An example is browser tabs in the same browser profile and at the same domain. Each is a client and they share a device.
Device
A collection of Clients connected to a DXOS identity. Every browser profile/domain combination is a device, with the tabs running DXOS as its clients.
Device doesn't refer to a physical machine, there can be multiple devices per computer.
ECHO
Eventually Consistent Hierarchical Object Store supporting multiple concurrent writers and latent offline writers.
Epoch
A specific point in time when the members of a space agree to drop or compress history older than a certain point in time. To call an epoch, peers periodically agree on a specific snapshot to refer to as the beginning of the current epoch. This mechanism allows ECHO spaces to control their size on disk and on the wire.
HALO
A protocol, application, and SDK for managing a decentralized user identity for end users and developers.
Identity
Represents an agent or actor in the system.
Invitation Code
A special generated code or URL containing one which is used for peers to identify each other when joining a space.
MESH
The set of peer networking technologies behind ECHO and HALO. MESH doesn't create a direct connection between each device, but maintains a network so that all devices can reach each other, perhaps through intermediaries.
Object
A unit of data in a space, a bag of properties and values with a type and identity.
PWA
Seed Phrase
Also known as a paper key. A string of values that make it possible to recover an identity in case of a lost device.
Shell
The shell implements a few generic UI flows for managing spaces, membership, and identity. The shell can be invoked by the dxos client API and is rendered in an iframe, minimizing impact to the consuming application.
Signaling service
A service provided by DXOS KUBEs which helps peers locate each other on the network and establish peer-to-peer connections.
Snapshot
A flat representation of a specific state of an ECHO space. An ECHO space is made of feeds of mutations which are collapsed into a snapshot for the purposes of catching up a peer or downloading the state of the database without the log of changes.
Space
An ECHO replication domain containing objects which all the peers in the space replicate continuously.
Space Key
A value identifying a particular space.