📚Glossary

Comprehensive glossary of terms used in Somnia AI documentation.

A

Agent : An autonomous AI entity registered on the blockchain that can execute tasks, interact with users, and manage resources.

Agent ID : Unique identifier assigned to each agent when registered on-chain. Used to reference the agent in all operations.

AgentRegistry : Smart contract that manages agent registration, metadata, and discovery on the blockchain.

AgentExecutor : Smart contract responsible for executing agent tasks with proper authorization and gas management.

AgentVault : Smart contract that manages funds for agents, including deposits, withdrawals, and spending limits.

AgentManager : Legacy smart contract for task queue and payment escrow management.

API Key : Authentication credential required to access LLM provider APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic, etc.).

B

Blockchain : Decentralized, distributed ledger technology that records transactions across multiple computers. Somnia AI uses blockchain to store agent metadata and execution history.

Block Explorer : Web interface for viewing blockchain transactions, blocks, and addresses. Used for debugging and verification.

C

Capability : A skill or function that an agent can perform (e.g., "chat", "trading", "analysis").

Completion Tokens : Tokens generated by the LLM in its response. More expensive than prompt tokens.

Contract Address : Unique identifier for a smart contract on the blockchain.

CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) : Security mechanism that controls which domains can access your API.

D

Daily Limit : Maximum amount an agent can spend from its vault in a 24-hour period. Resets automatically.

Decentralized : System architecture where control is distributed across multiple nodes rather than centralized in one location.

DeepSeek : AI model provider offering competitive alternatives to OpenAI and Anthropic.

E

ERC20 : Standard for fungible tokens on Ethereum and EVM-compatible chains.

Ethers.js : JavaScript library for interacting with Ethereum and EVM-compatible blockchains.

EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) : Runtime environment for executing smart contracts on Ethereum and compatible chains.

F

Faucet : Service that provides free testnet tokens for development and testing.

Finality : Point at which a blockchain transaction is considered irreversible.

G

Gas : Fee required to execute transactions on the blockchain. Paid in native tokens (e.g., STM on Somnia).

Gas Limit : Maximum amount of gas you're willing to spend on a transaction.

Gas Price : Amount you're willing to pay per unit of gas.

GPT (Generative Pre-trained Transformer) : Type of large language model developed by OpenAI.

H

Hardhat : Development environment for Ethereum smart contracts, including compilation, testing, and deployment tools.

Hash : Fixed-size string generated from input data. Used for transaction IDs and content addressing.

I

IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) : Decentralized storage network for storing and sharing files. Used for agent metadata.

Inference : Process of running an AI model to generate predictions or responses.

K

Key Management : Practices and tools for securely storing and handling private keys.

L

LLM (Large Language Model) : AI model trained on vast amounts of text data to understand and generate human-like text.

LLM Provider : Service that offers access to LLMs (e.g., OpenAI, Anthropic, DeepSeek).

M

Mainnet : Production blockchain network where real value transactions occur.

Metadata : Descriptive information about an agent stored on IPFS and referenced on-chain.

Metrics : Quantitative measurements of agent performance and behavior.

Monitoring : Continuous observation of agent health, performance, and resource usage.

N

NFT (Non-Fungible Token) : Unique digital asset on the blockchain. Agents could potentially be represented as NFTs.

Node : Computer that participates in a blockchain network by validating and relaying transactions.

Nonce : Number used once in blockchain transactions to prevent replay attacks and ensure transaction ordering.

O

Ollama : Tool for running large language models locally on your machine.

On-chain : Data or operations stored/executed directly on the blockchain.

Off-chain : Data or operations that occur outside the blockchain but may reference on-chain data.

OpenAI : AI research company that created GPT models and provides API access.

P

PM2 : Production process manager for Node.js applications with load balancing and monitoring.

Private Key : Secret cryptographic key that controls a blockchain address. Must be kept secure.

Prompt : Input text sent to an LLM to generate a response.

Prompt Tokens : Tokens in the input sent to the LLM. Cheaper than completion tokens.

R

Rate Limiting : Technique to control the number of requests a user can make in a given time period.

Registry : See AgentRegistry.

RPC (Remote Procedure Call) : Protocol for communicating with blockchain nodes.

RPC URL : Endpoint URL for connecting to a blockchain network.

S

SDK (Software Development Kit) : Collection of tools, libraries, and documentation for building applications. Somnia AI SDK simplifies agent development.

Smart Contract : Self-executing code deployed on the blockchain that runs when predetermined conditions are met.

Solidity : Programming language for writing Ethereum smart contracts.

Somnia : High-performance blockchain network optimized for real-time applications and AI agents.

STM : Native token of the Somnia blockchain, used for gas fees and transactions.

System Prompt : Initial instruction given to an LLM that defines its behavior and personality.

T

Testnet : Test blockchain network where developers can experiment without using real value.

Token (Blockchain) : Digital asset on a blockchain (e.g., STM, USDC).

Token (LLM) : Unit of text processed by an LLM. Roughly equivalent to 4 characters or 0.75 words.

Transaction : Operation recorded on the blockchain, such as transferring tokens or calling a smart contract.

Transaction Hash (TxHash) : Unique identifier for a blockchain transaction.

TypeScript : Typed superset of JavaScript that compiles to plain JavaScript.

V

Vault : See AgentVault.

Verification : Process of publishing smart contract source code on a block explorer for transparency.

W

Wallet : Software or hardware that stores private keys and allows interaction with the blockchain.

Wei : Smallest unit of cryptocurrency on Ethereum and EVM chains. 1 ETH = 10^18 wei.

Z

Zero-downtime Deployment : Deployment strategy that updates an application without service interruption.

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🔗 Related Resources

• FAQ - Common questions and answers

• Quick Start - Get started quickly

• Architecture - System design overview

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