dApp (Decentralised Application)
Quick Answer
A dApp is a software application running on a blockchain rather than a centralised server, including payment widgets that merchants embed to accept crypto directly.
Full Definition
A dApp is a software application that runs on a blockchain or decentralised network rather than a centralised server. dApps interact with smart contracts and operate without a single point of failure. Payment dApps include decentralised exchanges, lending protocols, and checkout widgets that merchants embed on their websites to accept crypto payments directly from customer wallets.
Related Terms
DAO (Decentralised Autonomous Organisation)
A DAO is an organisation governed by smart contracts and token-holder voting rather than traditional corporate structures, used in some payment protocols for governance.
DeFi (Decentralised Finance)
DeFi is the ecosystem of financial applications on blockchain that operate without banks, powering the DEX aggregators and liquidity pools used in crypto payment settlement.
DEX (Decentralised Exchange)
A DEX is a peer-to-peer marketplace for trading crypto directly from wallets without depositing funds with a centralised intermediary.
DEX Aggregator
A DEX aggregator sources liquidity from multiple decentralised exchanges to find the best swap rate, used in payment processing to optimise exchange rates during settlement.
Digital Asset
A digital asset is any asset in digital form with distinct ownership rights on blockchain, including cryptocurrencies, stablecoins, NFTs, and tokenised real-world assets.