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Glossary

Short definitions of the terms used in the Gnosis EEZ pages. Each one describes the term as these pages use it.

Activation block​

The block at which the fork takes effect and Gnosis Chain becomes Gnosis EEZ. It is announced closer to genesis and published on the timeline.

Attestation​

A signed statement from the proof signer that it re-ran a batch and got the same result. The EEZ contract on Ethereum checks it before anything settles. It will be replaced by ZK proofs.

Audit​

An independent security review of smart contract code. The core contracts have not been audited yet. Audit results are published before mainnet activation.

Batch​

The group of Gnosis EEZ blocks that the composer posts to Ethereum together, once per Ethereum block.

Blob​

Space in an Ethereum block where rollups publish their data. Gnosis EEZ publishes its data to Ethereum blobs.

Bridge​

A separate system that moves assets from one chain to another, often as a wrapped asset. Gnosis Chain reaches Ethereum through bridges today. Gnosis EEZ reaches Ethereum mainnet with a synchronous call instead.

Chiado​

The Gnosis Chain testnet, where nothing costs real money. It gets its own fork for testing before mainnet does.

Composer​

The part of Gnosis EEZ that, once per Ethereum block, builds a Sync block and posts the batch to Ethereum. It is operated by Gnosis and replaces the validator set as the block producer.

Consensus-layer client​

The software a node runs to take part in proof-of-stake consensus. After the fork it is no longer needed. Node operators keep only their execution client.

Cross-chain proxy​

A normal contract address on Gnosis EEZ that stands in for a contract on Ethereum. A contract calls the proxy, and the composer does the rest.

Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ)​

A neutral, open source rollup framework, co-led by Gnosis and Zisk and co-funded by the Ethereum Foundation. It is stewarded by the EEZ Association and is not a Gnosis product.

Ethereum mainnet​

The main Ethereum network, as opposed to its testnets or the rollups built on top of it. Also called L1.

EVM​

The Ethereum Virtual Machine, the engine that runs smart contracts. Gnosis EEZ runs the standard EVM, so contracts work unchanged.

Execution client​

The software a node runs to process transactions and keep the chain's state. RPC and archive node operators keep it after the fork.

Finality​

The point at which a transaction can no longer be undone. On Gnosis EEZ a transaction is confirmed in seconds, and becomes final once its batch is settled on Ethereum.

Follower​

A node that rebuilds the Gnosis EEZ chain from Ethereum data alone. Anyone can run one, so nobody has to trust the operator.

Genesis​

The first moment Gnosis EEZ runs, when the fork activates.

GNO​

The Gnosis governance token. Today it is also staked by validators to secure Gnosis Chain. Staked GNO unlocks when the validator set retires.

Hard fork​

A change to a chain's rules that every node must adopt. Gnosis Chain becomes Gnosis EEZ through a hard fork that carries its full state across, so contracts keep their addresses and storage.

Hybrid app​

An app that keeps its settlement and liquidity on Ethereum and runs its engines, such as matching or risk, on Gnosis EEZ.

Instance​

One chain built on the EEZ framework. Gnosis EEZ is the first instance. Any team can run another.

L1 and L2​

Layer 1 (L1) is a base chain that secures itself, like Ethereum, or Gnosis Chain today. Layer 2 (L2) is a chain that relies on an L1 for its security. Most people will call Gnosis EEZ an L2.

Nested call​

A chain of calls that goes back and forth, for example from Gnosis EEZ into Ethereum and back again, all in one transaction. Nested calls follow after launch.

Proof signer​

The part of Gnosis EEZ that re-runs each batch independently and signs the result. The signature is its attestation.

Proof-of-stake​

A way of securing a chain where validators lock up tokens and can lose them if they misbehave. Gnosis Chain uses proof-of-stake today, with staked GNO.

Rollup​

A chain that runs its own blocks but settles them to Ethereum, which acts as the source of truth. Gnosis EEZ is a rollup.

Sequencer​

The part of Gnosis EEZ that puts transactions in order and makes a block every 2 seconds.

Settlement​

When a batch is confirmed on Ethereum. Gnosis EEZ keeps a block only if Ethereum confirms it. If a batch does not land, the block is rolled back.

Slot​

Ethereum's 12-second time step. One Ethereum block can be produced in each slot. Gnosis EEZ makes six blocks in that time.

Sync block​

The extra block the composer builds once per Ethereum block. It carries the cross-chain work, such as a call into Ethereum.

Synchronous call​

A call from a contract on Gnosis EEZ to a contract on Ethereum mainnet that returns its result in the same transaction, with no bridge. It completes on both chains or on neither. Being able to make these calls is called synchronous composability.

TEE​

A trusted execution environment: a secure area of a computer chip that runs code in isolation. The first release will likely use a TEE-based proving setup until real-time ZK proofs are ready.

Validator set​

The group of validators that produce and secure Gnosis Chain blocks today. It retires at the fork.

Wrapped asset​

A token on one chain that represents an asset held on another, usually created by a bridge. With synchronous calls, Gnosis EEZ apps can use mainnet assets directly instead.

xDai​

The gas token on Gnosis Chain, used to pay transaction fees. It stays the gas token on Gnosis EEZ.

ZK proof​

A zero-knowledge proof: a short piece of maths that proves a batch of blocks was computed correctly, which Ethereum can check quickly. Gnosis EEZ moves to real-time ZK proofs, built with Zisk, after launch.