Glossary

📖 Glossary

To help you better understand key concepts in the Web3 and Butterfly Hub ecosystem, we have compiled the following commonly used terms:

PoC (Proof of Connection)

"Proof of Connection." The core innovation of the Butterfly protocol. A technique that converts real-world offline physical connections (verified via BLE handshake) into on-chain verifiable digital assets.

DeSoc (Decentralized Social)

"Decentralized social." A Web3 paradigm aimed at returning data sovereignty, control, and value of social networks to users.

DePIN (Decentralized Physical Infrastructure)

"Decentralized Physical Infrastructure Network." In this project, specifically refers to a Bluetooth Mesh communication network composed of users' phones, incentivized through Relay-to-Earn.

Off-the-Grid Communication (Off-the-Grid)

Communication that does not rely on the traditional internet (Wi‑Fi or cellular networks), conducted peer-to-peer (P2P) using methods such as Bluetooth.

Store-and-Forward

A messaging mechanism in a mesh network. Nodes receive messages, temporarily store them, and then forward them to the next node within range, enabling beyond-line-of-sight communication.

Bluetooth Mesh Network

A network topology where devices (nodes) not only communicate with each other but also relay messages for other devices outside direct range, creating a "mesh"—a scalable offline network.

Node Density

The number of active network nodes (i.e., users running the app) within a specific geographic area. This is a key metric for the effectiveness of a Bluetooth Mesh network.

BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy)

"Bluetooth Low Energy." The underlying wireless technology used for device discovery, connection, near-field communication, and PoC physical handshake.

RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator)

"Received Signal Strength Indicator." A technical metric used to estimate the physical distance between Bluetooth devices; it is a key part of PoC anti-spoofing design (distance constraints).

Noise Protocol Framework

A modern cryptographic protocol framework used to establish secure, end-to-end key exchanges and encrypted channels between devices.

Ed25519

A high-performance public-key digital signature algorithm (based on elliptic curves). In this project, it is used for mutual signing of PoC credentials to ensure the authenticity and immutability of connections.

AES-256-GCM

An authenticated encryption mode of the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). In this project, it is used for "military-grade" orbital message encryption to ensure communication security.

Nostr (NIP-17)

An open decentralized social protocol. In this project, it is used to implement advanced privacy-preserving features such as "gift-wrapped" messages.