# Key Concepts & Glossary

New to Vola or decentralized infrastructure? This page covers the core concepts and terminology used throughout the documentation. If you come across an unfamiliar term anywhere in the docs, this is the place to look it up.

#### Core Concepts

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>The Network &#x26; Chain</strong></td><td><em>Vola runs on its own Substrate-based blockchain. This is what records ownership, coordinates nodes, verifies proofs, and distributes rewards.</em></td></tr><tr><td><strong>Node Operators</strong></td><td><em>Independent participants who run hardware to power the network. They stake $VOLA, contribute resources, and earn rewards in return.</em></td></tr><tr><td><strong>$VOLA Token</strong></td><td><em>The native token of the network. Used for staking, payments, governance, and rewarding node operators.</em></td></tr></tbody></table>

#### Glossary

<details>

<summary><strong>$VOLA</strong></summary>

$VOLA is the native token of Vola Network. Used to stake nodes, pay for storage and compute services, participate in governance, and reward node operators and delegators.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Aura</strong></summary>

Aura is the block production consensus algorithm used by Vola Chain. Uses a round-robin approach to select block authors from the active validator pool each era.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Archive Node</strong></summary>

A node that stores the complete history of the Vola chain from genesis, every block, every state change. Used by explorers, analytics tools, and developers needing historical chain data.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Bonding Duration</strong></summary>

The number of eras a validator must wait after initiating an unbond before they can withdraw their funds.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Checkpoint</strong></summary>

Checkpoint (on Vola) is a unit of time equal to 1 day (14,400 blocks). In the current configuration of the public testnet, storage nodes are required to submit availability proofs once per checkpoint.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Commitment Hash</strong></summary>

A cryptographic hash submitted during file upload, composed of a user-generated commitment token and the file's CID. Both the user and the storage node submit this, they must match for the upload to be confirmed.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Delegated Staking</strong></summary>

Staking mechanism that allows $VOLA holders to delegate their tokens to a storage node operator, contributing to that node's stake and sharing in its rewards proportionally.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>DOP (Proof of Downloadability)</strong></summary>

A cryptographic proof that a storage node must submit each checkpoint to demonstrate that stored file chunks remain available and retrievable. Generated by creating a Merkle proof of a randomly selected chunk.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>DOP Score</strong></summary>

A performance metric calculated per epoch that measures how consistently a storage node submits valid downloadability proofs. This score directly affects reward distribution.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Epoch</strong></summary>

A unit of time equal to 5 checkpoints (5 days). Reward calculations and DOP score updates occur at the end of each epoch.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Era</strong></summary>

The time period used for validator reward calculation and set re-election.\
Currently 7 sessions ≈ 7 hours on Vola. At each era boundary, the runtime re-elects validators from the active candidate pool.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Faucet</strong></summary>

Faucet is a tool that distributes test $VOLA tokens for use on the Vola testnet. Used by node operators to fund their accounts before registering and staking.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>File CID</strong></summary>

CID is a content identifier, i.e. a unique cryptographic hash that identifies a specific file based on its content. Used to reference and verify files stored across the network.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>GRANDPA</strong></summary>

The block finality algorithm used by Vola Chain. Works alongside Aura to confirm that blocks are irreversible once enough validators have agreed on them.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Garbage Collector (GC)</strong></summary>

An automated process that runs on each storage node every 6 hours to remove expired or orphaned files and clean up stale metadata.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Node Weight</strong></summary>

A value calculated per storage node that determines its share of the reward pool for a given timeframe. Based on the node's active storage contribution and utility score relative to all other nodes.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>PartnerChain</strong></summary>

Vola's blockchain architecture model. Built using the Polkadot SDK and anchored to Cardano for shared security and decentralization.

</details>

<details>

<summary>Payee</summary>

The account or destination configured by a validator to receive their staking rewards. Can be set to the stash account, a separate account, or auto-staked back into the bond.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Proof of Upload</strong></summary>

The first of two file proofs a storage node must submit. Confirms that the node has genuinely received a file by matching the commitment hash submitted by both the user and the node.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Provider Commitment</strong></summary>

A transaction submitted by a storage node to the chain confirming it has received and stored a file. Triggers the release of escrowed funds to the node.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>RPC Node</strong></summary>

A node that serves as a gateway between users, wallets, and applications and the Vola chain. Handles queries without participating in block production or storage. Helps decentralize chain access.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Revenue Multiplier</strong></summary>

A based bonus applied on top of storage fee revenue during early network periods. Designed to incentivize early node operators with performant nodes. Decreases over time as the network matures.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Session</strong></summary>

A shorter period within an era used for block production rotation. Currently **≈ 1 hour**. Session keys can be rotated per session if needed.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Session Keys</strong></summary>

Cryptographic keys that live on the validator node process and are used to sign blocks (Aura) and finality votes (GRANDPA). These are generated by the node itself and the private half never leaves the machine.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Slashing</strong></summary>

Penalty mechanism that reduces a node's reward share based on poor performance, specifically, failing to submit valid DOP proofs consistently.&#x20;

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Stash Account</strong></summary>

The on-chain account that holds a validator's bonded VOLA and their on-chain validator identity. Used to sign validator onboarding extrinsics.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Vola Smart Node (VSN)</strong></summary>

Vola Smart Nodes are storage Node, the node type responsible for physically storing user files, submitting availability proofs, and serving file retrieval requests.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Telemetry</strong></summary>

An observability system built into Vola Smart Nodes that pushes performance data and traces to Grafana via OpenTelemetry. Used for monitoring and debugging node operations.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>Utility Score</strong></summary>

A composite performance score for storage nodes. Used to determine each node's weight in the reward pool distribution.

</details>

<details>

<summary><strong>ZK Login</strong></summary>

Vola's Zero-Knowledge authentication system. Allows users to interact with the network using Google OAuth without exposing private keys or requiring traditional wallet management. *Based on the open-source ZK Login flow from Aptos.*

</details>

{% hint style="warning" icon="circle-question" %}
Missing something? If you come across a term in the docs that isn't covered here, [let us know.](https://discord.gg/qnMSwT3Pvx)
{% endhint %}


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://wp.vola.network/docs/appendix/key-concepts-and-glossary.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.