Glossary
The platform’s trading, wallet and contract terminology in plain language.
Platform reference · Updated October 14, 2026
Solana reference
This chapter covers Solana. For the main Robinhood Chain network, see the Robinhood guide. Wallets, token addresses and settlement mechanics are specific to each network.
Trading terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OTC | Over-the-counter: a direct agreement between counterparties rather than executing this trade through a pool. |
| Base token | The token being bought/sold in a market. |
| Quote currency | The asset used to price and pay for the base token: SOL or USDC in this release. |
| Bid / ask | An offer to buy / an offer to sell the base token. |
| Maker / taker | The wallet posting the offer / the wallet filling it. |
| Premium / discount | A price above / below a reference. The offset creates a fixed order price. |
| Partial fill | Settlement of less than the order’s remaining quantity. |
| Market cap / FDV | Provider-reported circulating valuation / fully diluted valuation; different metrics. |
| Slippage / pool impact | Differences in execution price / movement of pool reserves caused by a routed trade. Sidelot direct trades avoid that direct pool route. |
Wallet and chain terms
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mint | The unique Solana account identifying a token, including its decimals and authorities. |
| Token account / ATA | An account holding one mint for an authority / its conventionally derived associated token account. |
| Lamport / base unit | One billionth of SOL / the smallest integer unit supported by a token’s decimals. |
| Message signature | Approval of exact text/data for an application action; not itself an on-chain transfer. |
| Transaction signature | Approval of the exact transaction message that can execute on-chain. |
| Blockhash validity | The network validity window for a recent-blockhash transaction, bounded by lastValidBlockHeight. |
| Finalized | The strongest standard Solana commitment level used by Sidelot to verify completed settlement. |
| PDA | A program-derived address with no private key; the deriving program can authorize actions using its seeds. |
| Rent reserve | Lamports allocated to keep account data on-chain; recovery depends on account-closing rules. |
| Escrow | Assets deposited under a program’s release/refund rules for a standing order. |
| Upgrade authority | An authority that may change a deployed program if the deployment remains upgradeable. |
| Reconciliation | Checking chain evidence and updating the application’s stored view of a trade/order. |
Where to go next
Return to the documentation overview, follow the User guide, or open Explore markets. For current capabilities and future networks, use Product status.