# ETH 2 Merge Lexicon

**Published by:** [Probably Degens](https://paragraph.com/@avitzthum/)
**Published on:** 2022-09-10
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@avitzthum/eth-2-merge-lexicon

## Content

A list of terms referenced in our YouTube video about the Ethereum Merge.Proof of Work/PoW - Network is secured by Miners who have to purchase & run mining hardware. They consume electricity in exchange for block issue runs for a portion of transaction feesProof of Stake/PoS - Network is run by Validators who STAKE ETH to validate the model. The validators don’t consume a lot of electricity.Validator - A virtual entity that lives on the Beacon Chain and participates in the consensus of the Ethereum protocol. Validators are represented by a balance, public key, and other properties. 1 Validator = 32 ETH StakedMiner - The person running mining hardware for Proof of WorkValidator Client - The software that acts on behalf of the validator by holding and using its private key. A single validator client can hold many key pairs, controlling many validators.Sharding - The process of splitting a database horizontally to spread the load. In an Ethereum context, sharding will reduce network congestion and increase transactions per second by creating new chains, known as “shards”.Testnet - Testing environment of. blockchain powered by same underlying software as Mainnet but used for experimentation & testing so as not to negatively impact actual computation & transactionsMainnet - Blockchain protocol that is fully developed & deployed. Transactions are broadcast, verified & recorded on a distributed ledger.dApp - Decentralized application that exists on top of a blockchain. An example would be OpenSeaProtocol - A set of rules for formatting data

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