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Glossary
Definitions of key terms, protocols, and components used throughout the DALP architecture documentation.
Purpose: Define the terms used across the architecture documentation set. Doc type: Reference. What you will find here:
- Platform and protocol terms
- Component names and their meanings
- On-chain concepts and standards
Related: Architecture map | System context | SMART Protocol integration (ERC-3643)
Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| DALP | Digital Asset Lifecycle Platform. SettleMint's platform for issuing, managing, and servicing tokenized financial instruments across their full lifecycle. |
| SMART Protocol | SettleMint Adaptable Regulated Token. The foundational protocol specification that defines token standards, compliance modules, and identity interfaces based on ERC-3643. |
| ERC-3643 | Ethereum standard for regulated security tokens with conditional transfers based on investor eligibility and integrated identity verification. DALP provides one of two complete implementations. |
| OnchainID | On-chain identity framework implementing ERC-734 (key management) and ERC-735 (claim management). Stores verifiable claims about users and entities. |
| Compliance Module | A pluggable on-chain rule evaluated on every transfer. Examples: country allow/block lists, identity verification, transfer limits, time-based lock-ups. Multiple modules compose into an asset's compliance policy. |
| Token Feature | A runtime-configurable capability registered on a token through the Configurable extension. Unlike compile-time extensions, features can be added after deployment. Examples: fixed-treasury-yield, lock-up enforcement. |
| Identity Registry | Per-system contract mapping wallet addresses to on-chain identity contracts. Manages verification status and supports wallet recovery. |
| Trusted Issuer | An entity authorized to issue verifiable claims for specific claim topics. Registered in the Trusted Issuers Registry. Multiple issuers can cover the same topic. |
| Claim Topic | A category of verifiable attestation (e.g., KYC, nationality, accreditation). Defined in the Topic Scheme Registry and referenced by tokens to specify required investor claims. |
| Key Guardian | Secure cryptographic key storage component. Abstracts over local encrypted keys, DFNS MPC wallets, Fireblocks vaults, and hardware security modules. |
| Transaction Signer | Prepares transactions (gas estimation, nonce assignment), delegates signing to the custody provider, and manages broadcast and confirmation. |
| Chain Indexer | Listens to on-chain events from SMART Protocol contracts, translates them into structured data, and persists them to the application database. |
| Chain Gateway | Multi-network connectivity layer providing EVM RPC access. Abstracts network-specific differences (gas models, confirmation depth) behind a unified interface. |
| Feeds System | Market data infrastructure providing price and FX rate feeds through a centralized directory (FeedsDirectory). Chainlink-compatible. Supports global and token-specific feeds. |
| XvP Settlement | Cross-value proposition settlement. Addon enabling atomic delivery-versus-payment between two asset legs -- both complete or neither does. |
| DAIO | Digital Asset Initial Offering. Primary distribution mechanism for moving newly issued assets to verified investors with atomic settlement, lock-up enforcement, and soft-cap refund mechanics. |
| Airdrop | Token distribution addon delivering tokens to recipient addresses according to a configured strategy. Integrates with the compliance layer for eligibility. |
| Vault | Multi-signature treasury management addon for holding and governing settlement currency or digital assets with configurable approval thresholds. |
| Denomination Asset | The settlement currency designated for an asset's financial operations (distributions, offerings, redemptions). Typically a regulated stablecoin or fiat-linked token. |
| Factory Pattern | Deployment pattern where factory contracts deploy new instances of assets, addons, and infrastructure contracts. Registered in the Factory Registry for consistent configuration. |
| Virtual Object | A Restate durable, keyed state machine that survives process restarts. Used in the Execution Engine for long-running workflows like signing and multi-step operations. |
| Dead Letter Queue | Holding area for operations that exhausted retry attempts in the Execution Engine. Items require manual investigation. |
| Addon | An operational tool contract extending asset capabilities beyond the core SMART Protocol. Registered through the Addon Registry. Current addons: Airdrop, Vault, XvP Settlement, Token Sale (DAIO), Yield. |
Standards referenced
| Standard | Full name | Usage in DALP |
|---|---|---|
| ERC-20 | Fungible token standard | Base token compatibility for all SMART tokens |
| ERC-165 | Interface detection | Programmatic capability queries on SMART tokens |
| ERC-734 | Key management | On-chain identity key management in OnchainID |
| ERC-735 | Claim management | Verifiable claims on identity contracts |
| ERC-2771 | Meta-transactions | Gasless transaction support via trusted forwarders |
| ERC-3643 | Regulated security tokens | Foundation for SMART Protocol compliance architecture |
Next steps
- System context to see how these terms relate to the platform architecture
- Key flows to see these components in action
- Components for detailed boundaries and responsibilities of each component
Key flows
Index of the seven most important system flows in DALP, covering platform operations and asset lifecycle capabilities with links to detailed walkthroughs.
Overview
Landing page for DALP architecture fundamentals: design principles, quality attributes, deployment topology, and data domain ownership. Provides the conceptual foundation before exploring components and flows.