Governance & DAOs
Web3 Glossary
Understand decentralized governance mechanisms including DAOs, on-chain voting, token-weighted proposals, treasury management, and community-driven protocol decisions.
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Token Unlock
The release of previously locked or vested tokens according to a predetermined schedule, often affecting token supply, circulating supply, and market price dynamics.
Vesting
A schedule determining when tokens locked during initial distribution (ICO, seed funding, employee grants) become available to claim or transfer, preventing sudden market dumps.
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DAO
Decentralized Autonomous Organization, an internet-native organization governed by smart contracts and owned collectively by its members, who vote on decisions using tokens.
DAOstack
An open-source framework and stack for building and managing decentralized autonomous organizations with governance features like voting, proposals, and reputation systems.
Delegation
Transferring voting or staking power to a representative without transferring token ownership, enabling participation in governance without active involvement while maintaining token control.
Governance
The mechanisms and processes through which decentralized protocols are governed, typically using governance tokens to enable community voting on protocol upgrades and parameter changes.
Governance Token
A cryptocurrency token that grants holders voting rights to influence protocol decisions, parameter changes, and treasury management in decentralized organizations.
On-Chain Governance
A governance model where protocol decisions are proposed, voted on, and executed directly by smart contracts on the blockchain, creating transparent and enforceable governance.
Treasury Management
Protocols managing their cryptocurrency reserves through governance, making strategic decisions on allocation, deployment, and reserves to ensure sustainability and growth.