Glossary of Concepts

Glossary of Roru Labs Concepts and Terminology

This glossary provides definitions for key concepts, terms, and technologies used throughout the Roru ecosystem. Understanding these terms will help you better understand how Roru works and how to use it effectively.

Core Concepts

Shielded State

A global state tree where all balances are represented as cryptographic commitments rather than transparent amounts. The shielded state allows Roru to maintain privacy while still enabling verification of transaction validity.

Shielded Note

A cryptographic representation of a balance in the shielded state. Each note contains a commitment to an amount, but the actual amount is hidden. Notes can be spent to create new notes, maintaining the privacy of transaction amounts.

Zero-Knowledge Proof (zk-SNARK)

A cryptographic proof that allows one party to prove to another that a statement is true without revealing any information beyond the truth of the statement. In Roru, zk-SNARKs prove that transactions are valid without revealing amounts, senders, or receivers.

Nullifier

A unique identifier generated when a shielded note is spent. Nullifiers are published to prevent double-spending while maintaining privacy—the network can verify that a note hasn't been spent before without knowing which note was spent.

Commitment

A cryptographic commitment is a value that binds to a message without revealing it. In Roru, Pedersen commitments are used to hide transaction amounts while still allowing verification that transactions are valid.

Merkle Tree

A cryptographic data structure used to efficiently verify membership in a set. Roru uses Merkle trees to represent the shielded state, allowing efficient verification of note existence without revealing the entire state.

Protocol Terms

Roru Protocol

The foundational layer that defines the rules, cryptographic primitives, and privacy guarantees of the Roru system. The protocol specifies how shielded state is maintained, how transactions are validated, and how privacy is preserved.

State Root

A cryptographic hash representing the current state of the shielded state tree. State roots allow efficient verification of state without downloading the entire state tree.

Epoch

A time period during which the shielded state is updated. Epochs allow the protocol to organize state updates and provide temporal structure for the system.

Transaction Bundle

A collection of transactions that are processed together. Bundles allow efficient batching of transactions and can improve privacy through mixing.

Adapter Layer

A component that connects Roru to a specific blockchain. Each supported blockchain (Ethereum, Solana, Bitcoin, etc.) has an adapter layer that handles chain-specific operations.

Settlement

The process of finalizing a transaction on the underlying blockchain. Roru transactions are settled on public blockchains while maintaining privacy through the shielded state.

Infrastructure Terms

Roru Infra

The distributed computation and messaging backbone of the Roru ecosystem. It includes attestation servers, relayer clusters, encrypted RPC gateways, sync nodes, and prover clusters.

Attestation Server

A server that verifies the identity and integrity of hardware devices (like Roru One). Attestation servers validate that devices are genuine and have not been tampered with.

Relayer Cluster

A network of servers that broadcast shielded transactions to blockchains. Relayers handle transaction routing, batching, and provide redundancy for high availability.

Encrypted RPC Gateway

A gateway that provides encrypted access to blockchain networks. RPC gateways support multiple chain adapters and handle rate limiting and load balancing.

Sync Node

A node that maintains a synchronized view of the shielded state. Sync nodes provide state verification services and support fast synchronization for new clients.

Prover Cluster

A network of servers that generate zero-knowledge proofs at scale. Prover clusters provide proof generation APIs and validate proof correctness.

TEE (Trusted Execution Environment)

A secure area of a processor that ensures code and data are protected with respect to confidentiality and integrity. Roru Infra uses TEEs to process transactions without exposing data to node operators.

SGX Enclave

Intel Software Guard Extensions (SGX) provides hardware-level isolation for code and data. Roru uses SGX enclaves for additional security in infrastructure processing.

Wallet Terms

Roru Wallet

The user-facing application that provides access to the private economy. The wallet maintains shielded balances, performs proof verification, handles multi-chain abstraction, and enables private transactions.

Shielded Balance

A balance that is represented as a cryptographic commitment in the shielded state. Shielded balances are private and cannot be viewed by others.

Public Balance

A balance that exists on a public blockchain (not in the shielded state). Public balances are visible on-chain and can be analyzed.

Private Transfer

A transfer that moves value within the shielded state. Private transfers are cryptographically hidden and cannot be analyzed on-chain.

Offline Transfer

A transfer that is signed and completed without network connectivity. Offline transfers use device-to-device communication (NFC or Bluetooth for Roru One, QR codes for Wallet) and are broadcast to the network when connectivity is restored.

Multi-Device Sync

The process of synchronizing wallet state across multiple devices. Multi-device sync is encrypted and allows users to access their wallet from multiple devices.

Watch-Only Mode

A wallet mode that allows viewing balances and transactions without the ability to spend. Watch-only wallets are useful for monitoring and accounting purposes.

Hardware Terms

Roru One

The hardware device that provides the highest level of security and offline capability. Roru One includes a secure element, tamper detection, secure boot, and support for offline transactions.

Secure Element

A tamper-resistant hardware component that stores cryptographic keys and performs cryptographic operations. Roru One uses a secure element to protect keys from software attacks.

Tamper Mesh

A physical security mechanism that detects tampering attempts. Roru One's tamper mesh monitors voltage, thermal, and frequency changes and automatically erases keys if tampering is detected.

Secure Boot

A security mechanism that ensures only verified firmware can boot on a device. Roru One uses secure boot to prevent firmware tampering and ensure device integrity.

Attestation

The process of cryptographically proving the identity and integrity of a device. Roru One provides attestation to prove that it is genuine and has not been tampered with.

Air-Gapped Mode

A mode of operation where a device is completely disconnected from networks. Roru One can operate in air-gapped mode for maximum security.

Travel Mode

A security mode for Roru One that provides additional protection when traveling. Travel mode may include restrictions on certain operations and enhanced tamper detection.

Cryptographic Terms

Pedersen Commitment

A cryptographic commitment scheme that allows committing to a value without revealing it. Roru uses Pedersen commitments to hide transaction amounts.

zk-SNARK

Zero-Knowledge Succinct Non-Interactive Argument of Knowledge. A type of zero-knowledge proof that is short (succinct) and doesn't require interaction between prover and verifier.

Circuit

In the context of zero-knowledge proofs, a circuit is a computational representation of the statement being proved. Roru uses circuits to represent transaction validity rules.

Witness

The private information used to generate a zero-knowledge proof. In Roru, the witness includes the private keys and note information needed to prove transaction validity.

Prover

The party that generates a zero-knowledge proof. In Roru, proofs are generated by the user's device or by prover clusters.

Verifier

The party that verifies a zero-knowledge proof. In Roru, the network verifies proofs to ensure transactions are valid.

Key Derivation

The process of deriving cryptographic keys from a master key or seed. Roru uses key derivation to generate multiple keys from a single seed phrase.

Entropy

Randomness used in cryptographic operations. Roru One includes a true random number generator to provide high-quality entropy for key generation.

Network Terms

Gossip Protocol

A protocol for distributing information across a network without a central coordinator. Roru uses gossip protocols for offline message propagation.

Relay Network

A network of servers that relay transactions to blockchains. Roru's relay network provides redundancy and high availability.

State Synchronization

The process of synchronizing the shielded state across the network. State synchronization allows new clients to quickly catch up to the current state.

Proof Verification

The process of verifying that a zero-knowledge proof is valid. Proof verification ensures that transactions are valid without revealing private information.

Privacy Terms

Unlinkability

The property that transactions cannot be linked to each other. Roru provides unlinkability through zero-knowledge proofs and shielded state.

Amount Hiding

The property that transaction amounts are cryptographically hidden. Roru hides amounts using Pedersen commitments.

Metadata Protection

Protection against leakage of transaction metadata such as timing, network information, and transaction patterns. Roru protects metadata through encryption and relayer mixing.

Anti-Correlation

Mechanisms that prevent correlation of transactions through timing, amounts, or other patterns. Roru's protocol includes anti-correlation logic.

Selective Disclosure

The ability to prove specific facts (like compliance) without revealing other information. Roru supports selective disclosure for compliance use cases.

Enterprise Terms

Compliance Mode

A mode of operation that supports regulatory compliance while maintaining privacy. Compliance modes allow institutions to meet regulatory requirements without breaking privacy.

Audit Layer

A layer that provides audit capabilities without compromising privacy. Roru's audit layer allows institutions to audit transactions while maintaining user privacy.

Multi-Signature

A scheme that requires multiple signatures to authorize a transaction. Roru supports multi-signature for institutional use cases.

Institutional Privacy

Privacy features designed for institutional use cases. Institutional privacy includes compliance modes, audit layers, and multi-signature support.

Development Terms

Roru SDK

The Software Development Kit that exposes Roru functionality to developers. The SDK provides APIs for building applications that use Roru's privacy features.

Chain Adapter

A component that adapts Roru to work with a specific blockchain. Each supported blockchain has a chain adapter that handles chain-specific operations.

Proof Generation API

An API for generating zero-knowledge proofs. The proof generation API allows applications to create proofs for transactions.

State Sync API

An API for synchronizing with the shielded state. The state sync API allows applications to query balances and transaction history.

Additional Terms

Offline Proof Bundle

A bundle of cryptographic proofs that can be transferred between devices without network connectivity. Offline proof bundles enable offline transactions.

Device Pairing

The process of securely connecting Roru One to a wallet or other device. Device pairing uses encrypted handshakes to establish secure communication.

Recovery Phrase

A sequence of words that can be used to recover a wallet. Recovery phrases are generated from entropy and can reconstruct all wallet keys.

Deterministic Recovery

Recovery that uses deterministic algorithms to reconstruct keys from a seed. Deterministic recovery allows recovery without storing all keys.

Encrypted Sync

Synchronization of data across devices using encryption. Encrypted sync ensures that synchronized data remains private.

This glossary covers the key concepts and terms used throughout the Roru ecosystem. For more detailed explanations, refer to the specific documentation sections for each topic.