DApp (Decentralized Application)
An application whose backend logic runs on a blockchain through smart contracts rather than a company's private servers.
A DApp pairs a normal-looking front end, a website or app, with smart contracts that do the real work on-chain. Uniswap, Aave, and OpenSea are DApps. You connect a wallet instead of creating a username and password.
Because the logic lives on a public chain, no single company can quietly change the rules or freeze your account. That is the pitch. In practice many DApps still lean on centralized pieces like hosted front ends and admin keys, so decentralized sits on a spectrum.
Related terms
Financial services run by code on public blockchains, letting people trade or borrow without a bank.
Smart ContractSelf-executing code on a blockchain that runs exactly as written when its conditions are met, with no party able to intervene.
Web3A vision of an internet built on blockchains, where users own their assets and identity without central platforms.
WalletA tool that stores the keys controlling your crypto and lets you send, receive, and sign transactions.