Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT)
The broad category of systems that keep a synchronized record across many sites with no central master copy.
Distributed ledger technology is the umbrella term for databases shared and synced across multiple locations, with no single authority holding the only copy. Blockchain is the most famous kind, but not the only one.
Some DLTs skip blocks and chains entirely, using other structures to order records. Banks and supply-chain firms often pilot private, permissioned versions where participants are known. The shared trait is removing a central point of control or failure.
Related terms
A shared digital ledger that records transactions in linked batches, copied across many computers and hard to alter.
DecentralizationSpreading control and data across many independent participants so no single party can dictate or shut things down.
NodeA computer running a blockchain's software, keeping a copy of the ledger and relaying transactions to peers.
Consensus MechanismThe rules a decentralized network follows to agree on one valid history without trusting any central party.