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description: A breakdown of all the concepts and terminology used within the HOPR ecosystem
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# Glossary

## General Concepts

### HOPR Protocol

The **HOPR Protocol** is a privacy-preserving messaging protocol able to create a decentralised network \(**HOPR Network**\) to deliver messages by using economic incentives \***\*\(**HOPR Token**\) \*\***on top of payment channels within a blockchain.

### HOPR Node

A **HOPR Node** is an internet-ready, bootstrap-connected, running instance of a software or hardware implementation of the **HOPR Protocol**.
