Glossary
Avalanche
A Layer-1 with three built-in chains and the Avalanche consensus family — randomized repeated sub-sampling — supporting sub-second finality.
Avalanche, launched in 2020, ships with three built-in chains: the P-Chain for staking, the X-Chain for asset issuance, and the EVM-compatible C-Chain where DeFi lives.
Its standout feature is the Avalanche consensus family — randomized repeated sub-sampling — which finalizes in well under a second without requiring tight communication between all validators. The network also supports "Subnets": independent chains that share the validator set or run their own.