Glossaryalpha

Terms used in the moxzi documentation.

Actor: A Motoko object that processes messages one at a time and keeps state between them. On the Internet Computer, an actor is deployed as a canister.

Actor key: On actor platforms, the name of one actor instance, Type/id, such as Counter/1.

actor*: A moxzi language extension: lightweight actors that live inside another actor's process. Enabled with --experimental-local-actors.

Build record: What the on-chain builder stores about a finished build: hashes of the source files, the options, the compiler and the result. Read it with moxzi verify.

Candid: The Internet Computer's interface language and binary format. A .did file describes an actor's methods.

Compact runtime system: A variant of the Motoko runtime that keeps the heap smaller, for moxzid and moxzi-web. Selected with --compact-rts.

Compiler canister: A canister running compiler.wasm, which compiles Motoko on the Internet Computer. The production one is xcn6l-iqaaa-aaaai-raq6q-cai.

Enhanced orthogonal persistence (EOP): Motoko's persistence mode, in which an actor's whole heap survives upgrades. moxzi supports only this mode.

Escrow: The amount of ICP an on-chain build takes before it starts. You're charged for what the build uses, and the rest is refunded.

Linking: Adding the Motoko runtime system to compiled code to make a deployable module. An unlinked module can't be installed.

Management canister: The Internet Computer's system interface, addressed as aaaaa-aa, for creating canisters, installing code, making HTTPS outcalls and so on. moxzi's runtimes implement it.

Manifest: The JSON file listing the actors moxzid hosts.

Migration: A function that converts an actor's stored data when an upgrade changes its type. A migration chain is a directory of them, applied in order.

mops: The Motoko package manager.

Registered package: A mops package version stored in the compiler canister after its files were checked against the mops registry, so builds can use it without uploading it.

Stable signature: The types of an actor's stable variables, written to a .most file. Upgrades are checked by comparing two of them.

Step: One call to the compiler canister's step method. An on-chain build is a sequence of steps.

Tick: In moxzi.game, one step of the game simulation. The player sends simulation_hz ticks per second.

Trap: An error that stops a message. Its changes are rolled back, and the actor keeps running.

VFS path: The path the compiler sees a source file at: /src/… for your project, /pkg/NAME/… for packages.