dApps (Decentralized Applications)
Plain English
Apps that run on blockchain instead of centralized servers. Like regular apps but no single company controls them. Examples: Uniswap for trading, Aave for lending, or Axie Infinity for gaming. They use smart contracts as their "backend" logic.
Technical
Applications built on blockchain networks using smart contracts for core functionality instead of centralized servers. dApps typically feature: open-source code, decentralized governance, token-based economics, and permissionless access. On Solana, dApps leverage the runtime’s account model and parallel processing for high-performance applications.