dApp

A dApp or Decentralised Application is an application that is developed on top of a decentralised platform. You know how there are iOS developers that are trained in specific languages and frameworks so they can develop apps for the iPhone? Or Android developers trained to develop apps for the Google Play Store? Well just like that, we have dApp developers who create applications for a decentralised platform like Ethereum.

The front end of a dApp (the bit that you, the user, interacts with) can be on a website, in a mobile app, or any other system that can interact with the backend. The backend (what's 'under the hood' so to speak) runs on the decentralised platform of choice (like Ethereum) and the records are stored on the blockchain itself.

You might think that it's simply a matter of platform - like choosing to develop for an Apple iPhone or a Google Pixel. But it actually goes beyond that. dApps are often open-source, meaning developers from around the world can contribute. This means more ideas, quicker fixes, better testing - and an all-round higher quality app. It also improves security because dApps come with the security benefits of the blockchain baked in.