Introduction
This page provides topic-based cross-references across the Cowboy documentation and the CIP (Cowboy Improvement Proposal) series. Use it as a map when you’re exploring a concept that spans multiple documents.By Topic
Actor Model
Core concepts:- What is Cowboy — Actor model introduction
- Actor VM Overview — VM architecture
- Actor Identity — Address derivation
- Determinism & Sandbox — Execution guarantees
- Resource Limits — VM constraints
- Minimal Actor Example
- SDK API Reference
- Best Practices — Reentrancy, idempotency
- Examples
Gas, Fees & Metering
Fee system:- Fee Overview — Cycles & Cells
- Dual EIP-1559 — Dynamic basefee
- Metering Points — What gets metered where
- Worked Example — Step-by-step calculation
Timers & Scheduling
Core concepts: Related CIPs:Off-Chain Compute & Runners
Core concepts: Related CIPs:- CIP-2: Verifiable Off-Chain Compute — Task dispatch, VRF selection, commit-reveal
- CIP-10: Runner Container Runtime — OCI execution environment
- CIP-11: Runner Connectivity and Push Job Delivery — QUIC, presence gossip
- CIP-13: Runner Stake Delegation
Runner Storage (CBFS / RAS)
Related CIPs:- CIP-9: CBFS-Backed Runner Storage — Volumes, CapTokens, Relay Nodes, per-byte per-epoch rent
Streaming & Data Feeds
Related CIPs:- CIP-7: Watchtower — Stream actor primitive, deterministic filters, paid-mode epoch keying
- CIP-17: Stream Bridge — HTTP/SSE/WebSocket bridge for Watchtower streams
HTTP, DNS & Web
Related CIPs:- CIP-14: DNS-Addressable Actors — Gateway role, ingress routing, HTTP envelope
- CIP-15: Public Asset Hosting — Static file serving from CIP-9 public volumes
- CIP-16: Custom Domains and First-Party TLDs
- CIP-18: Payment Gating — Per-request payment with x402 compatibility
Ethereum Interoperability
Core concepts: Related CIPs:- CIP-19: Ethereum Interoperability — Account unification, EventListener, bridge primitives
Governance
Proposals & versioning: Related CIPs:Transactions & Messages
Transaction structure: Development:Consensus & Validators
- Design Principles — BFT consensus
- Architecture Overview — Validator role
- Value Flows
- DoS Limits
- CIP-11: Runner Connectivity — Validator↔runner presence attestations
Security
Core security:- DoS Limits — Multi-layered protection
- Best Practices — Secure coding
- Reentrancy Protection
- Idempotency
Entitlements
- Entitlements Overview
- Entitlements Specification
- CIP-2 §7 — Canonical registry, pool membership
Economics & Tokenomics
Token economics: Related CIPs:- CIP-20: Fungible Token Standard
- CIP-21: DEX & Liquidity Pools
- CIP-22: Continuous Clearing Auctions
- CIP-13: Runner Stake Delegation
Keys & Wallets
Development
Getting started: SDK & tools: Contributing:Style & Terminology
By User Type
For Developers
Essential reading: Deep dives:For Runner Operators
Essential reading:- CIP-2: Off-Chain Compute
- CIP-9: CBFS-Backed Runner Storage
- CIP-10: Runner Container Runtime
- CIP-11: Runner Connectivity
- CIP-13: Runner Stake Delegation
For Validators
Essential reading:- Tokenomics: Validator Staking
- Value Flows: Block Production
- DoS Limits
- CIP-11: Runner Connectivity — Vote-piggybacked presence bitmap
- CIP-12: Governance
For Token Holders
Essential reading:For Researchers
Essential reading: Technical details:By CIP
CIP-1: Actor Message Scheduler
CIP-2: Verifiable Off-Chain Compute
CIP-3: Dual-Metered Fee Model
CIP-4: State Storage & Persistence
CIP-5: Native Timer Mechanism
CIP-6: Python SDK & Actor API
CIP-7: Watchtower (Stream Protocol)
CIP-9: CBFS-Backed Runner Storage
CIP-10: Runner Container Runtime
CIP-11: Runner Connectivity and Push Job Delivery
CIP-12: On-Chain Governance & System Actor Upgrades
CIP-13: Runner Stake Delegation
CIP-14: DNS-Addressable Actors
CIP-15: Public Asset Hosting
CIP-16: Custom Domains and First-Party TLDs
CIP-17: Stream Bridge
CIP-18: Payment Gating
CIP-19: Ethereum Interoperability
CIP-20: Fungible Token Standard
CIP-21: DEX & Liquidity Pools
CIP-22: Continuous Clearing Auctions
Quick Links
Most referenced:- Glossary — Term definitions
- SDK Reference — API docs
- Best Practices — Security patterns
- Examples — Code samples
- Whitepaper — Technical overview
Further Reading
Reader Paths
Guided reading paths for different roles
Glossary
Term definitions