Terminology map

The same thing has up to four names depending on where you meet it: the product UI, the API, the smart contract and the database.

The same thing has up to four names depending on where you meet it: the product UI, the API, the smart contract and the database. This page lines them up, then defines the terms engineers need.

The code name UAM (User Acquisition Marketplace) appears throughout the codebase, in parameters such as uam_click, headers such as X-Uam-Event-Id, and discount codes prefixed UAM-. It is the same product as the Freeq Growth Network.

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Name map

Product UI	API	Smart contract	Database (model, table)
Brand	advertiser, role ADVERTISER	buyer	Advertiser (advertisers) plus Party and User
Creator	publisher, role PUBLISHER	seller	Publisher (publishers) plus Party and User
Account	user and party	party (addParty)	User (users), Party (parties)
Campaign	campaign, id campaign_<uuid>	campaign (same id string)	Campaign (campaigns)
Add or invite creators	add publishers (addPublishers)	addSellers	CampaignPublisher (campaign_publishers)
Personal link	share link (shareLink), share code	none	campaign_publishers.share_code
Click	click, id clk_<uuid>	movement (recordUserMovement, event UserMoved)	UserClickProfile (user_click_profiles); on-chain mirror in Interaction (interactions)
Sale credited to a creator	conversion, order status CONVERTED	conversion (registerConversion, event UserConverted)	ShopifyOrder (shopify_orders)
Holding period	escrow hold	none	EscrowHold (escrow_holds)
Earnings released	release (ESCROW_RELEASE), order status SETTLED	settlement (registerSettlement), meaning vested	ledger_entries, onchain_settlement_registrations
Cash out	withdraw (Stripe Connect transfer)	none	PAYOUT_* ledger entries, StripeConnectedAccount
Refund	return, partial return	registerReturn, registerPartialReturn	order status RETURNED, PARTIAL_RETURN
Chargeback or dispute	chargeback, dispute	registerChargeBack	order status CHARGED_BACK, shopify_disputes
Safety reserve	reserve	none	PublisherReserve (publisher_reserves)
Store	store, provider key	none	ShopifyStore (shopify_stores) for every provider
Discount code	coupon, code UAM-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX	none	CouponOffer, CouponCode, CouponAssignment
Partner	tenant	none	Tenant (tenants)
Shopper	buyer (in order events), customer	user (a pseudo-address derived from the click id)	derived_address, customer_email
Returning customer (not paid)	INELIGIBLE_RETURNING_BUYER	none	campaign_customer_acquisitions

“Buyer” means two different things. In the smart contract, the buyer is the brand that owns a campaign. In order events and the partner wire (externalBuyerId, “returning buyer”), the buyer is the shopper. Check the context.

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Glossary

Attribution. Deciding which click earned an order. The platform uses last-click attribution: the most recent eligible click before the purchase wins. See Attribution engine.

Click. One visit through a creator link, recorded off-chain with an id clk_<uuid>. Nothing is written on-chain at click time.

Carrier. Anything that carries a click id from the link to the order: the uam_click URL parameter, the uam_click cart attribute, the _uam_click line-item property, or a per-click discount code.

Share code. The 17-character code at the end of a creator’s short link (/go/<code>). Unique per creator per campaign. It hides the campaign id and the creator’s address.

Store-wide campaign. A campaign that pays on any product of the store rather than one product. Available only to tenants that enable it.

Theme app embed. The script the Shopify app adds to a brand’s storefront. It copies the newest click into the cart on every landing so it survives checkout.

Eligible click. A click whose campaign exists, belongs to the order’s store, and promotes a product that is in the order.

Movement. The contract’s word for a click that led to an order. Recorded only after the order is attributed.

Conversion. An attributed order that earns commission. Recorded on-chain and held in escrow.

Commission base. What the rate applies to: the order total (after discounts, including tax and shipping), for every campaign. A single-product campaign’s product decides whether the order qualifies, not how much it pays. Frozen on the order before any money moves.

Escrow hold. Commission set aside for a risk-tiered period (30 days by default, up to 120) before it can be released.

Release. Moving a matured hold to the creator’s available balance, minus any fees and the reserve skim.

Settlement (on-chain). The record that a commission vested. It does not mean money was paid.

Reserve. A per-campaign buffer skimmed from releases to cover chargebacks that arrive after release.

Ledger. The append-only, double-entry record of every money movement. The source of truth for balances.

Provider. A commerce platform plugged in through the provider contract (Shopify, partner platforms). See Commerce providers.

Tenant. A partitioned marketplace with its own sign-in, users and campaigns. Partners are onboarded as tenants.

Party. The on-chain and database identity shared by brands and creators. Each user has one.

Derived address. A deterministic hash of a click id, shaped like an address. Used as the “user” on-chain. Not a wallet.

First touch. The earliest click Shopify saw for an order’s shopper. Shown for information only; it never affects who is paid.

Not-paid reason. A stable code explaining why an order earned nothing, such as STORE_MISMATCH or RETURNING_CUSTOMER. See Attribution engine.

Older internal documents describe attribution as “first-click” and mention an “ad service”, embed tokens and an AdEvent-based tracking flow. Those descriptions are out of date. Attribution is last-click, and the ad service has been retired.