Glossary
The terms used across AbuseZero, its API and its dashboard.
A
AbuseZero AI Risk Engine. The AI at the heart of AbuseZero, working with a proprietary algorithm built on 140,000+ risk signal combinations. See AbuseZero AI Risk Engine.
AbuseZero Automation Defense. AbuseZero's assessment of automated activity behind a claim. It is reported as the automation signal family, and as the automation reason code when it decides a result. See Bots and AI agents and signals.
AbuseZero Identity Intelligence. AbuseZero's assessment of the identity behind a claim, starting with its email address. It is reported as the identity signal family, and as the identity_risk reason code when it decides a result. See Signal families and Reason codes.
AbuseZero Network Intelligence. AbuseZero's assessment of the connection behind a claim. It is reported as the network signal family, and as the network_risk reason code when it decides a result. See Signal families and Reason codes.
AbuseZero Risk Score. A number from 0 to 100 that sums up an evaluation's overall risk, returned as risk.score with a band in risk.band. See Risk Score and signals and risk.
Allow list. Entries that always allow a matching claim, by email, exact email, domain, IP address, user or device. They can apply to every benefit or to one. See Allow and block lists and the Allow and block lists API.
Assessment. The level a signal family reached in one evaluation: clear, elevated, high or unavailable. See Signal families and signals.
Association graph. The earlier outcomes linked to an evaluation through shared identifiers, each connection labeled with a signal family. See Association graph and Retrieve an evaluation's association graph.
Audit log. A record of changes made in a workspace, by members or by AbuseZero. IDs start with aud_. The dashboard shows it as the Audit trail. See the Audit logs API.
B
Benefit. Anything you give out on a limited basis, such as a free trial, free plan, sign-up credits or a promotional offer. Each benefit has a key, such as pro_trial, and an ID starting with ben_. See Benefits and the Benefits API.
Benefit history. The claims and outcomes already recorded for a benefit in your workspace. Every evaluation is checked against it. It is also one of the five signal families. See Outcomes and Reason codes.
Block list. Entries that always deny a matching claim. Same entry types as the allow list. See Allow and block lists and entry types.
Bot check. An extra browser check collected when the person submits, with prepareBotObservation. A benefit can require it. See Add a bot check and prepareBotObservation.
Browser data. What the browser SDK collected for a claim, carried to the evaluation by the device token. Its status appears on the evaluation as browser_data. See Browser data statuses and browser data.
Browser protection. AbuseZero's device and automation intelligence in your pages, through the browser SDK or the standalone script. See Browser protection and the AbuseZero browser SDK.
C
Claim. One request for a benefit by one user. See Evaluations.
Claim ID. Your identifier for one award, sent as claim_id. Evaluating the same claim ID again refers to the same award. See Re-evaluating a claim_id.
Condition. A check used in a custom rule, such as email.disposable or network.risk. GET /v1/policy-signals lists the built-in conditions, and each registered custom identifier adds one more. See Conditions and List conditions.
Credits. What evaluations, previews and Test console runs use. Simulations and replays use none. Managed by the workspace owner in Workspace settings → Billing & Subscriptions. See Credits in the Developer FAQ.
Custom identifier. An identifier from your own system, such as an account number, registered with a key and key version and sent as a keyed hash. See Custom identifiers and the Custom identifiers API.
Custom rule. A rule you write with conditions, combined with a protection level in a custom policy. See Policies and rules and Rules.
D
Device token. The value the browser SDK returns for a claim. Send it unchanged as identifiers.device_token. When there is no browser data, it carries the reason instead. See Browser protection and observe.
E
Eligibility. How often a user can receive a benefit: once, once per calendar day, week or month, or once per rolling number of days. See Benefits and the eligibility setting.
Evaluation. One check of one claim. It returns allow or deny with a risk score and a reason. IDs start with eval_. See Evaluations and the Evaluations API.
Evidence. The request an evaluation received, retained for review. Reading it needs the evaluation_evidence:read scope. See Retrieve an evaluation's evidence.
I
Idempotency key. A value you send in the Idempotency-Key header of every write. Retrying with the same key repeats the request safely instead of creating a second one. See Idempotency.
Inputs. The identifier types an evaluation received, each reported as received or missing: email, ip, user_id, phone, payment, device and browser. See Inputs and inputs.
M
Machine client. OAuth client credentials for one workspace, used by the AbuseZero CLI in scripts and CI. See Machine clients.
O
Observe mode. A benefit mode in which every claim is allowed, while AbuseZero records what it would have decided as observed_result. See Protect and observe and protection mode.
Outcome. What happened after an evaluation: granted, not granted or reversed. IDs start with out_. See Outcomes and the Outcomes API.
Outcome state. Where a claim's outcome stands: assumed_granted, awaiting_outcome, granted, not_granted, outcome_unknown or reversed. See Outcome states and outcome states.
Outcome tracking. A benefit setting. Either allowed claims count as granted automatically, or you report each outcome yourself. See Tracking models and Report outcomes.
P
Policy. The rules that decide a benefit's results: a protection level, or a custom policy built on one. IDs start with pol_. See Policies and rules and the Policies API.
Policy version. A saved version of a policy. Every evaluation records the version it ran under. See Versions and List policy versions.
Preview. An evaluation of a request that returns the full result without recording a claim. It is billed like any evaluation. See Preview an evaluation.
Protect mode. A benefit mode in which results are applied. See Protect and observe.
Protection level. A policy that AbuseZero defines and maintains: Lenient, Balanced or Strict. See Protection levels and protection levels in the Policies API.
Publishable key. A key starting with pk_, used by the browser SDK. It can only send browser data, so it is safe in page source. See Publishable key.
R
Reason. Why an evaluation returned its result: a stable code and a readable message. See Reason codes and reason.
Recognized agent. An AI agent that AbuseZero can identify by name. Each benefit decides which recognized agents may claim it. See Bots and AI agents and List recognized agents.
Replay. A benefit's recent evaluations run against another policy, showing which results would change. See Run a replay.
Request log. A record of one evaluation request: its HTTP status and, when it failed, its error code. IDs start with req_, followed by the request's X-Request-ID. See the Request logs API.
Restricted key. A server key starting with rk_, with only the scopes you choose. See Secret and restricted keys.
Risk band. The band of the AbuseZero Risk Score: low, elevated, high, or not_assessed when no score was produced. See risk.
S
Scope. A permission a key or token carries, such as evaluations:create. See Scopes.
Secret key. A server key starting with sk_, with full access to its workspace. See Secret and restricted keys.
Signal family. One of the five areas AbuseZero assesses in every evaluation: identity, device, network, automation and benefit history. See Signal families and signals.
Simulation. A benefit's recent claims run again, in order, against a policy you choose, showing the result each step would get. See Run a simulation.
Site list. The HTTPS sites allowed to send browser data for your workspace, managed in Developers → Browser setup. It appears as Your sites in Browser setup. See Browser protection and Update the site list.
Skipped evaluation. An evaluation the workspace couldn't run, returned with "status": "skipped" and a reason, and no result. See Skipped evaluations.
Subject. The user making the claim: your user ID in external_id, their email address, and whether your app verified it. See Create an evaluation.
T
Test console. A tool in Developers that runs a request through AbuseZero and shows the result. Nothing is stored and no claim is used. Each run is billed. See Test changes safely.
Test against past traffic. The dashboard's replay tool, under Policies. See Run a replay.
W
Workspace. The container for everything in AbuseZero: benefits, policies, evaluations, keys and billing. IDs start with ws_. See Workspaces and the Workspaces API.
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