Ledger vs Registry

A quick background and analogy. In developing some software we are naming various components. One component is effectively a log of completed and pending transactions. The nature of these transactions is a little complicated, so I'll use an analogy.

Think of them as recording yearly event awards from various award ceremonies, in that each transaction involves taking a completely unique item (e.g. best dressed 2020 by 'People Magazine') and assigning it out to an entity (like person x, or business y). These awards are non-transferable and as each is unique, it will never be re-assigned (instead you get best dressed 2021 next year). An award can later be revoked, but it can still never be reassigned. There are a few more nuances, but that's the gist.

Is this log of completed and pending transactions more accurately a ledger, a registry, or is there an even better word? EDIT: To clarify, this system is not recording financial transactions.

One more thing if it makes a difference. In keeping with the analogy, an entity who was successfully assigned an award, does not need to "accept it". If the person decides to publish their own awards, they can list just the ones they care about, and this "recording" would support their validity.

Solution 1:

I'm not sure either word is strictly appropriate. (TLDR: I might suggest "transaction log.") Some of the definitions I find for "ledger" and "registry" are:

ledger: "a book that contains the financial records of a business," "a book [or comparable digital record] containing accounts to which debits and credits are posted from books of original entry," and "a book in which things are regularly recorded, especially business activities and money received or paid"

registry: "an official record book," "a collection of all the official records relating to something"

If your use isn't actually financial, ledger is perhaps too specialized a term, since it records financial activity. Also, there is more of a comprehensive sense of accounting than simply a list of transactions; it records "the accounts" of a person or business, usually with a running tally of the balance.

"Registry," on the other hand, is too broad. The dictionary definitions make it, really, any kind of record collection. I'm surprised that I didn't find this in the definitions, but I also associate it with a connotation of "indexing"; it's not merely a linear table of events like a ledger, but a 1-to-1 association of data (a vehicle registry associates a car with an owner). There's no inherent requirement that such a registration be permanent, though; you can transfer your car's registration to a new owner.

If the language is to be user-facing, "registration" is so generic as to be confusing. "Ledger" might be used as a whimsical comparison to an actual banking ledger, but would still be an odd choice. You say this is "a log of completed and pending transactions." What's wrong with the most direct, "transaction log"? I'm working on an app at the moment with two such logs, titled simply "Recent Activity" and "All Activity" (the context is such that all "activity" is transactional; otherwise this would be too vague).