Forks, or the threat of them, seem to be an established feature of the cryptocurrency landscape. But what are they? Why are they such a big deal? And what is the difference between a hard fork and a soft fork?
A “fork,” in programming terms, is an open-source code modification. Usually the forked code is similar to the original, but with important modifications, and the two “prongs” comfortably co-exist. Sometimes a fork is used to test a process, but with cryptocurrencies, it is more often used to implement a fundamental change, or to create a new asset with similar (but not equal) characteristics as the original.
Not all forks are intentional. With a widely distributed open-source codebase, a fork can happen accidentally when not all nodes are replicating the same information. Usually these forks are identified and resolved, however, and the majority of cryptocurrency forks are due to disagreements over embedded characteristics.
One thing to bear in mind with forks is that they have a “shared history.” The record of transactions on each of the chains (old and new) is identical prior to the split.
Hard forks
There are two main types of programming fork: hard and soft.
A hard fork is a change to a protocol that renders older versions invalid. If older versions continue running, they will end up with a different protocol and with different data than the newer version. This can lead to significant confusion and possible error.
With bitcoin, a hard fork would be necessary to change defining parameters such as the block size, the difficulty of the cryptographic puzzle that needs to be solved, limits to additional information that can be added, etc. A change to any of these rules would cause blocks to be accepted by the new protocol but rejected by older versions and could lead to serious problems – possibly even a loss of funds.
For instance, if the block size limit were to be increased from 1MB to 4MB, a 2MB block would be accepted by nodes running the new version, but rejected by nodes running the older version.
Let’s say that this 2MB block is validated by an updated node and added on to the blockchain. What if the next block is validated by a node running an older version of the protocol? It will try to add its block to the blockchain, but it will detect that the latest block is not valid. So, it will ignore that block and attach its new validation to the previous one. Suddenly you have two blockchains, one with both older and newer version blocks, and another with only older version blocks. Which chain grows faster will depend on which nodes get the next blocks validated, and there could end up being additional splits. It is feasible that the two (or more) chains could grow in parallel indefinitely.
This is a hard fork, and it’s potentially messy. It’s also risky, as it’s possible that bitcoins spent in a new block could then be spent again on an old block (since merchants, wallets and users running the previous code would not detect the spending on the new code, which they deem invalid).
The only solution is for one branch to be abandoned in favor of the other, which involves some miners losing out (the transactions themselves would not be lost, they’d just be re-allocated). Or, all nodes would need to switch to the newer version at the same time, which is difficult to achieve in a decentralized, widely spread system.
Or, bitcoin splits, which has happened (hello, bitcoin cash).
Soft fork
A soft fork can still work with older versions.
If, for example, a protocol is changed in a way that tightens the rules, that implements a cosmetic change or that adds a function that does not affect the structure in any way, then new version blocks will be accepted by old version nodes. Not the other way around, though: the newer, “tighter” version would reject old version blocks.
In bitcoin, ideally old-version miners would realize that their blocks were rejected, and would upgrade. As more miners upgrade, the chain with predominantly new blocks becomes the longest, which would further orphan old version blocks, which would lead to more miners upgrading, and the system self-corrects. Since new version blocks are accepted by both old and upgraded nodes, the new version blocks eventually win.
For instance, say the community decided to reduce the block size to 0.5MB from the current limit of 1MB. New version nodes would reject 1MB blocks, and would build on the previous block (if it was mined with an updated version of the code), which would cause a temporary fork.
This is a soft fork, and it’s already happened several times. Initially, Bitcoin didn’t have a block size limit. Introducing the limit of 1MB was done through a soft fork, since the new rule was “stricter” than the old one. The pay-to-script-hash function, which enhances the code without changing the structure, was also successfully added through a soft fork. This type of amendment generally requires only the majority of miners to upgrade, which makes it more feasible and less disruptive.
Soft forks do not carry the double-spend risk that plagues hard forks, since merchants and users running old nodes will read both new and old version blocks.
For examples of changes that would require a soft fork, see the “softfork wishlist”.
обвал ethereum bitcoin phoenix
difficulty bitcoin
bitcoin earnings community bitcoin bitcoin бонусы зарегистрировать bitcoin перспективы ethereum основатель bitcoin india bitcoin ethereum вики amd bitcoin bitcoin traffic monero fr direct bitcoin mac bitcoin bitcoin darkcoin
bitcoin инструкция phoenix bitcoin strategy bitcoin bitcoin торговля ethereum chaindata bitcoin 99 ethereum btc gadget bitcoin bitcoin advcash
bitcoin yen bitcoin phoenix monero пулы обмен tether google bitcoin gas ethereum ethereum blockchain bitcoin india bazar bitcoin london bitcoin ethereum доходность bitcoin зебра новые bitcoin bitcoin motherboard donate bitcoin bitcoin cli json bitcoin ethereum биржи bitcoin asic
exmo bitcoin (May 2020).Mining pools utilize these combined resources to strengthen the probability of finding a block or otherwise successfully mining for cryptocurrency.Bitcoincryptocurrency tech
You might ask why someone would bother spending the huge sums of money on expensive mining equipment to rent it out to someone else. The reason is simple. They want to guarantee profits on their investment and not have these affected by swings in the price of Bitcoin.график ethereum bitcoin упал registration bitcoin alpari bitcoin capitalization bitcoin bitcoin valet my ethereum bitcoin roulette bitcoin tor
партнерка bitcoin трейдинг bitcoin bitcoin usa nanopool ethereum donate bitcoin minergate bitcoin кран bitcoin Every node in the Ethereum network has:Parity TechnologiesSubstrate ShasperRustEnergy sources %trump2% consumption1024 bitcoin Mining is the process of securing each block to the existing blockchain. Once a block is secured, new units of cryptocurrency known as ‘block rewards’ get released. Miners can inject these units directly back into the market. Due to their crucial role in the process, miners can exert significant control over bitcoin.Terms and conditions are predefined and pre-embedded in a smart contract. As soon as a condition is met, remittance occurs automatically and is recorded. If any remittance is involved with a traditional contract, it's a manual process involving approvals workflows. Traditionally, transparency is dictated by the parties involved, peripheral entities, and intermediaries. It's an imperfect system. Smart contracts, however, are 100 percent transparent, available online 24*7*365. Anyone can review, audit, and validate the archived transactions. Archiving is difficult with traditional contracts, as they are paper-based and maintained offline. Tracing transactions is cumbersome. Transactions in smart contracts may be traced right from the point of origin, and archiving occurs automatically, creating a fully accessible history.platinum bitcoin
bitcoin даром bitcoin gambling
bitcoin agario купить tether bitcoin bcc tether обменник bitcoin scanner yota tether отследить bitcoin bitcoin сервисы bitcoin мастернода bitcoin roll water bitcoin
bitcoin forex tether обмен
bitcoin анализ monero cpuminer monero pools bitcoin футболка accept bitcoin monero новости bitcoin valet bitcoin рулетка ethereum ethash bitcoin valet ethereum пул bitcoin faucets bitcoin london
bitcoin платформа dwarfpool monero
up bitcoin платформы ethereum россия bitcoin aliexpress bitcoin buying bitcoin asics bitcoin monero xeon
bitcoin обозначение bitcoin roulette ethereum прогнозы bitcoin alien 2016 bitcoin tether download bitcoin vpn график monero статистика ethereum bitcoin rt monero pools bitcoin
bitcoin count ethereum zcash explorer ethereum торги bitcoin bitcoin бонус cryptocurrency logo abc bitcoin bitcoin оборот обзор bitcoin panda bitcoin
bitcoin информация bitcoin circle habrahabr bitcoin direct bitcoin bitcoin example казино ethereum mmgp bitcoin
my bitcoin Software Hot Walletsbitcoin исходники Reformation, and we think those same four preconditions are present today:bitcoin транзакция bitcoin валюта FACEBOOKOur community includes people from all backgrounds, including artists, crypto-anarchists, fortune 500 companies, and now you. Find out how you can get involved today.WHAT IS ETHER (ETH)?Hot wallets are online wallets through which cryptocurrencies can be transferred quickly. They are available online. Examples are Coinbase and Blockchain.info. Cold wallets are digital offline wallets where the transactions are signed offline and then disclosed online. They are not maintained in the cloud on the internet; they are maintained offline to have high security. Examples of cold wallets are Trezor and Ledger.котировки ethereum ethereum decred config bitcoin widget bitcoin cranes bitcoin ethereum coins in bitcoin
bitcoin london miner monero bitcoin word bank cryptocurrency masternode bitcoin token ethereum 15 bitcoin ethereum mist бесплатный bitcoin bitcoin it bitcoin script monaco cryptocurrency bitcoin вложения cryptocurrency перевод vps bitcoin майнинг ethereum cryptocurrency reddit видео bitcoin currency bitcoin mercado bitcoin bitcoin daily bitcoin xl de bitcoin plasma ethereum flappy bitcoin bitcoin paper
coin bitcoin vps bitcoin bitcoin авто bitcoin bestchange фильм bitcoin bitcoin рубль bitcoin get best cryptocurrency bitcoin monkey bitcoin виджет bitcoin dance monero пулы bitcoin dogecoin tether app why cryptocurrency usd bitcoin March 2018.34 We’re seeing demand coming from hedge funds, businessesx bitcoin
payeer bitcoin love bitcoin remix ethereum bitcoin electrum bitcoin earn wallet cryptocurrency
ethereum charts конференция bitcoin bitcoin shops Sellers usually demand more than market price for their coinsCypherpunks write code. They know that someone has to write software to defend privacy, and thus they take up the task. They publish their code so that fellow Cypherpunks may learn from it, attack it and improve upon it.nvidia monero технология bitcoin Authorsecp256k1 ethereum bitcoin bitrix The best Bitcoin wallets for safe and secure storagebitcoin crash
mercado bitcoin bitcoin frog bitcoin habr genesis bitcoin bitcoin greenaddress value bitcoin bitcoin tracker цена ethereum ethereum pool bitcoin swiss рулетка bitcoin
supernova ethereum truffle ethereum bitcoin игры bitcoin hashrate bitcoin брокеры segwit2x bitcoin bitcoin alpari bitcoin q bitcoin nodes monero client bitcoin казино ava bitcoin bitcoin деньги json bitcoin
bitcoin ютуб
bitcoin cryptocurrency китай bitcoin bitcoin пул 600 bitcoin bitcoin people bitcoin вклады download tether расчет bitcoin
bitcoin calculator ethereum пулы forum ethereum bitcoin friday ethereum russia
ethereum pool биржа bitcoin bitcoin основы bitcoin dice box bitcoin ico cryptocurrency goldsday bitcoin bitcoin пожертвование создать bitcoin mercado bitcoin bitcoin atm bitcoin scam bitcoin развод airbitclub bitcoin tether usdt
bitcoin landing ccminer monero chain bitcoin bitcoin xapo bitcoin ethereum proxy bitcoin bitcoin group unconfirmed monero bitcoin source boxbit bitcoin что bitcoin nicehash ethereum bitcoin s There is a lot happening in the background, but these three charts are what drives everything. People all over the world are connecting these dots. The Fed is creating trillions of dollars at the same time the rate of issuance in bitcoin is about to be cut in half (see the bitcoin halvening). While most may not be aware of these two divergent paths, a growing number are (knowledge distributes with time) and even a small number of people figuring it out ultimately puts a significant imbalance between the demand for bitcoin and its supply. When this happens, the value of bitcoin goes up. It is that simple and that is what draws everyone else in: price. Price is what communicates information. All those otherwise not paying attention react to price signals. The underlying demand is ultimately dictated by fundamentals (even if speculation exists), but the majority do not need to understand those fundamentals to recognize that the market is sending a signal. bitcoin valet bank bitcoin You will automatically get an ice cream cone tomorrow, as long as your friend has one and he received the $1 from you. The next day, the ice cream cone automatically appears in your hand as soon as the friend buys it. Even if he had no intention of giving it to you.xbt bitcoin NEO Price Prediction 2021: What to Expect?c) Proof of Stakeethereum blockchain bitcoin tor ethereum проблемы bear bitcoin bitcoin обменники рулетка bitcoin You could run your name through that hash function, or the entire King James Bible. In either case, you’ll get 64 characters out the other end. And, for a given input, you’ll always get the same output.алгоритм ethereum bitcoin antminer moto bitcoin bitcoin bbc 4pda tether bitcoin community ethereum хардфорк daily bitcoin miner bitcoin биржа monero bitcoin novosti monero пул купить tether bitcoin check ферма ethereum казино ethereum 2016 bitcoin сайты bitcoin bitcoin oil For thousands of years across several continents, humans have traded valuable commodities as forms of value, to make bartering easier. Any material that has scarcity and desirability and that can be divided into small amounts works well enough, but gold and silver are the near-universal choices.monero новости Compare Crypto Exchanges Side by Side With OthersWhat is Bitcoin? Many have attempted to answer this question, but I believe that our quest to do so is doomed to continue in perpetuity. The continuing development of the protocol is where the cutting edge of research into what Bitcoin is and discussion about what it should strive to be actually occurs.asus bitcoin
bitcoin fan bitcoin traffic space bitcoin bitcoin motherboard coinmarketcap bitcoin x bitcoin bitcoin mixer q bitcoin bitcoin drip bitcoin cranes bitcoin knots pay bitcoin tether отзывы php bitcoin monero simplewallet ethereum контракты bitcoin рейтинг bitcoin joker bitcoin master использование bitcoin monero logo
зарабатывать bitcoin cryptocurrency доходность ethereum bitcoin miner обновление ethereum mining ethereum bitcoin коллектор bitcoin компания bitcoin start etf bitcoin bitcoin сети акции ethereum calc bitcoin bitcoin сети auto bitcoin dao ethereum fpga bitcoin tabtrader bitcoin доходность ethereum bitcoin бизнес платформу ethereum ethereum прогнозы bitcoin symbol bitcoin machines развод bitcoin bitcoin лайткоин ethereum addresses bitcoin update поиск bitcoin
testnet ethereum
удвоитель bitcoin txid ethereum search bitcoin time bitcoin bitcoin hesaplama bitcoin fan
If Bitcoin only achieves 10% as much global value as gold (well under 1% of global net worth), then each bitcoin would be worth about $50,00022 bitcoin форекс bitcoin bitcoin habrahabr bitcoin таблица bitcoin комиссия
стоимость ethereum 600 bitcoin сложность monero monero fr statistics bitcoin асик ethereum tether iphone bitcoin click bitcoin skrill
серфинг bitcoin
wallets cryptocurrency bitcoin project 1 ethereum bitcoin main
bitcoin cranes There is a Bitcoin mutual fund—the Grayscale Bitcoin Trust (GBTC), but it is currently only open to accredited investors, meaning most Americans aren’t eligible to buy into it. There are no Bitcoin or crypto ETFs; however, there are blockchain ETFs.The main purpose of the blockchain is to allow fast, secure and transparent peer-to-peer transactions. It is a trusted, decentralized network that allows for the transfer of digital values such as currency and data.bitcoin antminer future bitcoin торрент bitcoin buy ethereum
