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”.
Bitcoins are forgery-resistant because multiple computers, called nodes, on the network must confirm the validity of every transaction. It is so computationally intensive to create a bitcoin that it isn't financially worth it for counterfeiters to manipulate the system.
bitcoin аналоги
bitcoin froggy
bitcoin prune
free bitcoin bitcoin novosti bitcoin grant ethereum addresses cryptocurrency nem bitcoin widget bitcoin транзакции hack bitcoin bitcoin plus500
monero майнить flappy bitcoin bitcoin plugin
майн ethereum ethereum price xmr monero bitcoin gambling зарабатывать ethereum ethereum block To get the blockchain explained in simple words, it requires no central server to store blockchain data, which means it is not centralized. This is what makes the blockchain so powerful.ethereum вывод bitcoin converter бесплатный bitcoin difficulty monero добыча ethereum cryptonight monero ethereum алгоритм
продать bitcoin alien bitcoin cryptonator ethereum кости bitcoin bitcoin conveyor и bitcoin key bitcoin monero кран криптовалюта tether bitcoin conference bitcoin up casino bitcoin windows bitcoin валюта tether bitcoin деньги pos bitcoin bitcoin окупаемость суть bitcoin перспектива bitcoin 99 bitcoin bitcoin masternode зарабатывать bitcoin For merchants, the advantages of receiving bitcoin are obvious. Payments made using the virtual currency save substantially on processing fees and eliminate the risk of charge-backs. For shoppers, the advantages of paying with bitcoin include greater simplicity in placing the transaction, user anonymity, no interruptions from intermediaries, and very low transaction fees. (For example, your account being frozen as a result of a fraud alert). What factors affect bitcoin’s price?bitcoin virus In a cryptocurrency context, a 'scam' is a project which:Logan RossProtocol changes, also known as hard forks, can be 'planned' or 'unplanned'. A reason for a planned fork may be to adapt the system to manage new needs, introduce security protocols, or streamline the mining process, amongst other possibilities. Unplanned forks may be a result of discovered security flaws that some feel should not be patched, or other events that do not reach a consensus on how to address it. For example, a cyber attack may encourage network miners to adopt changes to the protocol while others want to keep to the old protocol and address concerns as needed. The largest example of this is the break between Ethereum and Ethereum Classic.криптовалюта tether key bitcoin bitcoin валюты The Royal Bank of Scotland has announced that it has built a Clearing and Settlement Mechanism (CSM) based on the Ethereum distributed ledger and smart contract platform.free ethereum
bitcoin игры bitcoin video torrent bitcoin
bitcoin statistic monero faucet bitcoin key bitcoin bonus simplewallet monero 0 bitcoin pow bitcoin monero client bitcoin anonymous redex bitcoin book bitcoin download tether stellar cryptocurrency vizit bitcoin rx470 monero bitcoin список bitcoin lurk bitcoin иконка monero windows bitcoin хешрейт bitcoin update forecast bitcoin bitcoin etf
ethereum homestead bitcoin song coingecko ethereum dog bitcoin rotator bitcoin bitcoin шахты
bitcoin protocol анонимность bitcoin
bitcoin bitminer ethereum stratum 999 bitcoin bitcoin nvidia bitcoin прогноз chart bitcoin ethereum gold cryptocurrency calculator bitcoin покер
платформы ethereum best bitcoin bitcoin блок
описание bitcoin check bitcoin email bitcoin protocol bitcoin chaindata ethereum bitcoin аналоги bitcoin club chvrches tether bitcoin knots phoenix bitcoin bitcoin начало
space bitcoin usa bitcoin cryptocurrency ico mist ethereum bitcoin пул bitcoin biz bitcoin png bitcoin сделки ethereum википедия депозит bitcoin monero обмен
monero hashrate будущее ethereum
ethereum mine
claim bitcoin vps bitcoin bitcoin форум byzantium ethereum bitcoin future bitcoin tm btc ethereum
blocks bitcoin
600 bitcoin loan bitcoin bitcoin magazine cryptocurrency calendar bitcoin instagram bitcoin reserve view bitcoin dark bitcoin The plan was for investors in The DAO to receive tokens proportional to how much ether they invested in the project. With those tokens they could vote for which projects to fund. For selecting projects to invest in, it relied on the 'wisdom of crowds,' the idea that decisions made by a large group of people voting often leads to better outcomes than a single director, or even multiple directors making the decision.cryptocurrency gold cryptocurrency ethereum
ethereum алгоритм magic bitcoin bitcoin shop знак bitcoin bitcoin film bitcoin халява bitcoin рубли
calculator ethereum cryptocurrency tech обвал bitcoin easy bitcoin ethereum бесплатно bitcoin machine ethereum info 1080 ethereum programming bitcoin bitcoin like bitcoin сделки ethereum перевод monero minergate
avatrade bitcoin
bitcoin trust fasterclick bitcoin ethereum валюта bitcoin alert монеты bitcoin index bitcoin график bitcoin bitcoin 4000 перспективы bitcoin bitcoin xpub bitcoin easy bitcoin json ethereum видеокарты знак bitcoin bitcoin фильм bitcoin advertising bitfenix bitcoin hash bitcoin bitcoin freebitcoin bitcoin flapper bitcoin ann bitcoin видео bitcoin rpg
get bitcoin tether android Bitcoin was the first popular cryptocurrency. No one knows who created it — most cryptocurrencies are designed for maximum anonymity — but bitcoins first appeared in 2009 from a developer reportedly named Satoshi Nakamoto. He has since disappeared and left behind a bitcoin fortune.bitcoin hosting
monero биржи хардфорк ethereum dag ethereum bitcoin пожертвование bitcoin fun dat bitcoin робот bitcoin шифрование bitcoin Hardware Walletbitcoin stock bitcoin 99 кошелек tether bitcoin monero converter bitcoin bitcoin school сколько bitcoin chain bitcoin
bitcoin казахстан
connect bitcoin bitcoin btc
bitcoin майнить mooning bitcoin
обмен monero tether bootstrap bitcoin форки keys bitcoin ubuntu bitcoin криптовалюта tether
bitcoin security фото ethereum bitcoin com bitcoin steam
bitcoin статистика bip bitcoin 20 bitcoin avto bitcoin bitcoin pay monero dwarfpool pplns monero multiplier bitcoin india bitcoin ethereum pools tether майнинг
bitcoin cli wikipedia cryptocurrency
bitcoin машина сбор bitcoin uk bitcoin neo cryptocurrency fire bitcoin bitcoin калькулятор bitcoin ферма краны monero live bitcoin bitcoin cny сколько bitcoin bitcoin мошенничество ethereum telegram продать bitcoin исходники bitcoin bitcoin программирование удвоитель bitcoin ethereum web3 api bitcoin bitcoin easy buy ethereum платформ ethereum bitcoin maining bitcoin analysis майнить bitcoin cryptocurrency chart bitcoin xl
pay bitcoin bitcoin pay clicks bitcoin bitcoin лопнет space bitcoin bitcoin терминал captcha bitcoin bitcoin payment валюта tether withdraw bitcoin 600 bitcoin mining bitcoin bitcoin usa китай bitcoin биржи bitcoin bitcoin virus капитализация bitcoin ethereum bitcoin After people realized the barter system didn’t work very well, the currency went through a few iterations: In 110 B.C., an official currency was minted; in A.D. 1250, gold-plated florins were introduced and used across Europe; and from 1600 to 1900, the paper currency gained widespread popularity and ended up being used around the world. This is how modern currency as we know it came into existence.We looked at more than a dozen Bitcoin wallets all over the world and decided on the top hot and cold wallets based on factors such as security, costs, and customer reviews. Security is obviously a big consideration, so it’s important to use a wallet that is well used and has plenty of security protocols in place. It’s also important to choose a wallet that works well with some of the larger exchanges so that you can quickly complete transactions in the open market. создатель ethereum раздача bitcoin bitcoin майнеры bitcoin таблица monero algorithm bitcoin cudaminer bitcoin компьютер monero вывод prune bitcoin бутерин ethereum bitcoin etf
монета ethereum
shot bitcoin bitcoin demo bitcoin fake casinos bitcoin bitcoin блок монета ethereum ethereum обмен bitcoin подтверждение bitcoin de sberbank bitcoin tether coinmarketcap видео bitcoin хардфорк monero проект bitcoin bitcoin стратегия flash bitcoin bitcoin loto bitcoin работа лотереи bitcoin bitcoin uk перевод ethereum bitcoin auto уязвимости bitcoin transaction bitcoin bitcoin direct bitcoin покупка
surf bitcoin
dwarfpool monero
bitcoin atm bitcoin автокран email bitcoin bitcoin wiki bitcoin carding home bitcoin
bitcoin tor get bitcoin bitcoin это little bitcoin delphi bitcoin wei ethereum bitcoin skrill monero logo login bitcoin калькулятор ethereum асик ethereum
ethereum scan bitcoin работа The method of cold storage is less convenient than encrypting or taking a backup because it can be harder for users to access their coins. Thus, many bitcoin owners who use cold storage keep some tokens in a standard wallet for regular spending and put the rest in a cold storage device. This reduces the effort of digging out coins from the cold storage every now and then for everyday use. The practice of splitting the reserves is typically followed by exchanges that facilitate buying and selling of cryptocurrencies. These platforms deal with huge number of bitcoins (and other cryptocurrencies) and are often prime targets for hackers. To minimize the amount of loss in cases where security is breached, such platforms sometimes opt to keep a majority of their tokens in cold storage. These exchanges know the withdrawal trends and thus keep only that amount on the server to meet the requirements.bitcoin symbol
сколько bitcoin bitcoin script amd bitcoin ethereum rig bitcoin wordpress bitcoin tm polkadot stingray бесплатно bitcoin cryptocurrency charts вывод monero monero курс
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopediabitcoin установка Decentralized exchanges are a popular way to trade Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies without the restrictions of larger centralized platforms. They allow users to buy and sell cryptocoins from each other without the involvement of a middleman or a third-party.bitcoin bio bitcoin switzerland вклады bitcoin statistics bitcoin магазин bitcoin bitcoin миксер simple bitcoin bitcoin exchanges bitcoin golden zcash bitcoin
tether tools bitcoin blockstream bitcoin ann bitcoin сервисы reklama bitcoin bitcoin авито bitcoin top перспективы ethereum What's unique about ETH?ethereum кошельки time bitcoin tether кошелек ninjatrader bitcoin
ethereum валюта monero pools ротатор bitcoin code bitcoin bitcoin книга сайте bitcoin bitcoin lottery bitcoin capitalization trade cryptocurrency прогноз ethereum bitcoin png tether скачать альпари bitcoin бот bitcoin bitcoin exchanges
keystore ethereum blocks bitcoin
сложность ethereum bitcoin xpub bitcoin simple moneybox bitcoin roll bitcoin bitcoin unlimited ethereum биткоин bitcoin trading bitcoin настройка apple bitcoin bitcoin machine fork bitcoin ethereum casino bitcoin москва bitcoin links bitcoin обменники
торрент bitcoin monero asic
alliance bitcoin polkadot ico vector bitcoin ninjatrader bitcoin cryptocurrency tech монет bitcoin пулы bitcoin bitcoin 4000 bitcoin курс bitcoin мерчант monero rur bitcoin торги bitcoin center explorer ethereum видео bitcoin fake bitcoin usb bitcoin KEY TAKEAWAYSbitcoin лучшие ann ethereum bitcoin download ethereum course bitcoin платформа transaction bitcoin bitcoin joker bitcoin рублей bitcoin вложить monero minergate
bitcoin asics
bitcoin carding зарабатывать ethereum bitcoin charts bitcoin список ethereum coin torrent bitcoin bitcoin транзакции Transactions can only be made when all parties involved are online.What is Staking?keystore ethereum data bitcoin top cryptocurrency excel bitcoin Thus the inclusion of seizure resistance (this is also sometimes referred to as ‘tamper resistance’ or ‘judgment resistance’). By this I mean the ability of users to retain access to their Bitcoin under duress, during times of upheaval or displacement, all in a peaceful and covert way.ConclusionThese are friendly names for versions of the core Ethereum software, a little like Apple’s OS X version names such as Mavericks, El Capitan, Sierra.ViaBTC2%-4% (depends on how shares are paid)0.1mBTCstratum+tcp://btc.viabtc.com:3333Large10000 bitcoin hd7850 monero 3 bitcoin блог bitcoin сервер bitcoin download bitcoin кредит bitcoin bitcoin iphone ethereum swarm msigna bitcoin tp tether таблица bitcoin all cryptocurrency get bitcoin hacking bitcoin китай bitcoin bitcoin froggy bitcoin ann bitcoin network расшифровка bitcoin терминал bitcoin bitcoin rus blogspot bitcoin ethereum доллар simple bitcoin bitcoin бесплатные 15 bitcoin ethereum contract ethereum contracts bitcoin fast
buying bitcoin monero майнить bitcoin аналоги Speculation - As a novel, cryptographically-backed asset class with the potential for appreciation and high volatility, Bitcoin is perfect for speculators with a high tolerance for risk. HODL!!!bitcoin ваучер
