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”.
abi ethereum
bitcoin services
ethereum supernova ethereum покупка One of the concerns that will occur on your way to learn how to mine Bitcoin is the noise. With the constant buzzing of hundreds of computer components, plus industrial-scale cooling facilities running 24 hours a day, a professional scale solo mining operation is going to be hellishly loud!bitcoin blog Other applications: DAOs and beyondвзлом bitcoin оплата bitcoin bitcoin knots
bitcoin мастернода обвал ethereum блок bitcoin monero dwarfpool ethereum org market bitcoin bus bitcoin взлом bitcoin community bitcoin 15 bitcoin график bitcoin bitcoin usb контракты ethereum bitcoin суть
понятие bitcoin bitcoin заработок арбитраж bitcoin cryptocurrency chart uk bitcoin bitcoin эмиссия doge bitcoin monero blockchain joker bitcoin bitcoin серфинг 'When we meditate, we count. We close our eyes and are aware only of where we are at in the moment, and nothing else. We count breathing in, 1; and we count breathing out, 2; and we go on this way. When we stop counting, that is the void, the number zero, the emptiness.'exchange bitcoin exchange cryptocurrency ann monero coingecko bitcoin контракты ethereum
ethereum проблемы habr bitcoin ethereum картинки капитализация ethereum stellar cryptocurrency txid ethereum ethereum io конец bitcoin bitcoin торрент bitcoin foto bitcoin сайт bitcoin vpn расчет bitcoin bitcoin торговать birds bitcoin bitcoin alien collector bitcoin bitcoin суть аналоги bitcoin bitcoin google ethereum block bitcoin конвертер ethereum dao apple bitcoin bitcoin location ethereum падение explorer ethereum ethereum упал cryptocurrency calculator bitcoin links tether 4pda free monero bitcoin 2017 cubits bitcoin
отслеживание bitcoin сложность ethereum Though Bitcoin was not designed as a normal equity investment (no shares have been issued), some speculative investors were drawn to the digital money after it appreciated rapidly in May 2011 and again in November 2013. Thus, many people purchase bitcoin for its investment value rather than as a medium of exchange.bitcoin department bitcoin nachrichten bitcoin цены bitcoin passphrase bitcoin marketplace tether limited bitcoin ротатор tether coin bitcoin motherboard перевод bitcoin bitcoin перевод монета ethereum adc bitcoin bitcoin account обменять monero bitcoin loto bitcoin node bitcoin казино 4pda tether The Silk Road story made it into newspapers across the world. This was both good and bad for Bitcoin. It was bad because Bitcoin became linked with online crime, but it was good because it showed that Bitcoin worked. The Silk Road story showed the world that Bitcoin was useful, and that it had a big group of people who wanted to use it (even though they were criminals).PB Mining Review: Claims to operate Bitcoin mining ASIC hardware. When customers buy a bitcoin mining contract then they will begin earning Bitcoins instantly. At Piggyback Mining, they cover the electricity costs and all Bitcoin mining pool fees. The Bitcoin mining contract is 100% insured because they want customers to succeed.convert bitcoin rate bitcoin Recent research on the lightning network shows signs of increased vulnerability due to the centralization of a number of nodes in the network that control a majority of funds. Developers are continuously exploring new possibilities to enhance the privacy and efficiency of the lightning, as well as ways to incorporate other technologies such as Schnorr into the network. There’s no doubt that it’ll be some time before such system-wide updates can successfully take place.One of the first questions that prospective cryptocurrency miners face is whether to mine solo or join a ‘pool’. There are a multitude of reasons both for and against mining pools. Here’s what you need to know.ethereum txid BITCOIN TRANSACTIONS ARE IRREVERSIBLEfoto bitcoin bitcoin phoenix Lack of Turing-completeness - that is to say, while there is a large subset of computation that the Bitcoin scripting language supports, it does not nearly support everything. The main category that is missing is loops. This is done to avoid infinite loops during transaction verification; theoretically it is a surmountable obstacle for script programmers, since any loop can be simulated by simply repeating the underlying code many times with an if statement, but it does lead to scripts that are very space-inefficient. For example, implementing an alternative elliptic curve signature algorithm would likely require 256 repeated multiplication rounds all individually included in the code.tether верификация coingecko ethereum ethereum pool компьютер bitcoin ethereum асик
icons bitcoin bitcoin hardfork doubler bitcoin ethereum биржа trezor bitcoin
monero стоимость курса ethereum bitcoin trade bitcoin agario tether перевод bitcoin софт escrow bitcoin cryptocurrency top
Unfortunately, like the average Bitcoin mining machine, the power supply is sold separately.linux bitcoin
monero cryptonote ethereum icon отзывы ethereum bitcoin com bitcoin india antminer ethereum poloniex monero bitcoin loan часы bitcoin bitcoin payeer bitcoin spinner pow bitcoin bitcoin форум генераторы bitcoin casper ethereum bitcoin alien
txid ethereum it bitcoin инвестирование bitcoin компания bitcoin bitcoin net теханализ bitcoin bitcoin обналичить
adbc bitcoin
polkadot cadaver lightning bitcoin nicehash bitcoin price bitcoin bitcoin биржи компания bitcoin bitcoin сделки generator bitcoin bitcoin blue bitcoin system bitcoin plus ethereum ubuntu
bitcoin store tether валюта динамика ethereum equihash bitcoin money bitcoin комиссия bitcoin ethereum аналитика ethereum клиент сложность ethereum bitcoin ann tether bitcointalk bitcoin greenaddress qr bitcoin laundering bitcoin
bitcoin betting
bitcoin status bitcoin monkey мастернода bitcoin майнер monero bitcoin sportsbook баланс bitcoin titan bitcoin plus500 bitcoin buying bitcoin tether верификация установка bitcoin bitcoin block converter bitcoin
bitcoin forex bitcoin обучение монета ethereum The block is verified by mining software and made visible to any 'miner' who wants to see it. Once a miner verifies it, the next block enters the chain, which is a record of every litecoin transaction ever made.As more miners join, the rate of block creation increases. As the rate of block generation increases, the difficulty rises to compensate, which has a balancing of effect due to reducing the rate of block-creation. Any blocks released by malicious miners that do not meet the required difficulty target will simply be rejected by the other participants in the network.bitcoin block bitcoin chain
maining bitcoin bitcoin create cryptonight monero bitcoin online ethereum биржа fenix bitcoin куплю ethereum bitcoin click статистика ethereum cryptocurrency price куплю bitcoin tcc bitcoin хабрахабр bitcoin javascript bitcoin bitcoin торрент ethereum habrahabr kurs bitcoin ethereum news bitcoin ann avto bitcoin ethereum доходность
bitcoin компания bitcoin кости darkcoin bitcoin ethereum usd c bitcoin bitcoin dark bitcoin ruble ethereum контракты партнерка bitcoin bitcoin earning
nxt cryptocurrency monero logo bitcoin матрица bitcoin видеокарты bitcoin king ethereum прогноз polkadot блог
king bitcoin difficulty bitcoin polkadot ico collector bitcoin bitcoin лого alpari bitcoin forbes bitcoin bitcoin safe монет bitcoin пример bitcoin bitcoin center
bitcoin formula ethereum mine siiz bitcoin blog bitcoin доходность ethereum bitcoin development 500000 bitcoin bitcoin хабрахабр micro bitcoin ico cryptocurrency mac bitcoin tp tether
wordpress bitcoin график bitcoin bitcoin s course bitcoin
moto bitcoin mining ethereum up bitcoin видеокарты bitcoin It’s decentralized, meaning its existence and value is not tied to any agency, government, corporation, or bank. No third party can prevent you from performing transactions with someone, although they can make it more difficult or illegal.usb bitcoin wallet tether блог bitcoin bitcoin dogecoin вклады bitcoin bittorrent bitcoin bitcoin fake minergate monero ethereum dag monero freebsd скачать tether bitcoin air monero форк ethereum обвал эфир ethereum monero проекта ethereum форк bitcoin bitcoin чат plus bitcoin fenix bitcoin 2x bitcoin bitcoin sweeper bitcoin icon bitcoin tm bitcoin xl bitcoin вложения ethereum miners bitcoin capital
майнить bitcoin korbit bitcoin bitcoin купить отзыв bitcoin ethereum пул bitcoin checker konvert bitcoin программа tether wechat bitcoin bitcoin status cryptonator ethereum analysis bitcoin bitcoin mine wiki ethereum bitcoin blue second bitcoin ninjatrader bitcoin ethereum code bitcoin xt bitcoin airbit 2016 bitcoin bitcoin dark пулы ethereum bitcoin lurk bitcoin loto bitcoin suisse autobot bitcoin bitcoin сокращение сбор bitcoin tether gps
теханализ bitcoin prune bitcoin dwarfpool monero bitcoin wordpress ethereum алгоритм bitcoin vk bitcoin анализ
monero benchmark word bitcoin bitcoin talk bitcoin server
get bitcoin
пожертвование bitcoin ethereum создатель bitcoin гарант bitcoin calculator баланс bitcoin 60 bitcoin daily bitcoin bitcoin fees bitcoin обзор bitcoin yen Pricesnxt cryptocurrency bitcoin hardfork location bitcoin paidbooks bitcoin close to 1 million, as shown belowmine ethereum bitcoin создать amd bitcoin bitcoin store bitcoin fpga monero dwarfpool bitcoin китай new bitcoin bitcoin drip wallpaper bitcoin бесплатные bitcoin asics bitcoin ethereum бесплатно курс bitcoin tether clockworkmod bitcoin js coffee bitcoin box bitcoin bitcoin currency bitcoin форум simple bitcoin
monero сложность cryptonator ethereum лохотрон bitcoin зарабатывать ethereum 6000 bitcoin bitcoin lurk node bitcoin
пулы monero capitalization bitcoin bitcoin keys connect bitcoin график monero ethereum хешрейт bitcoin trust click bitcoin bitcoin aliexpress bitcoin captcha monero вывод bitcoin freebie видео bitcoin
bitcoin weekly ethereum forks bitcoin форекс space bitcoin The protocol has a token emission rate that halves every 210,000 blocks, or approximately every 4 years.bitcoin обзор Bitcoin transactions are made using an anonymous alphanumeric address, that changes with every transaction, and a private key. Payments can also be made on mobile devices by using quick response (QR) codes.generator bitcoin tether usdt xbt bitcoin хешрейт ethereum
новости bitcoin конвертер ethereum start bitcoin bitcoin forum bitcoin freebitcoin bitcoin facebook bitcoin 2017 bitcoin casascius ninjatrader bitcoin
33 bitcoin bitcoin логотип ethereum монета bitcoin торрент bit bitcoin эмиссия ethereum bitcoin магазины bitcoin wordpress
обзор bitcoin monero benchmark
bitcoin parser ico monero
bitcoin транзакции amd bitcoin bitcoin торрент курс bitcoin monero обменять bitcoin best chaindata ethereum usb tether bitcoin machine bitcoin xbt команды bitcoin ethereum пул bitcoin биржи
ферма bitcoin bitcoin background code bitcoin кошель bitcoin fx bitcoin bitcointalk monero фото bitcoin bitcoin hyip bitcoin заработать dogecoin bitcoin верификация tether
monero difficulty ethereum калькулятор elysium bitcoin dance bitcoin korbit bitcoin bitcoin сигналы etherium bitcoin block bitcoin
bitcoin серфинг bitcoin принцип bitcoin etherium
Think of a block as a dataset that links the past to the present. Technically, individual blocks record changes to the overall state of bitcoin ownership within a given time interval. In aggregate, blocks record the entire history of bitcoin transactions as well as ownership of all bitcoin at any point in time. Only changes to the state are recorded in each passing block. How blocks are constructed, solved and validated is critical to the process of network consensus, and it also ensures that bitcoin maintains a fixed supply (21 million). Miners compete to construct and solve blocks that are then proposed to the rest of the network for acceptance. To simplify, think of the mining function as a continual process of validating history and clearing pending bitcoin transactions; with each block, miners add new transaction history to the blockchain and validate the entire history of the chain. It is through this process that miners secure the network; however, all network nodes then check the work performed by miners for validity, ensuring network consensus is enforced. More technically, miners construct blocks that represent data sets which include three critical elements (again simplifying):bitcoin сети mikrotik bitcoin The payment is a small amount of ETH that the person who wants to run the contract needs to send to the miner to make it work. This is similar to putting a coin in a jukebox.value bitcoin monero ico monero blockchain покер bitcoin миксер bitcoin bitcoin loan андроид bitcoin валюта bitcoin bitcoin blender bitcoin проверить bitcoin график maining bitcoin genesis bitcoin ethereum online
bitcoin mixer автомат bitcoin bitcoin bbc cryptocurrency blog bitcoin topfan bitcoin bitcoin обменять difficulty bitcoin
monero xeon bitcoin акции monero algorithm 16 bitcoin bitcoin euro ethereum конвертер
ebay bitcoin super bitcoin ethereum org клиент ethereum bitcoin gold bitcoin торги 500000 bitcoin electrum bitcoin bitcoin today bitcoin office conference bitcoin bitcoin алматы краны monero рулетка bitcoin s bitcoin tether комиссии lucky bitcoin ethereum форк bitcoin scripting HOW CRYPTOCURRENCY TRANSACTIONS WORKbitcoin symbol сложность ethereum
ethereum история bitcoin страна monero github
bitcoin grant bitcoin payment bitcoin webmoney bitcoin мавроди bitcoin машина bitcoin протокол bot bitcoin
bitcoin net ethereum покупка my bitcoin monero калькулятор bitcoin de bitcoin avto ethereum клиент rush bitcoin machine bitcoin токен bitcoin monero core bitcoin okpay
bitcoin оборудование кредит bitcoin win bitcoin blocks bitcoin ethereum blockchain ethereum forks калькулятор ethereum bitcoin мастернода buy tether in bitcoin captcha bitcoin
bitcoin virus миксер bitcoin registration bitcoin p2pool bitcoin миксер bitcoin home bitcoin зарегистрироваться bitcoin stellar cryptocurrency koshelek bitcoin clicker bitcoin bitcoin софт
bitcoin видеокарта bitcoin haqida doge bitcoin mercado bitcoin теханализ bitcoin bitcoin fan email bitcoin рубли bitcoin
bitcoin транзакция wikipedia ethereum bitcoin make bitcoin okpay теханализ bitcoin ethereum chart bitcoin лохотрон iota cryptocurrency fpga ethereum bitcoin center ethereum dark ledger bitcoin ethereum coin ethereum форки википедия ethereum bitcoin обозначение earn bitcoin bitcoin swiss cryptocurrency logo андроид bitcoin bitcoin адреса bitcoin fork
bitcoin продать nanopool ethereum ethereum nicehash 99 bitcoin бесплатно bitcoin
bitcoin hesaplama arbitrage cryptocurrency яндекс bitcoin bitcoin js токен bitcoin
vps bitcoin ethereum mist reindex bitcoin bitcoin рухнул testnet bitcoin Another alternative is CoinBox which is specifically designed for merchants wanting a straightforward option to receive payments. In these scenarios, the merchant enters the price of an item or service into the phone, which then presents a QR code containing the amount to be paid and the address the funds are sent to. The customer scans the QR code with their bitcoin wallet app and the payment is sent.bitcoin часы bitcoin card php bitcoin king bitcoin
nvidia bitcoin перспективы bitcoin cryptocurrency arbitrage bitcoin sha256 alpha bitcoin ethereum видеокарты security bitcoin bitcoin блокчейн cryptocurrency bitcoin прогноз bitcoin комбайн bitcoin journal bitcoin black trinity bitcoin bitcoin it forex bitcoin mmm bitcoin bitcoin info preev bitcoin ethereum node ethereum stratum calculator bitcoin bitcoin расшифровка ecopayz bitcoin flash bitcoin bitcoin pizza
bitcoin кошелек вложить bitcoin alpha bitcoin swarm ethereum ethereum алгоритм tokens ethereum
получить bitcoin webmoney bitcoin
moto bitcoin tether bootstrap ethereum blockchain bitcoin scam bitcoin poloniex tether usdt
обменять bitcoin котировки bitcoin bitcoin stock space bitcoin bitcoin arbitrage bitcoin кошелька simple bitcoin gui monero bitcoin bux
bitcoin banks bitcoin ne nicehash monero ethereum vk fire bitcoin ethereum addresses bitcoin kurs bitcoin матрица average bitcoin таблица bitcoin china bitcoin кости bitcoin bitcoin etherium de bitcoin транзакция bitcoin box bitcoin
ethereum видеокарты bitcoin видеокарты ethereum упал bitcoin окупаемость bitcoin депозит bitcoin аккаунт exchange ethereum bitcoin краны новости ethereum
2016 bitcoin bitcoin расшифровка cryptocurrency calendar ethereum 1070 шифрование bitcoin
bitcoin бонусы
сети ethereum bitcoin протокол ethereum api bitcoin wmz bitcoin direct bitcoin play lealana bitcoin card bitcoin bitcoin python ethereum pow
bitcoin mt4 bitcoin analysis bitcoin перевод bitcoin софт bitcoin global bitcoin шахта monero nicehash security bitcoin bitcoin торговля service bitcoin заработать monero bitcoin nodes japan bitcoin bitcoin electrum bitcoin nodes ethereum цена ethereum geth jpmorgan bitcoin bitcoin лайткоин криптовалюту monero
bitcoin q робот bitcoin tether верификация майнер bitcoin x2 bitcoin bitcoin x tether майнинг bitcoin switzerland
cryptocurrency charts bitcoin терминал monero dwarfpool Ring Confidential Transactions (RingCT) hide the amount of XMR being sent in a unique transaction. Specifically, only coinbase transactions display the amount of XMR in order to let everyone confirm that mining rewards are accurate.Ring Confidential Transactions follow a two-step process that works as follows:crococoin bitcoin ethereum проблемы биржа ethereum конвертер bitcoin bitcoin bitcointalk ethereum myetherwallet click bitcoin ethereum addresses котировка bitcoin bitcoin crash car bitcoin
полевые bitcoin future bitcoin bitcoin автокран bitcoin aliens ethereum прогнозы cryptocurrency bitcoin рулетка bitcoin trader bitcoin reindex bitcoin ethereum twitter bitcoin игры bitcoin nachrichten email bitcoin future bitcoin bitcoin ммвб bitcoin usa bitcoin аналитика simple bitcoin coinmarketcap bitcoin rigname ethereum tcc bitcoin bitcoin иконка boxbit bitcoin шифрование bitcoin ethereum 4pda bitcoin flapper korbit bitcoin bitcoin download bitcoin развод bitcoin putin bitcoin froggy
приложения bitcoin bitcoin account bitcoin fpga monero pro bitcoin aliens мониторинг bitcoin bitcoin payment bitcoin сколько bitcoin xl trader bitcoin bitcoin lucky фьючерсы bitcoin bitcoin лопнет Let’s break each one down.mine monero bitcoin переводчик bitcoin galaxy vpn bitcoin alpari bitcoin game bitcoin bitcoin reindex
сложность monero отзывы ethereum bitcoin автосерфинг king bitcoin
bitcoin buying bitcoin protocol андроид bitcoin difficulty bitcoin bitcoin опционы strategy bitcoin bitcoin tube бутерин ethereum flappy bitcoin bitcoin список dollar bitcoin autobot bitcoin
Jan. 3, 2009: The first Bitcoin block is mined, Block 0. This is also known as the 'genesis block' and contains the text: 'The Times 03/Jan/2009 Chancellor on brink of second bailout for banks,' perhaps as proof that the block was mined on or after that date, and perhaps also as relevant political commentary.7bitcoin purse monero вывод ethereum создатель bitcoin pizza tether usb bitcoin пул блокчейн bitcoin
bitcoin 2048 ethereum википедия
bitcoin skrill bitcoin таблица
платформы ethereum ethereum coin bitcoin сложность пополнить bitcoin динамика ethereum алгоритмы bitcoin доходность ethereum instant bitcoin
анимация bitcoin mining bitcoin cran bitcoin deep bitcoin lurkmore bitcoin neo bitcoin казахстан bitcoin ethereum динамика bye bitcoin monero simplewallet
tether usd asics bitcoin casinos bitcoin
