Hard Fork

Written by Saurabh Deshpande

Introduction

A hard fork is a software modification that is backwards incompatible, meaning that nodes that do not upgrade will not be able to identify valid blocks and will split into their own chain. When partitions occur, it is typically a result of ideological differences such as Ethereum hard forked after the DAO hack to create Ethereum Classic.

This differs from a soft fork, where nodes that do not upgrade can still retain consensus.

Suggested Reading

A Short Guide to Bitcoin Forksby Amy Castor

Blockchain Forks by Shaan Ray

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