🧬 Soft Forks vs Hard Forks: The Difference Matters
Discover why Bitcoin Cash split from Bitcoin and Ethereum split into ETH/ETC
Your Progress
0 / 5 completed🎭 Types of Blockchain Forks
Not all forks are created equal! Let's explore the three main types: soft forks, hard forks, and temporary forks - each with unique characteristics and implications.
🎯 Fork Type Selector
Click a fork type to explore its details:
Soft Fork
Backward Compatible Upgrade
A soft fork tightens the rules without breaking compatibility. Old nodes can still validate blocks created under new rules.
📊 Fork Type Comparison
Soft Fork Deep Dive
Soft forks are like adding new traffic rules that old cars can still follow. They tighten consensus without forcing everyone to upgrade immediately.
Bitcoin's SegWit moved signature data to a separate "witness" section. Old nodes saw this as valid (anyone-can-spend), new nodes enforced witness rules.
Hard Fork Deep Dive
Hard forks are like splitting a road into two highways going different directions. Old vehicles can't follow the new path.
Disagreement over block size led to a permanent split. BCH increased limit to 8MB, BTC stayed at 1MB. Two separate cryptocurrencies born.
💡 Key Takeaways
Soft forks maintain unity but limit changes. Hard forks enable anything but risk splitting the community.
1-2 block temporary forks happen daily on most blockchains. They're expected behavior, not problems.
Both soft and hard forks require community agreement. Failed consensus leads to contentious splits.