Blockchain Fork

A blockchain fork occurs when a blockchain network diverges into two separate paths, resulting in two distinct chains sharing a common history. Forks can be categorized as soft or hard: a soft fork introduces backward-compatible changes, allowing nodes running the old software to still recognize new blocks, while a hard fork involves changes that are not backward-compatible, requiring all nodes to upgrade to the new version to continue participating in the network. Forks can arise from protocol upgrades, differences in community consensus, or to address security vulnerabilities. For web3 developers, understanding forks is essential, as they can impact the functionality and governance of decentralized applications. Developers must stay informed about potential forks to ensure compatibility and to make necessary adjustments to their projects.