Forks and Network Upgrades

8 min readinteractiveIncludes quiz · 2 questions

How does a decentralized network upgrade? Through forks - changes to the protocol rules that can split or upgrade the network.

Types of Forks:

Soft Fork:

  • •Backwards compatible
  • •Tightens or adds rules
  • •Old nodes still work
  • •Example: SegWit upgrade

Hard Fork:

  • •Not backwards compatible
  • •Changes fundamental rules
  • •Creates a new blockchain
  • •Example: Bitcoin Cash
Fork Visualization
Fork Visualization

Notable Bitcoin Upgrades:

  • •SegWit (2017): Increased capacity and fixed malleability
  • •Taproot (2021): Enhanced privacy and smart contracts
  • •Lightning Network: Layer 2 scaling solution

Each upgrade required extensive testing and community consensus before activation.

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This lesson includes a 2-question quiz (passing score: 75%).

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