What is Fork in Crypto ?

a #Fork refers to a significant change or divergence in the protocol of a blockchain network. It is a term used to describe the splitting of a #blockchain into two separate paths, each following its own set of rules.

There are two main types of forks: hard forks and soft forks.

#Hard Fork: A hard fork involves a substantial change in the protocol that is not #backward-compatible. It creates a permanent #divergence in the blockchain, resulting in two separate chains. #Nodes or participants who do not upgrade to the new protocol will continue to follow the old chain, while those who adopt the changes will follow the new chain. Hard forks often lead to the creation of new #cryptocurrencies with their own separate blockchain.

#Soft Fork: A soft fork, on the other hand, is a backward-compatible upgrade to the #protocol. It introduces changes that are compatible with the #existing rules, allowing nodes that have not #upgraded to continue validating transactions on the updated blockchain. In a soft fork, the blockchain remains as a single unified #chain, but nodes that have upgraded will enforce additional rules.