Blockchain forks are the natural result of network upgrades and community differences. 1. Soft forks are mild upgrades that are forward compatible, and old nodes can still verify new blocks; 2. Hard forks lead to permanent chain splits, and all nodes must be upgraded otherwise they will remain in the original chain; 3. The reasons for forks mainly include technological upgrades, community concept differences and unexpected network problems; 4. User response strategies are to pay attention to official information, understand asset mapping rules, beware of fraud risks, and suspend operations during forks to ensure asset security and correctly handle new and old chain assets. Ultimately, understanding forks will help to deeply grasp the decentralized evolutionary nature of web3.

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1. What is a blockchain fork?

We can imagine blockchain as a public account book maintained by the entire network. The so-called "fork" is like this account book starting from a certain page and two different sequel versions appear. This is because some participants (nodes) in the network start to follow a new set of accounting rules, while the other continue to use the old rules.

After this divergence point, the blockchain is divided into two independent chains: one is the "original chain" that continues the old rules, and the other is the "new chain" that adopts the new rules. These two chains start from the fork point and will record different transactions and develop different histories.

2. Two main types of forks: soft forks and hard forks

According to the compatibility of rule changes, forks are mainly divided into two types:

Soft Fork

This is a forward compatible upgrade. It can be compared to an upgrade of a software, such as upgrading from Word 2010 to Word 2020. New versions of Word can open and edit documents created by old versions, but older versions of Word may not recognize some new features added by new versions of software. In blockchain, unupgraded nodes can still verify and process blocks under the new rules (although the new features cannot be fully understood), and the network is not forced to split. The soft fork is like a "gentle" persuasive upgrade.

Hard Fork

This is a complete break that is not forward compatible. It can be compared to switching from a Windows system to a macOS system. The underlying rules and architectures of the two are completely different, and the software is incompatible with each other. In blockchain, hard forks introduce new rules that conflict with old rules, and all network participants must upgrade to the new version or they will be "stayed" on the old chain. This will result in the blockchain being permanently split into two independent chains, each with its own communities and values. For example, Ethereum (ETH) and Ethereum Classic (ETC) are the result of a famous hard fork.

3. Why does a fork occur?

1. Technology upgrade and protocol optimization: This is the most common reason. In order to improve network performance, add new functions or fix security vulnerabilities, the project party will actively initiate forks. This is usually a well-planned hard fork with high community consensus.

2. Community governance and conceptual differences: When community members have serious differences on the development direction of the project and cannot reach an agreement through voting, etc., the party with different opinions may choose to create a new chain that conforms to their own ideas through hard forks.

3. Unexpected situations: In rare cases, due to network delays or program errors, two "competitive" blocks may occur in the network temporarily, forming a temporary fork. Usually, network protocols automatically resolve this conflict, and one of the chains will be abandoned without causing permanent division.

4. As an ordinary user, how to deal with forks?

1. Stay tuned and don’t panic: important fork events, especially hard forks, will be announced several weeks or even months in advance. Please follow the official channels of the project (official website, official social media) to get the most accurate information.

2. Understand how assets are processed: When a hard fork occurs, if you hold the assets of the original chain before the fork occurs, you will usually obtain an equal amount of new assets on the new chain. Mainstream trading platforms generally issue announcements in advance, explaining how they will handle the forks and whether they support the assets of the new chain. In most cases, the platform will automatically handle the mapping of assets for you, and you don’t need to perform complex operations.

3. Beware of security risks: The fork period is the high incidence of phishing and fraud. Never trust any unofficial links or tutorials that claim to help you “receive” new assets. All information shall be subject to official announcements and notifications from mainstream trading platforms.

4. Pause operation to ensure safety: around the precise time point when the fork occurs, it is best to pause related transfers and on-chain interactions. Many platforms will also temporarily turn off the charging and recharge function of the chain to ensure asset security and accurate records, and will be reopened after the network is stable.

Editor's summary

In short, blockchain fork is a natural product of technological evolution and decentralized governance. It is both a means of network upgrade and a way for communities to express their will. For ordinary users, there is no need to be overly anxious when facing forks. The core strategy is to maintain well-informed, trust official channels, and operate with caution . Understanding the fork will not only allow you to remain calm in market changes, but also give you a glimpse of the unique charm of decentralization, autonomy and continuous evolution of the web3 world.

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