What’s the difference between a hard fork and a soft fork in blockchain?
What’s the difference between a hard fork and a soft fork in blockchain?
Been doing some research into blockchain technology and wanted to know what difference between the two are? Would appreciate it if someone can explain it simply.
Thanks
This might help.
https://cointelegraph.com/blockchain-for-beginners/soft-fork-vs-hard-fork-differences-explained
Hard forks and soft forks are essentially the same in the sense that when a cryptocurrency platform’s existing code is changed, an old version remains on the network while the new version is created.
With a soft fork, only one blockchain will remain valid as users adopt the update. Whereas with a hard fork, both the old and new blockchains exist side by side, which means that the software must be updated to work by the new rules. Both forks create a split, but a hard fork creates two blockchains and a soft fork is meant to result in one.
Considering the differences in security between hard and soft forks, almost all users and developers call for a hard fork, even when a soft fork seems like it could do the job. Overhauling the blocks in a blockchain requires a tremendous amount of computing power, but the privacy gained from a hard fork makes more sense than using a soft fork.