# Can a Smart Contract Be Updated or Changed after It Has Been Deployed? ⎊ Path

**Published:** 2025-12-04
**Author:** Greeks.live
**Categories:** Path

---

## Can a Smart Contract Be Updated or Changed after It Has Been Deployed?

By design, smart contracts on a blockchain are immutable, meaning their code cannot be changed once deployed. This is a core security feature.

However, this rigidity can be a problem if bugs are discovered or upgrades are needed. To address this, developers can implement proxy patterns or other upgradeability patterns.

These involve deploying a new contract with the updated logic while the original contract, which holds the state and address, delegates calls to the new one. This provides a mechanism for change while maintaining a persistent contract address.

- [Can the Terms of a Smart Contract Be Changed after It Is Deployed on the Blockchain?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-the-terms-of-a-smart-contract-be-changed-after-it-is-deployed-on-the-blockchain/)

- [What Mechanisms Can Be Built into a Smart Contract to Allow for Amendments or Termination by Mutual Consent?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-mechanisms-can-be-built-into-a-smart-contract-to-allow-for-amendments-or-termination-by-mutual-consent/)

- [Can the Rebase Mechanism in a Smart Contract Be Changed?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-the-rebase-mechanism-in-a-smart-contract-be-changed/)

- [What Is the Difference between an ‘Upgradeable’ and an ‘Immutable’ Smart Contract?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-is-the-difference-between-an-upgradeable-and-an-immutable-smart-contract/)

- [What Is the Difference between an Immutable and an Upgradeable Smart Contract?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-is-the-difference-between-an-immutable-and-an-upgradeable-smart-contract/)

- [How Does Immutability Affect Bug Fixing in Deployed Smart Contracts?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/how-does-immutability-affect-bug-fixing-in-deployed-smart-contracts/)

- [Can a Smart Contract Be Upgraded or Modified after Deployment?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-a-smart-contract-be-upgraded-or-modified-after-deployment/)

- [What Are the Design Patterns for Upgrading Smart Contracts despite Their Immutability?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-are-the-design-patterns-for-upgrading-smart-contracts-despite-their-immutability/)

## Glossar

### [Proxy Contract](https://learn.greeks.live/area/proxy-contract/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Architecture ⎊ A proxy contract, within cryptocurrency and decentralized finance, functions as an intermediary facilitating interactions with an underlying implementation contract.

### [Hard Fork](https://learn.greeks.live/area/hard-fork/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Disruption ⎊ A hard fork represents a radical divergence in a blockchain’s protocol, creating a permanent split and typically resulting in a new cryptocurrency.

### [Soft Fork](https://learn.greeks.live/area/soft-fork/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Upgrade ⎊ This refers to a backward-compatible change to the protocol’s software, where non-upgraded nodes will still recognize blocks produced by upgraded nodes as valid, allowing for gradual adoption of new features or bug fixes.

### [Smart Contracts](https://learn.greeks.live/area/smart-contracts/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Function ⎊ Smart contracts are self-executing agreements with the terms of the agreement directly written into lines of code, residing on a decentralized ledger.

### [Proxy Patterns](https://learn.greeks.live/area/proxy-patterns/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Mechanism ⎊ Proxy Patterns, within cryptocurrency and derivatives markets, represent strategies employing intermediary assets or contracts to replicate the price exposure of a less accessible or liquid underlying instrument.

### [Security Risks](https://learn.greeks.live/area/security-risks/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)

Vulnerability ⎊ Security risks in cryptocurrency and derivatives markets refer to potential weaknesses in smart contracts, network protocols, or external infrastructure that can be exploited by malicious actors.

## Discover More

### [Can a Smart Contract Function without an Oracle?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-a-smart-contract-function-without-an-oracle/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![Can a Smart Contract Function without an Oracle?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Precision-Actuator-Mechanism-Interfacing-with-Overlapping-High-Density-Data-Substrates-Representing-Tokenized-Asset-Stratification.webp)

Yes, but its functions are restricted to on-chain data and interactions, without any real-world context.

### [Can a Smart Contract Be Designed with a Mechanism to Update Its Logic despite Immutability?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-a-smart-contract-be-designed-with-a-mechanism-to-update-its-logic-despite-immutability/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![Can a Smart Contract Be Designed with a Mechanism to Update Its Logic despite Immutability?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Symmetrical-Bifurcation-of-Digital-Asset-Volatility-Surface-Hedging-Mechanism-Abstraction.webp)

Upgradeability is achieved via proxy patterns, allowing logic changes by delegating to a new implementation contract while keeping the address and state.

### [What Is "Replay Protection" and Why Is It Essential after a Hard Fork?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-is-replay-protection-and-why-is-it-essential-after-a-hard-fork/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![What Is "Replay Protection" and Why Is It Essential after a Hard Fork?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Aerodynamic-Control-Surface-Hinge-Mechanism-Simulation-Data-Fidelity-in-Digital-Asset-Hedging-Instruments.webp)

A mechanism to prevent a transaction on one chain from being valid on the other, blocking double-spending across forks.

### [How Has the Rise of Retail Trading Platforms Changed the Dynamic between Retail and Institutional Investors?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/how-has-the-rise-of-retail-trading-platforms-changed-the-dynamic-between-retail-and-institutional-investors/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![How Has the Rise of Retail Trading Platforms Changed the Dynamic between Retail and Institutional Investors?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Triangular-Geometric-Intersections-Modeling-Hedged-Portfolio-Volatility-Surface-Skew.webp)

Retail platforms have empowered collective action by individual investors, creating a new, albeit asymmetric, challenge to institutional dominance.

### [How Has the Emergence of Automated Trading Bots Impacted the Landscape of Crypto Arbitrage?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/how-has-the-emergence-of-automated-trading-bots-impacted-the-landscape-of-crypto-arbitrage/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![How Has the Emergence of Automated Trading Bots Impacted the Landscape of Crypto Arbitrage?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/X-Ray-Visualization-of-Intersecting-Perpetual-Futures-Contracts-Dynamics-in-Decentralized-Finance-Architecture.webp)

Bots dominate crypto arbitrage, making it faster, more competitive, and more efficient.

### [What Is the Risk a Miner Retains Even after Paying a Pool Fee?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/what-is-the-risk-a-miner-retains-even-after-paying-a-pool-fee/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![What Is the Risk a Miner Retains Even after Paying a Pool Fee?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Decentralized-Ledger-Architecture-Revealing-Underlying-Volatility-Surface-Structures-In-High-Frequency-Trading.webp)

The miner retains the price risk of the cryptocurrency, as the pool fee only hedges the variance risk of successfully finding a block.

### [Can the Strike Price of an Option Change after the Contract Is Written?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-the-strike-price-of-an-option-change-after-the-contract-is-written/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![Can the Strike Price of an Option Change after the Contract Is Written?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Dual-Aperture-System-Simulating-Collateralized-Debt-Positions-In-Digital-Asset-Rehypothecation-Protocols.webp)

No, it is a fixed contract term, though rare adjustments can occur due to corporate actions or major protocol changes (hard forks).

### [Can the Strike Price of an Option Change after It Is Issued?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/can-the-strike-price-of-an-option-change-after-it-is-issued/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![Can the Strike Price of an Option Change after It Is Issued?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Decentralized-Autonomous-Organization-Governance-Mechanism-Token-Allocation-Structure-Abstract-Visualization.webp)

No, strike price is fixed, but may adjust for corporate actions like splits.

### [How Does a Chain ID Prevent Cross-Chain Replay Attacks after a Fork?](https://learn.greeks.live/path/how-does-a-chain-id-prevent-cross-chain-replay-attacks-after-a-fork/?utm_source=crypto.greeks.live&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=satellite)
![How Does a Chain ID Prevent Cross-Chain Replay Attacks after a Fork?](https://learn.greeks.live/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Quantum-Entanglement-Logic-Gate-Securing-Decentralized-Autonomous-Organization-Governance-Protocols.webp)

The chain ID is a unique network identifier included in the signed transaction, making the signature invalid on a different chain.

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**Original URL:** https://learn.greeks.live/learn/can-a-smart-contract-be-updated-or-changed-after-it-has-been-deployed/
