Explain the Concept of a 'Fork' in a Blockchain Network ▴ Learn

Explain the Concept of a ‘Fork’ in a Blockchain Network.

A fork occurs when a blockchain splits into two separate, independent paths. A 'soft fork' is a backward-compatible upgrade where non-upgraded nodes still recognize new blocks as valid.

A 'hard fork' is a permanent, non-backward-compatible split, requiring all nodes to upgrade to the new ruleset; otherwise, they will operate on a different chain. Forks are often the result of disagreements on governance or protocol changes.

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