Fork

How it is used

Used as a noun and a verb: the chain forked, a fork of the protocol. People separate a hard fork, which is not backward-compatible, from a soft fork, which is. Developers also fork an open-source project to build a new one from its code.

Example sentences

1. Many DeFi apps started as a fork of an older protocol with a few changes.

2. Exchanges paused deposits while the fork was taking place.

Common collocations

• hard fork
• soft fork
• fork the code
• chain split
• fork of the protocol

Related terms

• hard forkA change to a blockchain's rules that is not compatible with older software, so every node must upgrade. If part of the community refuses, the chain can split into two separate networks.
• protocolThe set of rules and code that defines how a blockchain or crypto service works. In DeFi, the word often means the whole system of smart contracts behind an app.
• nodeA computer that runs the blockchain software, keeps a copy of the ledger and passes transactions and blocks on to other computers in the network.
• consensus mechanismThe set of rules that lets the computers in a blockchain agree on which transactions are valid and in what order, without trusting a central authority. Proof of work and proof of stake are the best-known types.
• mainnetThe live, public version of a blockchain network where transactions are real and tokens have real value, as opposed to a test network.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• fork · Software Engineering

More terms: Networks, Forks & Scaling

• layer 1
• layer 2
• scalability
• testnet
• bridge
• rollup